3DEP BAA DOIGFBO210044 and G22AS00013 September Amendment.pdf

DOIGFBO210044 FY22 BAA Solicitation Page 1

G22AS00013

U.S. Geological Survey

Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for 3D

Elevation Program (3DEP)

DOIGFBO210044

Grants.gov Funding Opportunity Number: G22AS00013

Amendment September 2021

DOIGFBO210044 FY22 BAA Solicitation Page 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. OVERVIEW INFORMATION 4

II. 3D ELEVATION PROGRAM (3DEP) OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION 6

A. Introduction 6

B. Background 6

C. Opportunity Considerations and Clarifications 7

1. Contract Mechanism 7

2. Acquisition in Alaska 8

3. Publication of 3DEP Data over Federally Recognized Tribal Lands 9

D. 3DEP Lidar Base Specifications, Project Deliverables and Upgrade Options 10

1. Lidar Base Specifications 10

2. Quality Level Upgrades (QL1 or better) 11

3. Product and Service Upgrades 11

4. Exceptions for Non-Conventional Technologies 11

5. Project Boundaries, Coordinate Reference System, and Tiling Scheme 11

E. Objective 12

III. AWARD INFORMATION 12

IV. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION 12

A. Eligible Applicants 12

B. Cost Share, Minimum Non-Federal Match for Cooperative Agreements, Project Scope 12

1. USGS Appropriations Law: Cost Share Restrictions for Mapping Projects

Carried on in Cooperation with States and Municipalities 13

2. Cooperative Agreements: State and Local Contributions 13

C. Post-Employment Conflicts of Interest 14

V. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION 14

A. Application Submission 14

1. Geospatial Products and Services (GPSC) Proposals 14

2. Financial Assistance (Cooperative Agreements) Proposals 15

DOIGFBO210044 FY22 BAA Solicitation Page 3

B. Format and Content of Proposals 16

C. Submission Dates and Times 17

D. Late Submission and Withdrawal of a Proposal 17

VI. PROPOSAL REVIEW INFORMATION 17

A. Criteria 17

1. Project Location 17

2. Areal Extent 18

3. Geographic Overlap with Federal Areas of Interest as Represented on

Attachment F, G, or H 18

4. Project Cost and Cost Share (funds contributed by applicant) 19

5. Maturity of Applicant’s Proposal and Maturity of Designated Funding

Sources 19

6. Technical Approach 20

7. Past Performance 20

B. Review and Selection Process 20

C. Evaluation Factors 21

VII. AGENCY CONTACTS 21

VIII. GENERAL INFORMATION 21

A. Marking of Proposals and Disclosure of Proprietary Information Outside the

Government 21

B. Disclosure of National BAA Statistics 22

C. Government Obligation 22

D. Prohibition on Contractor Involvement with Terrorist Activities 23

E. Award Notices 23

F. System for Award Management 23

IX. ATTACHMENTS 23

DOIGFBO210044 FY22 BAA Solicitation Page 4

I. OVERVIEW INFORMATION

Agency Name: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), National Geospatial Program, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, MS 590, Reston, VA 20192

Issuing Acquisition Office: USGS Office of Acquisition and Grants (OAG), 12201

Sunrise Valley Drive, MS 205, Reston, VA 20191

Lidar Data Acquisition Opportunity Title: 3D Elevation Program (3DEP)

Announcement Type and Date: Initial Announcement – August 16, 2021

CFDA Number: 15.817 National Geospatial Program: Building the National Map

Public Meetings: A public webinar to review submission procedures and discuss

3DEP specifications and product deliverables as identified in the current version of the USGS Lidar Base Specification was held on Wednesday August 11, 2021.

Materials from the webinar are posted on: https://usgs.gov/3DEP/FY22BAA.

Questions: Submit questions to gs_baa@usgs.gov

Response Dates: Proposals for lidar acquisition in response to this amended BAA are due by 5:00 PM ET on Friday, October 8, 2021. The BAA will remain open and proposals received after the initial due date will be considered for review until June 1, 2022 or until such time as the BAA is cancelled through an amendment or another

BAA is issued; additional selections will be made depending on availability of funding and evaluation of proposals consistent with the evaluation criteria provided herein. Amendments to this BAA, including potential support for collection of

National Hydrography Dataset updates derived from 3DEP data, may be issued if additional funding or geographically targeted partnership opportunities become available during the open period of this BAA.

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This information collection is authorized by

Executive Order 12906. Your response is required to obtain or retain a benefit. We estimate it will take approximately 60 hours to lay the foundation for a lidar acquisition project and 1 hour to prepare and submit the BAA application. Applicants awarded cooperative agreements or cost-share contracts are required to submit status reports. Monthly progress reports will take approximately 1 hour to prepare; the final report should take 20 hours to prepare.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 USC 3501), an agency may not conduct or sponsor and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget

(OMB) control number. OMB reviewed and approved this information collection through December 2023 and assigned OMB Control Number 1028-0092. You may submit comments on any aspect of this information collection, including the accuracy https://www.usgs.gov/3dep/lidarspec https://usgs.gov/3DEP/FY22BAA mailto:gs_baa@usgs.gov

DOIGFBO210044 FY22 BAA Solicitation Page 5 of the estimated burden hours and suggestions to reduce this burden. Send your comments to: Information Collections Clearance Officer, US Geological Survey, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, VA 20192 or to gs-info_collections@usgs.gov.

Summary of Program Changes:

Primary changes implemented between the 2021 and the 2022 Broad Agency

Announcement include:

II. 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) Opportunity Description

C.1. Opportunity Considerations and Clarifications, Contract Mechanism:

Updated text to reflect preferred terminology of data validation instead of

QA/QC.

D.5. Project Boundaries, Coordinate Reference System, and Tiling Scheme:

Added text clarifying the submission of a properly formatted vector GIS file.

V. Application and Submission Information

A. Application Submission: Added clarifying text for the submission procedure for each desired contract mechanism

A.1 Application Submission, Geospatial Products and Services (GPSC)

Proposals: Added text requiring the submission of a properly formatted vector

GIS file

A.2 Application Submission, Geospatial Products and Services (GPSC)

Proposals: Added text requiring the submission of a properly formatted vector

GIS file

IX. Attachments

Updated:

A. 3DEP BAA Proposal Submission Tool

B. Instructions for 3DEP Project Boundary Creation and Delivery Scheme

C. Request for Preliminary Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE)

D. Applicant Validation of Funding Partners

E. 3D Elevation Program: FY21 Status of 3DEP Quality Data

F. 3DEP FY22 - FY24 Federal Areas of Interest

G. 3DEP FY22 Consolidated High Priority Federal Areas of Interest

DOIGFBO210044 FY22 BAA Solicitation Page 6

H. 3DEP Agency Specific Multi-Year 3DEP Priority Areas for Data Acquisition

II. 3D ELEVATION PROGRAM (3DEP) OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Introduction

This Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) is issued to facilitate the collection of lidar and derived elevation data for the 3D Elevation Program (3DEP). The BAA continues the USGS’s long-standing approach to elevation data acquisition through a combination of contracting through the USGS Geospatial Products and Services

Contracts (GPSC) and partner-managed acquisitions. The BAA is meant to provide increased visibility to these existing processes for data acquisition partnerships to the broadest possible stakeholder community.

Proposals are invited from applicants who wish to propose a partnership with 3DEP to fund lidar data acquisition and the creation of lidar-derived elevation products.

Applicants may fund an acquisition project through the USGS Geospatial Products and Services Contract (GPSC) or they may request 3DEP funds to apply towards a lidar data acquisition project where the requesting partner uses their own contracting vehicle. Federal agencies, state and local governments, tribes, academic institutions, and the private sector are eligible to submit proposals. The Government will review proposals based on the project’s alignment with the evaluation criteria identified in section VI.A. of this BAA.

A synopsis of previous BAA Awards is available on https://usgs.gov/3DEP/BAA.

3DEP products and services, including data resulting from BAA projects can be accessed via The National Map Data Download and Visualization Services:

https://apps.nationalmap.gov.

B. Background

The goal of the 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) is to complete nationwide lidar (IfSAR in AK) to provide the first-ever national baseline of consistent high-resolution 3D elevation data — including bare earth elevations and 3D point clouds — collected in a timeframe of less than a decade.

The U.S. Geological Survey is designated by the Office of Management and Budget

(in 2002 through OMB Circular A–16) as the lead Federal agency for terrestrial elevation data. The 3DEP is designed to fulfill that leadership responsibility and to ensure that the needs of the Nation for high-quality 3D elevation data are being met.

https://usgs.gov/3DEP/BAA

DOIGFBO210044 FY22 BAA Solicitation Page 7

3DEP takes a collaborative approach to acquiring data for the nation because this role cannot be filled by the USGS alone. 3DEP includes many partners: Federal agencies and State, Tribal, and local governments, who will work together to build on existing programs to complete the national collection of 3D elevation data. Private sector firms, under contract to the Government, are collecting the data and providing essential technology solutions to manage and deliver these data and services. The implementation model for 3DEP is based on multi-agency partnership funding for acquisition, with the USGS acting in a lead program management role to facilitate planning and acquisition for the broader community through the use of government contracts and partnership agreements. 3DEP presents a unique opportunity to increase collaboration among all levels of government, to leverage the services and expertise of private sector mapping firms that acquire the data, and to create jobs now and in the future.

3DEP is based on the results of the National Enhanced Elevation Assessment (NEEA) which indicated an optimal benefit to cost ratio for Quality Level 2 (QL2) data collected over 8-years to complete national coverage. 3DEP aspires to systematically collect elevation data in the form of high-quality light detection and ranging (lidar) data for the conterminous United States, Hawaii, and the U.S. territories, as well as interferometric synthetic aperture radar (IfSAR) data for Alaska.

This Broad Agency Announcement is structured to result in awards that will support one or more of the Department of Interior’s Secretarial Priorities. Applicants should refer to Attachment I for the full list of the current Department of the Interior

Secretarial Priorities.

C. Opportunity Considerations and Clarifications

1. Contract Mechanism

Applicants may propose to use the existing USGS Geospatial Products and Services

Contracts (GPSC) to acquire data or applicants may propose to use a contracting vehicle for data acquisition that they manage and directly oversee. The USGS is responsible for the final validation of all data supported by this opportunity regardless of contract mechanism. Applicants who choose to manage and directly oversee their data acquisition through a cooperative agreement, cost-share contract or purchase order should reference USGS validation including corrections and resubmission of the corrected data to the USGS in their acquisition contract.

https://www.usgs.gov/core-science-systems/ngp/3dep/national-enhanced-elevation-assessment?qt-science_support_page_related_con=4#qt-science_support_page_related_con

DOIGFBO210044 FY22 BAA Solicitation Page 8

a) Geospatial Products and Services Contracts (GPSC)

The USGS National Geospatial Program’s (NGP) preferred method of data acquisition is through the GPSC, a multiple award acquisition vehicle that is designed to utilize the teams of firms on the contract for services needed to accomplish 3DEP data acquisition. The contracts include acquisition, processing, and quality assurance of lidar and other source geographic data. These contracts are already in place and have been awarded through a competitive process, consistent with the Competition in

Contracting Act and the Brooks Act. Firms on the GPSC have been selected based on their qualifications and performance in providing the professional services needed for

3DEP. The GPSC is an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract that provides for an indefinite quantity of services for a fixed time, above a specified minimum. IDIQs help streamline the contract process and speed service delivery. To ensure data quality and efficient development of standard products and services, the

USGS prefers that partners use the GPSC when possible and practical and expects to allocate approximately 75% or more of the available funding to projects proposing to use the GPSC.

The GPSC is also offered as a service for acquiring elevation data for external organizations who are not seeking additional funding. Information on this service can be found at https://usgs.gov/3DEP/GPSC.

b) Financial Assistance: Cooperative Agreement (Government) or Cost Share

Contract (Non-Government)

Applicants may request financial assistance to support a contracting vehicle for data acquisition that the applicant manages and directly oversees. This assistance is provided through a cooperative agreement or a cost-share contract, which is neither a contract nor a grant. As a cooperative agreement, there will be substantial involvement on the part of the USGS with the recipient’s organization to promote the objectives of the program, monitor progress, and agree on milestones and accomplishments for work performed as part of the agreement. The USGS expects to allocate approximately 25% or less of the available funding to projects requesting assistance awards.

2. Acquisition in Alaska

Statewide IfSAR 3DEP coverage for Alaska was completed in Fiscal Year 2020.

However, proposals for lidar in Alaska will be considered over targeted acquisition areas to include:

https://usgs.gov/3DEP/GPSC

DOIGFBO210044 FY22 BAA Solicitation Page 9

• critically targeted geographies identified by multiple agencies in the original NEEA study

• areas that overlap with Federal priorities as noted in attachments F, G or

H.

• Alaska coastlines extending to the 50-foot elevation line. Additional extents may be considered in developed areas or areas of populated native communities to support geo-hazard and flood related assessment and mitigation.

• flat geographies of the Yukon delta including all US Fish and Wildlife

Service (USFWS) refuge lands therein, and in north central Alaska surrounding Barrow

• the area of the Yukon River basin identified for native Alaskan village flood risk

• larger municipalities with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulated airport facilities and FAA's identified Alaska Peninsula flight approach area. Primary transportation corridors to include existing and proposed railways, highways, ports, and major river corridors.

3. Publication of 3DEP Data over Federally Recognized Tribal Lands

The DOI Policy on Consultation with Indian Tribes and the DOI Policy on

Consultation with Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) Corporations requires that DOI Agencies provide federally-recognized Indian Tribes or ANCSA

Corporations the opportunity to consult with the Agency before taking any action affecting tribal or ANCSA Corporation interests. USGS has determined that the publication of airborne lidar over tribal lands requires tribal notification. All BAA award recipients, regardless of contract mechanism used (GPSC or Financial

Assistance) are subject to this policy.

USGS will initiate and manage the tribal notification and consultation process on behalf of all BAA award recipients shortly after award. USGS will identify any tribal/ANCSA lands within the project boundary and send a notification letter to those tribes. The BAA award recipients will receive a copy of the tribal notification letter.

If the tribe objects to public release of the products resulting from the lidar acquisition over their lands, the data may not be published. All other project area data outside of the tribal land boundaries will be published. USGS will require the written permission of the Tribe before providing a copy of the restricted data to nonfederal funding partners for their own needs. Funding partners who receive a copy of the data may not further distribute the restricted tribal data.

https://www.doi.gov/tribes/tribal-consultation https://www.doi.gov/subsistence/faq/ancsa

DOIGFBO210044 FY22 BAA Solicitation Page 10

Additional language for projects on surveyor access to tribal lands:

USGS requests that the data acquisition contract contain language regarding access to tribal lands by survey teams. The contract should state that the lidar vendor should avoid sending survey teams onto tribal lands if possible. If the teams need to collect data on tribal lands, the collection should be limited to federal, state, county, or

Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) road right of ways. If a project requires additional points outside of these areas, the survey team will contact the tribe to determine their procedures for access to tribal lands.

D. 3DEP Lidar Base Specifications, Project Deliverables and Upgrade Options

1. Lidar Base Specifications

The deliverables for any given project must conform to the USGS product specification for lidar and derived products in effect at the time of GPSC task order or financial assistance award. Information on the current version of the USGS Lidar

Base Specification can be found at http://www.usgs.gov/3dep/lidarspec.

In addition to the requirements outlined in the USGS Lidar Base Specification, lidar data and derived products must meet the current definition of Quality Level 2 (QL2) as follows:

“Classified lidar point cloud data, with a minimum point density of 2 points per square meter, a nominal lidar pulse spacing of no greater than 0.7 meter, and a relative vertical accuracy of no greater than 10-cm root mean squared error

(RMSEz)”

Quality

Level

Source Vertical

Accuracy

RMSEz

Nominal Pulse

Spacing (NPS)

Nominal Pulse

Density (NPD)

DEM Post

Spacing

QL0 Lidar 5 cm 0.35 m 8 points/m2 0.5 m

QL1 Lidar 10 cm 0.35 m 8 points/m2 0.5 m

QL2 Lidar 10 cm 0.7 m 2 points/m2 1 m

QL3 Lidar 20 cm 1.4 m 0.5 points/m2 2 m

QL4 Imagery 139 cm N/A N/A 5 m

QL5 IfSAR 185 cm N/A N/A 5 m http://www.usgs.gov/3dep/lidarspec

DOIGFBO210044 FY22 BAA Solicitation Page 11

2. Quality Level Upgrades

The USGS anticipates awarding lidar projects for QL2 data. However, applicants can propose projects for the acquisition of higher quality (QL1 or better) data. The USGS will only contribute funds for the cost of QL2 data and any costs associated with the upgrade to higher quality data will be borne solely by the applicant.

3. Product and Service Upgrades

For those applicants proposing to use the Geospatial Products and Services Contracts

(GPSC), additional products are available. Requests for additional products and services should be documented in Attachments A and C to assure inclusion in the

Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE) and recognition of the full project costs. The cost of the additional products and services will be incorporated into partner funding agreement(s). The cost of additional products and services are the sole responsibility of the applicant. 3DEP will not contribute funding toward additional products and services. For applicants proposing to manage their own contract for data acquisition, the cost of these products should not be included in the

3DEP funding request.

4. Exceptions for Non-Conventional Technologies

Data collected using Geiger Mode and Single Photon lidar systems do not currently meet the USGS Lidar Base Specification, which it was written to specifically address conventional lidar systems. Submissions for the use of these technologies will be considered and reviewed against the stated criteria as noted in section VI. A, with noted exceptions to the lidar base specifications. All exceptions to the lidar base specifications and other data anomalies resulting from the use of non-conventional lidar systems will be discussed, documented, and agreed upon prior to final award.

Agreed upon exceptions to the Lidar Base Specification will be noted in the award documentation.

5. Project Boundaries, Coordinate Reference System, and Tiling Scheme

A Defined Project Area (DPA) must be developed for all 3DEP BAA projects. The

DPA is defined as the Area of Interest (AOI) plus a 100-meter buffer around the AOI.

The full extent of the DPA must contain data produced to meet 3DEP specifications and Task Order requirements. 3DEP BAA project deliverables will be delivered in the coordinate reference system(s) (CRS) and tiling scheme of the applicant’s

DOIGFBO210044 FY22 BAA Solicitation Page 12 choosing. The CRS(s) must be registered with EPSG as outlined in the current Lidar

Base Specification.

Additional information and instructions for expanding a project boundary to create a

DPA are included in Attachment B: Instructions for 3DEP Project Boundary

Creation and Delivery Scheme.

A properly formatted vector GIS file that has been expanded to the DPA as described in Attachment B must be used for project cost estimates and submitted as a part of the proposal submission package.

E. Objective

This effort will result high-resolution, public domain, lidar data and derived elevation products, obtained through collaboration between the US government, tribal organizations, state and regional agencies, academic institutions, and the private sector.

III. AWARD INFORMATION

Awards made under this BAA are subject to the availability of funds and may be in the form of a contract for data acquisition through the USGS Geospatial Products and

Services (GPSC) or a financial assistance award (cooperative agreement, cost-share contract) or a purchase order. Multiple awards are anticipated.

IV. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. Eligible Applicants

Single entities or teams from Federal agencies, state and local governments, tribes, academic institutions, and the private sector are eligible to submit proposals.

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), Minority Institutions (MI), Small Business concerns, Small Disadvantaged Business concerns, Women-Owned

Small Business concerns, Veteran-Owned Small Business concerns, Service-Disabled

Veteran-Owned Small Business concerns, and HUB Zone Small Business concerns are encouraged to submit proposals and to join other entities as team members in submitting proposals.

B. Cost Share, Minimum Non-Federal Match for Cooperative Agreements, Project

Scope

DOIGFBO210044 FY22 BAA Solicitation Page 13

The 3DEP implementation model is based on multi-agency partnership funding for acquisition. Applicants must commit to funding a portion of the project (cost share) to be considered for a BAA award. Project cost share is an evaluation factor against which proposals are rated (section VI.A.4). The greater the applicant’s cost share, the higher the score for this factor. The average BAA Award covers 30% (range 2% to

50%) of the total project cost. In FY21, project awards ranged from $120,000 to

$2.7M with an average award of $850,000. BAA awards must comply with the following federal guidelines:

1. USGS Appropriations Law: Cost Share Restrictions for Mapping Projects

Carried on in Cooperation with States and Municipalities

Appropriations law dictates that the USGS may not pay more than one-half the cost of topographic mapping (which includes lidar and derived elevation products) carried on in cooperation with States and municipalities (43 USC 50). The 3DEP program will review the entire proposed funding package (both applicant partners and BAA funding partners) to assure that the USGS contribution does not exceed 50%. Note that this law limits the USGS contribution to the project but does not limit the total contribution by the federal government. Multiple federal agencies may contribute to a project and collectively these federal agencies may contribute greater than 50%.

Contracting procedures require that this law be cited in the BAA announcement. This should not be construed as an offer from the USGS to fund 50% of a proposed project. Again, the greater the applicant’s cost share, the greater the score for this factor in the evaluation and the greater the likelihood that the proposal will be selected.

2. Cooperative Agreements: State and Local Contributions

For State or local applicants proposing a Financial Assistance award through

Cooperative Agreements: Pursuant to 2 CFR § 200.306, State and local applicants requesting an award in the form of a cooperative agreement must contribute a minimum of 25% State and/or local funds to the collective applicant cost share. State and local applicants are encouraged to develop funding consortiums that include

Federal partners however Federal agency contributions may not represent more than

75% of the applicant’s cost share. For example, if a State and/or local applicant is proposing a total applicant cost share of $100,000, a minimum of $25,000 of those funds must come from non-Federal sources. For all applicants, Federal and non-

Federal contributions to the cost-share are specified in Attachment A: 3DEP BAA

Proposal Submission Tool. For applicants requesting cooperative agreements, Federal

DOIGFBO210044 FY22 BAA Solicitation Page 14 and non-Federal cost share must also be specified in the grants.gov application package.

C. Post-Employment Conflicts of Interest

There are certain post-employment restrictions on former Federal officers and employees, including special government employees (Section 207 of Title 18, U.S.C.). If a prospective applicant believes a conflict of interest may exist, the situation should be emailed to the Contracting Officer, prior to expending time and effort to prepare a proposal.

V. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. Application Submission

Procedures for submitting a BAA proposal vary based on the contract mechanism the applicant proposes to use. Instructions for submitting an application to acquire data through the Geospatial Products and Services contract are provided in section V.A.1.

Instructions for applicants requesting financial assistance for data acquisition managed by the applicant are provided in section V.A.2.

1. Geospatial Products and Services (GPSC) Proposals

Acquisition proposals for projects to be contracted through the USGS GPSC must be submitted directly to the Contracting Officer Vickie Floyd by emailing required documents and forms to gs_baa@usgs.gov. The email subject line should contain the following: State, Last name of primary applicant, BAA Number DOIGFBO210044 -proposal (e.g. VASmithDOIGFBO210044 - proposal).

Required documents, forms, and files to submit:

• Attachment A: 3DEP BAA Proposal Submission Tool

• Attachment C: Request for Preliminary Independent Government Cost Estimate

(IGCE) as appropriate

• Attachment(s) D: Applicant Validation of Funding Partners for each funding partner

• A vector GIS file defining the location and coverage area of the project formatted as described in Attachment B: Instructions for 3DEP Project Boundary Creation and Delivery Scheme

All required forms are available for download at: https://usgs.gov/3DEP/FY22BAA.

https://usgs.gov/3DEP/FY22BAA

DOIGFBO210044 FY22 BAA Solicitation Page 15

Project proposals must include a vector GIS file defining the location and coverage area of the project represented by a polygon in shapefile, geopackage, or KML/KMZ format. GIS files must be formatted as described in Attachment B: Instructions for

3DEP Project Boundary Creation and Delivery Scheme

Applicants may suggest a GPSC contractor for the project by identifying a “suggested source” in the space provided in Attachment A. If a suggested source is identified, the applicant must also provide a rationale for the suggestion in the space provided.

Greater consideration will be given to suggested GPSC contractors that provide substantial direct input into the development of the proposal. USGS is not obligated to award the project to the suggested source.

These are the only documents required for projects proposing to use the GPSC for acquisition.

2. Financial Assistance Proposals

Acquisition proposals for projects requesting Financial Assistance awards (projects acquired through the applicant’s contract) must be submitted electronically through the grants.gov portal at http://www.grants.gov. A grant application package is available for download through the portal under CFDA number 15.817 National

Geospatial Program: Building the National Map/Funding Opportunity Number

Required documents, forms, and files to submit:

• Proposal Narrative o Attachment A: 3DEP BAA Proposal Submission Tool o Attachment(s) D: Applicant Validation of Funding Partners for each funding partner

• Standard Form 424 Application for Federal Assistance

• Standard Form 424A Budget Information Non-Construction Programs

• Standard Form 424B Assurances Non-Construction Programs

• Detailed budget breakdown – Optional (may be required)

• A vector GIS file defining the location and coverage area of the project formatted as described in Attachment B: Instructions for 3DEP Project Boundary Creation and Delivery Scheme

Attachment A: 3DEP BAA Proposal Submission Tool and Attachment D: Validation of Funding Partner(s) for proposal submission are also available for download at:

https://usgs.gov/3DEP/FY22BAA.

http://www.grants.gov/

DOIGFBO210044 FY22 BAA Solicitation Page 16

Attachments A and D constitute the narrative portion of the application and must be included as part of the application package. Financial Assistance proposals are required to provide details about the technical approach for acquiring and performing quality assurance of the lidar data and in the space provided in

Attachment A.

Project proposals must include a vector GIS file defining the location and coverage area of the project represented by a polygon in shapefile, geopackage, or KML/KMZ format. GIS files must be formatted as described in Attachment B: Instructions for

3DEP Project Boundary Creation and Delivery Scheme

In addition to the application package available through grants.gov, a detailed budget breakdown may be required. The information provided in this document expands on the information provided in the SF-424A and may be required if the proposal is awarded. A grant specialist will contact the applicant to obtain detailed information if the proposal is accepted for award.

NOTE: Prospective grantees (for cooperative agreements) must complete several steps to enable submission through grants.gov. Starting early is extremely important as it may take several weeks to complete the processes necessary to apply through the portal.

B. Format and Content of Proposals

Applicants must complete and submit required documents listed for each submission type above. Attachment A: 3DEP BAA Proposal Submission Tool, Attachment C:

Request for Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE) and Attachment D:

Validation of Funding Partner(s) are available for download at

The applicant is asked to provide detailed information including:

• Contact Information

• Project Summary

• Project Synopsis (suitable for publication in list of BAA awards)

• A vector GIS file (polygon in shapefile, geopackage, or KML/KMZ format) defining the location and coverage area of the project*

• Project Timeline

• Data Specifications and Data Deliverables https://usgs.gov/3DEP/FY21BAA

DOIGFBO210044 FY22 BAA Solicitation Page 17

• Technical Approach (where applicable)

• Suggested Source (where applicable)

• Project Cost and Finances

• Funding Partners

• Past Performance

* NOTE: The submission tool is designed to be used for a single geographic area.

Applicants must submit a separate proposal for each distinct project area to be considered. Each submission will be evaluated against the criteria identified in section

VI.A.

C. Submission Dates and Times

Proposals for lidar acquisition are due by 5:00 PM ET on Friday October 8, 2021.

D. Late Submission and Withdrawal of a Proposal

Applicants are responsible for submitting electronic proposals through the proper mechanism described in Sections V.A.1 and V.A.2 in sufficient time to enable receipt by the Government office designated in this BAA by the submission deadline. If the electronic submittals are received after the date and time specified for receipt of offers, the submittal will be considered “late” and will not be reviewed as part of the initial awards process. Proposals may be withdrawn by written notice received at any time. Withdrawals are effective upon receipt of notice by the Contracting Officer.

The BAA will remain open and proposals received after the initial due date will be considered for review until June 1, 2022 or until such time as the BAA is cancelled through an amendment or another BAA is issued; additional selections will be made depending on availability of funding and evaluation of proposals consistent with the evaluation criteria provided herein.

VI. PROPOSAL REVIEW INFORMATION

A. Criteria

1. Project Location

The “Project Location” selection criterion is designed to support Secretarial Priorities as identified in Attachment I.

a) Preference will be given to geographic areas

(1) With no existing lidar coverage (IfSAR in AK)

DOIGFBO210044 FY22 BAA Solicitation Page 18

(2) With existing data where the data quality level is QL3 (QL4 or

QL5)

(3) With existing data where the data are more than 8 years old

(4) With existing data where significant changes to the landscape have occurred and are documented in the proposal

2. Areal Extent

The “Areal Extent” selection criterion recognizes the cost savings associated with larger projects and is designed to support Secretarial Priorities as identified in

Attachment I.

a) 3DEP prefers projects greater than 1,500 square miles.

b) Projects smaller than 1,500 square miles may be considered

(1) To fill in gaps in coverage

(2) Where project AOI defines a complete geophysical or political unit

(3) For projects that represent significant cost share by the applicant

(4) Where the total area of a project is reduced due to overlap with another BAA proposal

3. Geographic Overlap with Federal Areas of Interest as Represented on

Attachment F, G, or H

Federal Agencies have provided their priorities in accordance with the current goals, objectives, and priorities of their agencies. DOI agencies have submitted priorities in alignment with the Department of Interior Secretarial Priorities (Attachment I).

Recognition of “Geographic Overlap” as a selection criterion supports the selection of awards over geographic areas of interest of recognized value to the current administration.

a) 3DEP has the goal of nation-wide coverage so welcomes submissions from across the nation.

b) General preference is given to projects that overlap identified Federal areas of interest as noted in Attachment F: 3DEP FY22 – FY24 Federal

Areas of Interest

c) Additional preference is given to projects that overlap areas designated in

Attachment G: 3DEP FY22 Consolidated High Priority Federal Areas of

Interest as Federal Agency areas of Interest Seeking Partnerships – High

Priority

d) 3DEP Federal funding partners may give additional preference to projects that overlap their individual agency requirements identified in Attachment

H.

DOIGFBO210044 FY22 BAA Solicitation Page 19

4. Project Cost and Cost Share (funds contributed by applicant)

The “Project Cost and Cost Share” selection criterion recognizes the importance of engaging with, building trust, and identifying mutual areas of interest and common goals between the Federal, state, and local communities. This criterion will support the Department of Interior Secretarial Priorities as identified in Attachment I.

a) The cost of lidar acquisition varies based on geographic extent, terrain, and vegetative cover. Applicants must include an ESTIMATED cost of their project by means of:

(1) An Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE) received from the USGS Geospatial Products and Services Contracts (GPSC)

Commercial Partnership Team (CPT). Applicants should follow the instructions and submit Attachment C: Request for Preliminary

Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE) as soon as possible and no later than by 5:00 PM ET on Friday September 3, 2021 to receive the estimate in time to meet the October 8, 2021 submission deadline.

(2) An estimate received from a lidar acquisition contractor. The

USGS will complete an independent review during the evaluation period to determine if the proposed cost estimates reflect valid industry cost for the specific geographic area and reflect a good value to the government.

(3) An estimate from another source accompanied by an explanation of how the cost estimate was derived to enable an evaluation of the proposed project costs. The USGS will complete an independent review during the evaluation period to determine if the proposed cost estimates reflect valid industry cost for the specific geographic area and reflect a good value to the government.

b) Preference is given to applicants that offer larger contributions to the total cost of their project

5. Maturity of Applicant’s Proposal and Maturity of Designated Funding

Sources

The “Maturity” selection criterion recognizes the importance of engaging with, building trust, and identifying mutual areas of interest and common goals between the

Federal, state, and local communities. This criterion will support the Department of

Interior Secretarial Priorities as identified in Attachment I.

a) Applicants are required to provide validation of all funding partners listed

DOIGFBO210044 FY22 BAA Solicitation Page 20 in their proposal via Attachment D: Applicant Validation of Funding

Partner(s). Applicants with “Guaranteed” funding receive a higher score.

6. Technical Approach

A solid “Technical Approach” which results in acquisition, processing, and delivery of 3DEP compliant data to all stakeholders including release of the data to the public domain is the key to the satisfaction of all other goals and objectives.

a) Projects making use of the GPSC as the acquisition mechanism receive full score for technical approach

b) Applicants proposing to manage their own contract will be evaluated on the applicant’s approach to data acquisition and required project deliverables. All products must meet the minimum 3DEP standards and specifications as defined in Section II D.

7. Past Performance

a) Applicant’s history of financial management of projects of similar financial scope

b) For applicants proposing to manage their own contract, past performance may also apply to the contractor the applicant proposes to use to acquire the data

B. Review and Selection Process

Each proposal will be evaluated based on the overall value and benefit to the government in consideration of the project’s ability to support the current Department of the Interior’s Secretarial Priorities (Attachment I). Submission benefits will be judged on project location and areal extent of proposed data acquisition; cost realism

(cost per square mile for defined geographic area); cost share (funds contributed by applicant); maturity of applicant’s proposal and designated funding sources; technical approach; and past performance as applicable and related to the subject of this BAA.

All things being equal, the USGS prefers projects that will be acquired through the

GPSC because it is a standardized process that ensures data quality and standardized product and service development. As stated in II C.1.a, the USGS expects to allocate approximately 75% or more of the available funding to projects proposing to use the

GPSC.

DOIGFBO210044 FY22 BAA Solicitation Page 21

C. Evaluation Factors

The most important factors are project location, geographic overlap with areas identified by Federal agencies as areas of interest for lidar acquisition, project cost and cost share (funds contributed by applicants), and technical approach. These factors are equally valued. Secondary factors include areal extent and maturity of applicant’s proposal and (maturity of) designated funding sources. These factors carry less weight than the five factors noted as most important but are of higher consideration than past performance. Past performance is the factor with the least weight.

VII. AGENCY CONTACTS

Interested parties are encouraged to submit comments or questions via email to

Vickie Floyd at gs_baa@usgs.gov and include BAA DOIFBO210044/G22AS000134 in the subject line. Comments or questions submitted should be concise and reference the relevant part and paragraph of the BAA. All questions and responses will be publicly posted as FAQs to https://usgs.gov/3DEP/BAA during the open period of the

BAA. Please take caution when submitting questions containing proprietary or sensitive information.

VIII. GENERAL INFORMATION

A. Marking of Proposals and Disclosure of Proprietary Information Outside the

Government

The proposal submitted in response to this BAA may contain technical and other data that the applicant does not want disclosed to the public or used by the Government for any purpose other than evaluation of the proposal. Public release of information in any proposal submitted will be subject to existing statutory and regulatory requirements. If proprietary information which constitutes a trade secret, proprietary commercial or financial information, confidential personal information, or data affecting the national security, is provided by the applicant in a proposal, it will be treated in confidence, to the extent permitted by law, provided that the following legend appears and is completed on the front of any proposal documentation submitted to the Government: “For any purpose other than to evaluate the proposal, this data must not be disclosed outside the Government and must not be duplicated, used, or disclosed in whole or in part, provided that if an award is made to the applicant as a result of or in connection with the submission of this data, the

Government must have the right to duplicate, use or disclose the data to the extent provided in the agreement. This restriction does not limit the right of the Government https://usgs.gov/3DEP/BAA

DOIGFBO210044 FY22 BAA Solicitation Page 22 to use information contained in the data if it is obtained from another source without restriction. The data subject to this restriction is contained in page(s) ____ of this proposal.” Any other legend may be unacceptable to the Government and may constitute grounds for removing the proposal from further consideration without assuming any liability for inadvertent disclosure. The Government will limit dissemination of properly marked information to within official channels. In addition, the pages indicated as restricted must be marked with the following legend: “Use or disclosure of the proposed data on lines specifically identified by asterisk (*) are subject to the restriction on the front page of this proposal.”

The Government assumes no liability for disclosure or use of unmarked data and may use or disclose such data for any purpose.

By submission of a proposal, the applicant understands that proprietary information may be disclosed outside the Government for the sole purpose of technical evaluation. The USGS OAG will obtain a written agreement from the evaluator that proprietary information in the proposal will only be used for evaluation purposes and will not be further disclosed or utilized.

B. Disclosure of National BAA Statistics

Understanding the national needs for enhanced elevation data allows the USGS and the 3DEP Stakeholder community to define a program that best meets the needs of the nation.

The collective body of work that is submitted to the USGS though the BAA is a critical indicator of the near-term geographic priorities, the level of funding needed to support these requirements, and the resources 3DEP partners are able to contribute to the acquisition of lidar data and derived products. The USGS will collate and may make publicly available collective proposal statistics to include total funds requested, total square miles requested, and a graphic showing all proposed areas of interest (in graphic and shapefile format). Individual applicant information will not be associated with these collective statistics.

This information will be used for analyses and program development.

C. Government Obligation

Applicants are cautioned that only an appointed Contracting Officer may obligate the

Government to the expenditure of funds. Applicants who make financial or other commitments for a research effort in the absence of an actual legal obligation signed

DOIGFBO210044 FY22 BAA Solicitation Page 23 by a Contracting Officer do so at their own risk.

D. Prohibition on Contractor Involvement with Terrorist Activities

The applicant acknowledges that U.S. Executive Orders and Laws, including but not limited to Executive Order 13224 and Public Law 107-56, prohibit transactions with, and the provision of resources and support to, individuals and organizations associated with terrorism. It is the legal responsibility of the applicant to ensure compliance with these Executive Orders and Laws.

E. Award Notices

Notification of acceptance of proposals will be emailed to applicants beginning around November/December 2021. Staggered notification of awards is likely as award notifications are dependent upon the availability of Federal funds.

Unsuccessful applicants will be notified after all available funding has been expended. Applicants whose proposals are accepted for funding will be contacted by a Contract Specialist before award to discuss additional information required for award. This may include representations and certifications, revised budgets or budget explanations, certificate of current cost or pricing data, and other information as applicable to the proposed award. If the submission proposes the use of the GPSC services, a 3DEP and/or GPSC representative will contact the applicant to continue the Task Order estimation process. During this process, the final funding amount from both the Offeror organization and USGS will be determined. The period of performance for the Task Order will also be finalized. A contract or cooperative agreement signed by a Contracting Officer is the authorizing award document.

F. System for Award Management

Successful applicants must be registered in the System for Award Management

(http://federalcontractorregistry.com/) and have an active DUNS number.

IX. ATTACHMENTS

A. BAA Proposal Submission Tool

B. Instructions for 3DEP Project Boundary Creation and Delivery Scheme

C. Request for Preliminary Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE)

D. Applicant Validation of Funding Partners

E. 3D Elevation Program: FY21 Status of 3DEP Quality Data

F. 3DEP FY22- FY24 Federal Areas of Interest http://federalcontractorregistry.com/

DOIGFBO210044 FY22 BAA Solicitation Page 24

G. 3DEP FY 22 Consolidated High Priority Federal Areas of Interest

H. 3DEP Agency Specific Multi-Year 3DEP Priority for Data Acquisition

I. Department of the Interior Secretarial Priorities