DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY

U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS, FORT WORTH DISTRICT

P.O. BOX 17300

FORT WORTH, TX 76102-0300

REV 18 Jun 2025

04 September 2026

REQUEST FOR STATEMENT OF INTEREST

W9126G262SOI9558

Applicants must be a member in one of the following Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units Regions: Gulf Coast, Piedmont-South Atlantic Coast, and South Florida- Caribbean CESU Regions.

Project Title: American Alligators as Ecological Indicators of Everglades Restoration.

A cooperative agreement is being offered ONLY to members of the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) Program Region(s) identified above. Award will be made upon mutual agreement and acceptance of the terms and conditions contained in the request for proposal and the recipient’s CESU Joint and Cooperative Agreement (also known as the CESU Master Agreement).

NOTE: The established CESU indirect rate is 17.5%. For any Cooperative Agreement entered into in response to this RSOI, a maximum 17.5% indirect cost rate will be paid on work covered by such agreement or any modifications thereto. Unless the agreement specifies otherwise, the basis of direct costs against which the agreement’s indirect cost rate is applied must be either the same base identified in the recipient's federally negotiated indirect cost rate agreement or, if the recipient does not have a federally negotiated indirect cost rate agreement, the Modified Total Direct Cost (MTDC) base.

Responses to this Request for Statements of Interest will be used to identify potential organizations for this project.

This RSOI seeks merit-based competitive procedures to encourage participation in USACE (DoD) programs by a broad base of the most highly qualified performers and will be evaluated on Technical Merits of the proposed research and development (R&D) and the potential relationship of the proposed R&D to USACE (DoD) missions.

Approximately $192,504 is expected to be available to support the Mandatory Tasks, $103,000 is expected to be available to support Task 5A, and $96,252 is expected to support Task 5B during the Base Period. Additional funding may be available to the successful recipient for optional tasks and/or follow-on work in subsequent years.

Period of Performance. The base period of the agreement will extend 12 months from date of award. There may be up to four 12-month follow-on periods based on availability of funding.

Description of Anticipated Work: See attached Statement of Objectives

NOTE: At this time, we are only requesting that you demonstrate available qualifications and capability for performing similar or same type of work by submitting a Statement of

Interest. A full proposal and budget are NOT requested at this time.

Preparation of your Statement of Interest: Provide the following (Maximum length: 2 or 3 pages, single-spaced, 12 pt. font):

1. Name, Organization, CAGE Code, Unique Entity ID, CESU Region, and Contact Information (Email)

2. Statement of Technical Ability & Qualifications (including):

a. Biographical sketch of the Principal Investigator (PI), to include PhD in a field relevant to the support (e.g., wetland ecology, freshwater fish ecology, freshwater vegetation community ecology etc.) and have expert knowledge and direct research experience within the Everglades ecosystem.

b. Applicants should have prior experience surveying crocodilians via airboat and other motorized boats within seasonal wetlands within the southeastern United States. Applicants should also demonstrate the ability to analyze variation in response variables relative to hydrologic and environmental factors and summarize results in an applied framework within the context of environmental variation and water management.

c. Applicants must have the means to obtain or already possess applicable research permits to conduct sampling within Everglades National Park (National Park Service Research Permit), the Water Conservation Areas (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Research Permit), and A.R.M. Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge (Research and/or Special Use Permit).

d. Relevant past projects and clients with brief descriptions of these projects.

e. Biographical sketches of personnel available to support this project, meeting qualifications in the SOO, and their areas of expertise relevant to this project’s requirements.

f. Innovative techniques and description of other capabilities to successfully complete the project: (e.g. equipment, laboratory facilities, greenhouse facilities, field facilities, subject matter experts, etc.)

3. Summary of the potential relationship of the proposed research and development to the USACE (DoD) missions.

Submission of Your Statement of Interest

Statements of Interest (SOI) are due by 2:00 PM, Central Time, on 5 October 2026 via email to the parties listed below.

Direct questions no later than 14 September 2026 via email to the parties listed below.

Nicholas Aprea Grants Specialist USACE, Fort Worth District Email: nicholas.a.aprea@usace.army.mil

Kathy Mitchell Project Manager USACE, Fort Worth District Email: kathy.s.mitchell@usace.army.mil

Review of Statements Received:

All statements of interest received from a member of the CESU Region(s) identified above will be evaluated by a board comprised of one or more people at the receiving installation or activity to determine the which statements have the highest rated technical merit, highest capability to successfully meet the program objectives as outlined in the Statement of Objectives, and closest alignment between the proposed research and the USACE mission.

Overall Evaluation Ratings.

Good/Excellent: The SOI demonstrates a thorough understanding of the project’s goals and objectives, and has demonstrated the ability, qualifications, resources to exceed performance and capability standards and includes at least one strength. Strength is an aspect of a proposal that, when judged against the overall evaluation criterion, enhances the merit of the proposal or increases the probability of successful performance of the Assistance Award.

Acceptable: The SOI demonstrates a satisfactory understanding of the project’s goals and objectives, and has demonstrated the ability, qualifications, and resources to meet performance and capability standards. The SOI meets the overall evaluation criterion.

Unacceptable: The SOI does not demonstrate an understanding of the project’s goals and objectives, and has not demonstrated the ability, qualifications, and resources that meet the performance and capability standards. The SOI includes at least one weakness. A weakness is an aspect that increases the risk of unsuccessful performance.

Respondent SOIs receiving the highest ratings, Good/Excellent being the highest, and Acceptable the lowest, will be requested to submit a full proposal for further evaluation.

Timeline for Review of Statements of Interest: RSOIs are required to be posted on www.Grants.gov for 30 days prior to the Government making a decision and requesting full proposals.

TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR AWARD, THE RECIPIENT AND ANY PROPOSED

SUBRECIPIENTS AND CONTRACT VENDORS MUST HAVE AN ACTIVE NIST

SP 800-171 DOD ASSESSEMENT (PERFORMED WITHIN THE LAST 3 YEARS).

Additional details are provided as a separate attachment to this document.

IMPORTANT: This award is anticipated to be made in FY 27.

Thank you for your interest in our Cooperative Agreements Program.

CHERYL R. VENDEMIA

Grants Officer Attachment: Statement of Objectives

STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVES

American Alligators as Ecological Indicators of Everglades Restoration for Article III, (D) of the following Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Units (CESU):

Gulf Coast, Piedmont–South Atlantic Coast, and South Florida-Caribbean

SEPTEMBER 2026

1.0 PURPOSE

The Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2000 authorized the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) as a framework for modifications and operational changes to the Central and Southern Florida Project to restore the South Florida ecosystem. Provisions within WRDA 2000 provide for specific authorization for an adaptive assessment and monitoring program. The CERP Monitoring and Assessment Plan (MAP) (RECOVER 2004, 2006, 2009) has been developed as the primary tool to assess the systemwide performance of the CERP by the REstoration, COordination and VERification (RECOVER) program. The CERP MAP presents the monitoring and supporting research needed to measure responses of Everglades ecology and hydrologic patterns to CERP implementation.

The American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) is an indicator of Everglades ecosystem health and restoration success because, at all life history stages, alligators integrate biological impacts of hydrologic conditions (Mazzotti and Brandt 1994, Rice et al. 2005, Mazzotti 1999, Mazzotti and Cherkiss 2003, Mazzotti et al. 2009). Research has linked three key aspects of Everglades’ ecology to alligators:

(1) Top predators, such as alligators, are directly dependent on prey density, especially aquatic and semi-aquatic organisms, and thus they provide a surrogate for status of many other species.

(2) Ecosystem engineers, like alligators, can create drier conditions with nests and wetter conditions with trails and alligator holes, which can provide habitat for plants and animals that otherwise would not be able to survive. This increases diversity and productivity of Everglades marshes (Kushlan and Kushlan 1980, Palmer and Mazzotti 2004) and, therefore, alligator monitoring can indicate overall health of the marsh.

(3) The distribution and abundance of alligators in estuaries is directly dependent on timing, amount, and location of freshwater flow (Dunson and Mazzotti 1989, Mazzotti and Dunson 1989); alligators exhibit an immediate response to changes in freshwater inputs into the estuaries.

This project will draw upon prior monitoring conducted in the Everglades and continue a long-term study of alligator response to CERP. The purpose of this project is to monitor and assess the responses alligators to changes in hydrology as a result of CERP implementation. Monitoring occurs within Water Conservation Area 3 (WCA-3), with Optional Tasks to expand the spatial scope into Everglades National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve. Proposed methodology must be statistically comparable to previous work. Annual data collected are to be integrated with previous years for the analyses.

Information gained from this project will be used to quantify the benefits of CERP.

The public will benefit from the knowledge gathered by the project because it will provide a source to track restoration progress and CERP benefits. The data generated from this monitoring will be leveraged in future RECOVER System Status Reports (SSR), which are published at 4-year intervals from 2024 and made publicly available. The RECOVER SSR is intended to inform interested parties of the progress made toward meeting CERP goals and objectives by providing information on the current status of key ecological indicators.

2.0 AUTHORITY

2.1 In agreement with the above stated purpose, the recipient/cooperator agrees to provide the necessary personnel, equipment, and materials required to implement, in part, the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)- Jacksonville District objectives pursuant to the authority 10 U.S.C. § 4001 - Research and Development.

2.2 In accordance with section 6305 – Using cooperative agreements of the Federal Grant and Cooperative Agreements Act of 1977 (31 U.S.C. § 6301 et seq.), all CESU projects must carry out a public purpose of support or stimulation, instead of acquiring goods or services for the exclusive direct benefit of the United States Government. Examples of carrying out a public purpose may include, but are not limited to, the following:

Project results are made available to a wide audience (including nonfederal entities) Project results/outputs add to the scientific literature/knowledge base, with applicability and utility beyond the scope of the project footprint/study area Academic and other nonfederal partner institutions (and their personnel) gain professional experience, increase knowledge, and develop skills and abilities Students benefit from direct interaction with federal scientists, program and technical staff, and field unit managers

2.3 In accordance with section 6305 – Using cooperative agreements of the Federal Grant and Cooperative Agreements Act of 1977 (31 U.S.C. § 6301 et seq.), substantial involvement is expected between the Department of Defense and the recipient when carrying out the activity contemplated by the cooperative agreement. The DoD agrees to participate at a national level in support of the

CESU program as accepted in the Master MOU for the establishment and continuation of the CESU program Article II 1-4 and Article VI 1-7.

2.4 The USACE will participate in study site selections, design, and work plan development. USACE will participate in field data collection efforts as appropriate, will review quarterly status reports, and will provide input to data interpretation for final reports, as well as review quarterly, annual and final reports. USACE will incorporate the data and analysis into a system-wide database that assesses and evaluates ecosystem restoration efforts in central and southern Florida. Scientific and technical information generated from the cooperative agreement will be utilized to evaluate project/restoration performance and system responses to be used in the development of assessment reports describing and interpreting those responses.

3.0 DESCRIPTION OF OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this project is to determine the response of American alligators through space and time and to link observed variation to environmental factors associated with the implementation of the CERP.

1. Measure body condition, distribution, relative density, and demography of alligators

2. Determine the status and trends of alligator populations over short- (body condition), medium- (distribution and relative density) and long-term (demography) temporal scales.

3. Provide data and analyses to support the scientific investigations designed to increase ecosystem understanding, determine cause and effect, and interpret the relationship between alligator metrics (Objective 1) and key hydrologic drivers (e.g., water depth, hydroperiod).

3.1 PROJECT TASKS

Task Base

Year Follow-on Year

Follow-on Year

Follow-on Year

Follow-on Year

Task 1 – Project Initiation Meeting Project Plan & Permits

Task 2 – Alligator Surveys * * * * * Task 3 – Data Analyses & Reporting

Task 4 – Participation in RECOVER Regional Team Support

Task 5 – Expansion of Spatial & Temporal Scope of Surveys

Task 6 – American Alligator Assessment

Task 7 – Performance Measure Updates

Task 8 – Monitoring Plan Review ** ** ** ** ** *Mandatory - Task to be funded each year **Optional Task - may be funded at once during each Period of Performance (PoP).

3.1.1 Task 1 – Project Initiation Meeting, Work Plan, and Permits (Mandatory):

The Principal Investigator (PI) and USACE jointly conduct a Project Initiation Meeting (virtually or in person) within fifteen (15) business days of CA award and any subsequent Follow-on Period (FOP) awards. The PI and USACE coordinate the project tasks as outlined. The PI provides an overview of the project, introduces the project team, and defines the project chain of command. The USACE communicates to the PI any methodological requirements to be used when executing and reporting tasks as outlined. These methodologies are briefly described in this CA in the activities above. The MAP Assessment Strategy (RECOVER 2006) provides guidance in assessment methodologies.

Within fifteen (15) business days following the Project Initiation Meeting, the PI provides the Project Initiation Meeting summary and an electronic copy of the Draft Work Plan. The PI and the Technical Point of Contact (TPOC) collaboratively develop a Final Work Plan within (30) business days. The Final Work Plan is updated, as necessary, at the beginning of each new FOP.

The PI prepares to execute field sampling following award execution. This includes acquiring and assembling any specialty equipment needed and working with the TPOC to become familiar with sampling protocols and equipment.

Submittal of a CA for a project that takes place on Department of Interior lands is acknowledgement that the PI has reviewed and understands the permit requirements for all applicable federal and state agencies and tribal lands, including the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the State of Florida. Permits anticipated for completing this work are described in Section

5.0. Any required permits obtained in support of the project are delivered to the

TPOC.

3.1.2 Task 2 – Alligator Surveys (Mandatory):

Alligator surveys occur along four (4) routes (WCA3A-N41, WCA3A-Tower, WCA3A-Holiday, WCA3B, see Figure 1), as established in Mazzotti et al. 2010 and updated in Hart et al., 2012. Surveys are conducted in marshes, in the dry season (spring) and wet season (fall), and are conducted twice each season (Woodward and Moore 1990, Mazzotti et al. 2010). Relative condition of alligators is determined by conducting a condition factor analysis (Zweig 2003, Mazzotti et al. 2009).

To determine condition of marsh alligator populations, semi-annual capture surveys is performed. A minimum of fifteen (15) alligators greater than 1.25m total length in each area are captured in the fall and spring of each year. Total length, snout-vent length, head length, tail girth, and weight are measured, sex determined, and any abnormalities/deformities noted. Alligators are tagged using Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission web tags or by clipping scutes to identify recaptured individuals.

Geographic location, habitat characteristics, and environmental characteristics including air/water temperature, water depth, muck depth, and salinity is recorded where applicable. Capture surveys are used to provide data for a body condition factor analysis (Leslie 1997, Zweig 2003).

3.1.3 Task 3 – Data Analyses and Reporting (Mandatory)

The PI summarizes, analyzes, and reports status and trends in alligator relative density and body condition on an annual basis to inform the Annual Report and CERP System Status Reports (SSR). Any additional survey data generated from Optional Tasks is summarized, analyzed, and reported. Additional data may be incorporated into the analyses of Task 2 data, but Optional Tasks may require data collected for specific tasks to be summarized separately.

The PI is required to submit four (4) quarterly status reports and one (1) annual report each year. The 4th quarterly status report is combined with the annual report. One (1) final report for all years of the agreement is also developed. All reports are submitted to the TPOC. Annual Reports include, at minimum, the following: monitoring objectives and hypotheses addressed by monitoring activities, methods, results and statistical analyses of sampling efforts, discussion, conclusions, and lessons learned. As appropriate, the PI includes recommendations for further data analysis and/or collection. Data derived from the project is provided to the TPOC with the submission of each annual report and include a file containing appropriate metadata.

3.1.4 Task 4 – Participation in RECOVER Regional Team Support (Mandatory):

The PI participates in up to six (6) 2-hour virtual RECOVER meetings and up to two (2) 6-hour in-person workshops each year, hosted in southern Florida, to provide updates on or engage in discussions regarding the project or project-related RECOVER efforts.

The PI participates in up to four (4) virtual and/or in-person RECOVER Greater Everglades Regional Team meetings during the course of each Period of Performance.

The PI provides a presentation to the RECOVER Greater Everglades Regional Team or other science meetings, as directed by the TPOC during the period of performance for the CA. Presentations are typically requested annually, following the submission of the Annual Report, but USACE reserves the right to request presentations at any point during the Base Year and/or FOPs. The presentation is delivered in-person at 701 San Marco Blvd. Jacksonville, Florida 32207, the South Florida Water Management District Headquarters in West Palm Beach, Florida, or via a teleconference platform (i.e., Zoom, Webex, Microsoft Teams, etc.). The presentation includes a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation that summarizes all work that has been completed, including data analysis and interpretations that highlight all spatial and statistical relationships found. Finally, the PI lists recommendations for further data analysis and/or collection.

3.1.5 Task 5 – Expansion of Spatial and Temporal Scope of Surveys (Optional):

A. Everglades National Park

The PI conducts alligator surveys to generate the measures of alligator body condition, relative density, total length, snout-vent length, head length, tail girth, weight, and sex described in Task 2 in Everglades National Park for two routes associated with Shark River Slough. Both spring and fall surveys are conducted to maintain temporal consistency with Task 2 data.

B. Southwest Florida – Big Cypress National Preserve

The PI conducts alligator surveys to generate the measures of alligator body condition, relative density, total length, snout-vent length, head length, tail girth, weight, and sex described in Task 2 in the western Everglades (Big Cypress National Preserve, and adjacent wetland areas) for at least two routes.

Both spring and fall surveys are conducted to maintain temporal consistency with Task 2 data.

C. Spatial and Temporal Expansions beyond A and B.

The PI conducts alligator surveys beyond the spatial and temporal extent of what is identified in Task 5 A and B.

3.1.6 Task 6 – American Alligator Assessment (Optional):

The PI provides up to ten (10) days of work to coordinate with the TPOC and assist in the development of the CERP SSR, as applicable. Most information provided will be drawn from the Annual Reports submitted in support of Task 2, Task 3, and Task 5. The PI contributes to the CERP SSR with an assessment of alligators by interpreting field observations within the context of CERP implementation and other factors that influence alligators in the Everglades. The CERP SSR will provide an assessment of whether the goals and purposes of CERP are being achieved by comparing monitoring results to established Interim Goals (incremental restoration benchmarks established for the ecological indicator), when applicable. The TPOC provides clear and concise instructions to guide development of the CERP SSR assessment.

3.1.7 Task 7 – Performance Measure Updates (Optional):

Information generated from Mandatory and Optional Tasks described above, as well as data from prior monitoring efforts, are used to update and refine methods to conduct alligator assessments and model-simulated alligator responses to hydrologic variation. The deliverables of this Task include an updated Performance Measure documentation sheet and all data, code, and results produced to inform the update.

3.1.8 Task 8 – Monitoring Plan Review (Optional):

RECOVER will update the CERP MAP within the duration of this 5-year CA. The PI provides a statistical review of long-term monitoring methodology to determine if the existing monitoring are robust, relative to RECOVER’s objectives and align with RECOVER’s need to assess whether the goals and objectives of CERP are being met. This review examines the study and sampling design, the observed variation in the metric(s) of interest, and determines what existing sampling methods yield in terms of a measure with a credible interval. The PI collaborates with the TPOC to interrogate existing sampling methods relative to CERP MAP objectives with data collected from the design. This task culminates into a stand-alone report that details interrogations conducted and recommends practical remedies for any misalignment between the realized sampling design and the CERP MAP objectives.

CONSIDERATION

The PI is not required to perform services on federal holidays and Election Day:

New Year’s Day Labor Day Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday Columbus Day Washington’s Birthday Veteran’s Day Memorial Day Thanksgiving Day Juneteenth National Independence Day Christmas Day Independence Day Election Day

4.0 QUALIFICATIONS/REQUIREMENTS

Biographical sketches are required for each of the personnel supporting this project. The NFE will coordinate with USACE before any key personnel changes or hiring.

Successful applicants should possess a PhD in a field relevant to the support (e.g., wetland ecology, freshwater fish ecology, freshwater vegetation community ecology etc.) and have expert knowledge and direct research experience within the Everglades ecosystem. Applicants should have prior experience surveying crocodilians via airboat and other motorized boats within seasonal wetlands within the southeastern United States. Applicants should also demonstrate the ability to analyze variation in response variables relative to hydrologic and environmental factors and summarize results in an applied framework within the context of environmental variation and water management.

The applicants must have the means to obtain or already possess applicable research permits to conduct sampling within Everglades National Park (National Park Service Research Permit), the Water Conservation Areas (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Research Permit), and A.R.M. Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge (Research and/or Special Use Permit).

5.0 RESERVED

6.0 FOLLOW-ON PERIODS

In addition to the Base Year, four (4), twelve (12) month Follow-on Periods (FOP) are anticipated subject to availability of funds.

7.0 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

7.1 All tasks (mandatory and optional) will be for a period of 12 months that will begin from date of each task award. Due to the project’s regional sensitive flora and fauna that are influenced by seasonal cycles that must align with the monitoring and assessment plans for successfully executing the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) it is likely that the Follow-On Year POP dates may need to be adjusted. In the event such adjustments become necessary the overall POP for each of the follow-on year efforts will remain 12 months.

8.0 COORDINATION

Kathy Mitchell Environmental Agreements PM/Biologist Regional Planning and Environmental Center U.S. Army Corps of Engineers kathy.s.mitchell@usace.army.mil

Michael Collis Chief, Ecosystem Restoration Projects Section Jacksonville District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 701 San Marco Blvd.

Jacksonville, FL 32207 michael.j.collis@usace.army.mil

Tasso Cocoves, MS Biologist – RECOVER Technical Point of Contact Planning and Policy Division

Jacksonville District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 701 San Marco Blvd.

Jacksonville, FL 32207 Tasso.C.Cocoves@usace.army.mil

10.0 DELIVERABLES

Detailed descriptions of any required deliverables required (reports, plans, etc.)

and formats. Provide delivery schedules. At a minimum these deliverables should include:

10.1 Project Initiation Meeting Summary (see Task1)

10.1.1 One (1) electronic copy (email attachment in MS Word format) of the summary from the Project Initiation Meeting will be submitted within thirty (30) business days following award of the CA.

10.2 Work Plans and permits (see Task 1)

10.2.1 One (1) electronic copy (email attachment in MS Word format) of a Draft Work Plan will be submitted thirty (30) business days following award of the CA.

10.2.2 One (1) electronic copy (email attachment in MS Word format) of the Final Work Plan will be submitted within forty-five (45) days business days following award of the CA.

10.2.3 All permits required to support awarded Tasks in the Final Work Plan will be included with the Final Work Plan in an appendix. This may include permits to conduct research in Everglades National Park (National Park Service Research Permit), the Water Conservation Areas (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Research Permit), and A.R.M. Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge (Special Use and/or Research Permit).

10.3 Four (4) Quarterly Status Reports (QSR) or Progress Reports (PR) will be submitted for every three-month period, or quarter, following the award of the cooperative agreement and any subsequent Follow-on Periods. These QSRs will summarize progress made on all executed Tasks, provide an update on the budget status of each Task, point out any problems or challenges that may have arisen during the previous three months.

Quarters:

Q1: Oct-Dec Q2: Jan-Mar Q3: Apr-Jun Q4: Jul-Sep

10.3.1 Electronic copy (email attachment in Microsoft [MS] Word format) of the QSR every quarter from award of CA and subsequent Follow-on Periods.

10.4 Annual Reports (AR) will be submitted twelve months after the award of the CA and any subsequent Follow-on Periods. Each AR will summarize activities and results from all executed Tasks, including executed Optional Tasks, within each Period. The ARs will report summaries of sampled alligator relative density, body condition, and other morphological metrics, analyze spatial and temporal trends in the metrics, and examine the consistency of observations with CERP hypotheses from the CERP MAP. The Draft Annual Report will be reviewed by the TPOC within fifteen (15) days upon receipt from the PI. Comments will be provided for the PI to address in the Final Annual Report. A data file (Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet or CSV file) of all quality assured data will accompany each Annual Report.

10.4.1 Electronic copy (email attachment in MS Word format) of a Draft Annual

Report will be submitted in September of each year.

10.4.2 Electronic copy (email attachment in MS Word format) of a Final Annual

Report will be submitted in September of each year.

10.4.3 Electronic copy of all data collected, and quality assured submitted as a

Microsoft Excel or CSV file.

10.5 Task 6 Deliverable: PI Contribution to the System Status Report (SSR) – The PI of this CA will collaborate with the TPOC in developing the SSR. Upon the execution of Task 6, results of the work performed under this CA will be used to inform and develop the cumulative annual and reporting period findings outlined in the SSR. The SSR provides an assessment of whether the goals and purposes of CERP are being achieved by comparing monitoring results to established modeling expectations, when applicable.

10.5.1 Electronic copy of all quality assured data associated with Task 6 submitted as a Microsoft Excel or CSV file.

10.5.2 Electronic copy of scripts used to conduct analyses and figures produced for the SSR.

10.6 Task 7 Deliverable: Performance Measure Documentation Sheet – Upon the execution of Task 7, the PI will submit an electronic copy of a draft RECOVER Performance Measure Documentation Sheet to the TPOC for technical review.

The PI will address comments and submit a draft final RECOVER Performance Measure Documentation Sheet for RECOVER approval. The TPOC will provide a documentation sheet template for reference. An electronic copy (email attachment in MS Word format) of RECOVER Performance Measure Documentation Sheet will be submitted at the completion of this Optional Task of the CA.

10.7 Task 8 Deliverable: Upon the completion of Task 8, the PI will submit a separate report to (1) summarize methods and results of a statistical review of monitoring methodology and (2) discuss monitoring methodology alignment with RECOVER’s need to assess whether the goals and objectives of CERP are being met. The PI will also submit all datasets and statistical code developed to conduct analyses used to examine the monitoring methodology. An electronic copy of the report (email attachment in MS Word format) and supporting files used for the statistical review will be submitted at the completion of the Optional Task of the CA.

10.7.1 Electronic copy of all quality assured data and code scripts associated with Task 8 submitted as a Microsoft Excel or CSV file and accompanying script file, respectively.

10.8 Draft Final Project Report – For the last awarded FOP, a Final Project Report will be submitted in place of an Annual Report. An Electronic copy of the Draft Final Project Report will be submitted no later than one month before end of the last awarded Period for the CA. At a minimum, the Final Project Report will summarize activities and results from all executed Tasks, including all executed Optional Tasks, for the duration of the entire CA. The PI will conduct and present the results of analyses of spatial and temporal trends in the metrics that by aggregating data collected across all Periods of the CA and examine the consistency of observations with CERP hypotheses from the CERP MAP. The TPOC will review and provide comments within fifteen (15) calendar days after receipt of the Draft Final Project Report.

10.9 Final Project Report. One (1) PDF copy of the final report, addressing TPOC review and comments on the draft, if any, will be submitted no later than fifteen

(15) days after receipt of the TPOC comments. Additionally, one (1) copy of the final report will be submitted in a MSWord file(s), on digital media. All data collected to support executed Tasks and collated to conduct analyses will be quality assured and submitted with the Final Project Report as a Microsoft Excel file or a Comma Separated Value (CSV) file.

10.9.1 Electronic copy of all data collected or collated in support of executed

Tasks, quality assured, submitted as a Microsoft Excel or CSV file.

11.0 POST AWARD AND INVOICE PROCESS

11.1 Payment Requests and Progress Reports (Invoice Package):

Submit Payment Request and additional required documents to:

swf-cesu-invoice@usace.army.mil.

Carbon Copy the assigned USACE Project Manager as well as your organization’s point of contacts (POCs) for the additional required documents and for delinquent accounts.

11.2 Frequency:

Quarterly plus 30-day grace period (except for the final invoice package noted below). If the coverage dates are not quarterly or preapproved by the PM (or the first/last submittal), the invoice package will be rejected.

Invoice pkgs due No Later Than (NLT):

Quarters:

Q1: Oct-Dec Q1: 31 Jan Q2: Jan-Mar Q2: 30 Apr Q3: Apr-Jun Q3: 30 Jul Q4: Jul-Sep Q4: 31 Oct

11.3 Payment Requests must be submitted on form SF270 Request for Advance or Reimbursement with the accompanying Standard Form-Performance Progress Report (SF-PPR), otherwise the SF270 will be rejected.

11.4 SF270 Request for Advance or Reimbursement

11.4.1 Block 9, Recipient Organization. For successful set up of Electronic Transfer of

Funds (EFT), the Recipient’s name and address will reflect the exact name and physical address that appears in the System for Award Management (SAM), https://sam.gov/.

11.4.2 Blocks 11, (a), (b), & (c) are for the description of funds. Preferred description is:

CLIN/POP Type, POP start and end dates, amount awarded (see example below); at minimum include the CLIN. If the description or the minimum CLIN information is missing, the SF270 and SF-PPR will be rejected.

Example:

CLIN 0001 / Base

22SEP23 – 21SEP24

$100,000.00

Funding must be separated as specified on the Award document. Sub-CLINs that specify “for funding only” (e.g., numbered 000101, 000102, etc.) may be rolled into the primary CLIN (e.g., 0001) unless otherwise instructed. All others required PM approval.

The SF270 may have multiple pages.

An SF270 in Excel format may be requested at: swf-cesu-invoice@usace.army.mil, however, must be submitted in pdf format otherwise will be rejected.

11.5 SF-PPR Standard Form-Performance Progress Report: The Recipient will tailor the SF-PPR to include, at minimum, the following information:

Separate details by CLIN as applicable Achievements (must detail work during quarter associated with the invoice) Percent Completion Project Status Problems encountered and impact of activities and personnel on schedule.

Anticipated work in next reporting period.

If the SF-PPR is incomplete, the SF-PPR and SF270 will be rejected.

A tailored SF-PPR form may be requested at: swf-cesu-invoice@usace.army.mil

11.6 The Final invoice package is due no later than 90 days from final (funded/exercised) POP end date and must include the following documents:

If any of the required information below is missing, the final invoice package will be rejected:

Final SF270

SF-PPR

Final SF425

DD882

SF428 plus attachment B (C&S if applicable)

SF298

Final Report

Forms may be requested from the district office at swf-cesu-invoice@usace.army.mil or found at https://www.grants.gov/forms.

12.0 This cooperative agreement may be administered through a CESU only upon mutual agreement and official authorization by both parties of the acceptance of the application of the CESU Network Indirect Cost Rate (17.5%).

Any resulting cooperative agreement will be subject to, and recipient/cooperator will comply with 2 CFR 200.313 “Equipment”, 200.314 “Supplies”, and 200.315 “Intangible Property” which includes use of research data.

13.0 FIGURE 1: General Project Area

Figure 1. Map of southern Florida, the RECOVER regions, and the Water Conservation Areas (WCAs) 1, 2, and 3, Everglades National Park. Sampling for this Cooperative Agreement will take place within the WCAs and Everglades National Park, with an Optional Task (Task 5) to expand into Big Cypress National Preserve.

14.0 REFERENCES

Monitoring and Assessment Plan (Part 2), Assessment Strategy for the Monitoring and Assessment Plan (MAP), December 2006.

END OF STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVES