FOA NWO FY 17 Sikes Act LRAM ITAM SRP.pdf

NWO-FY17-SIKES ACT-LRAM/ITAM/SRP

Funding Opportunity Announcement

Omaha District FY17 Sikes Act Cooperative Agreement(s)

Funding Agency : Funding Instrument: Cooperative Agreement

US Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District 1616 Capitol Ave

Omaha, NE 68102

Funding Opportunity No: CECT-NWO-CA-FY17

CFDA No: 12.632 Program Title: Omaha District FY17 Sikes Act

Cooperative Agreement(s)

Issue Date: 20170210 Application Due Date: 20170313

Overview:

The United States Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) issues this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to determine if an interested Institution of Higher Education/Non-Profit Educational Institution is qualified to enter into a cooperative agreement, with a period of performance not to exceed (NTE) five (5 ) years, with the Corps to collect, analyze, and apply environmental and cultural resource data;

and implement land rehabilitation and maintenance for optimal management of public lands under control of the Department of Defense within a nationwide, including Alaska, Hawaii, and US Territories.

The DoD manages military installations and DoD public lands and must manage those lands in accordance with all environmental laws, including the Sikes Act, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), Endangered Species Act (ESA), Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), Clean Water Act (CWA), and Clean Air Act (CAA).

Compliance with these laws requires accurate, current data on the status of environmental resources on military installation and the application of the data in management decisions. Collecting, analyzing, and applying this data also supports the objectives of the Legacy Resource Management Program. The applicant must be able to work with the Corps to determine common management goals in support of this program.

The primary areas of research and support to be addressed under this agreement are:

1. Sustainable Range Program(SRP)

2. Integrated Training Area Management(ITAM)

3. Information management

4. Planning and support

5. Training Requirements and Integration (TRI)

6. Sustainable Range Awareness (SRA)

7. Range and Training Lands Assessment (RTLA)

8. Land Rehabilitation and Maintenance (LRAM)

9. Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

10. Environmental Compliance

The Corps is issuing this notice to obtain information about the experience and financial capabilities of qualified Institution of Higher Education/Non-Profit Educational Institution who wish to provide support to the DoD program. Omaha District will issue individual specific task orders for projects included within the scope of work.

Technical Point of Contact: Kali Evans, kali.l.evans@usace.army.mil 402-995-2295 mailto:kali.l.evans@usace.army.mil

Grants Specialist/Point of Contact: Stephanie Rostermundt, Stephanie.A.Rostermundt@usace.army.mil 402-995-2083.

Applications should be submitted via Grants.gov and to Ms. Stephanie Rostermundt by email at

REQUIRED FACTOR SUBMISSION INFORMATION

Each section in your submission must include a description of your approach to the following evaluation factors. These factors comprise the minimum compliance with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (Corps) goals and must be submitted in order for applications to be considered complete.

The Corps will evaluate and select the successful applicant(s) based upon the following factors further described in Section E 1 - Criteria:

a. Capability/Qualifications concerning Sustainable Range Program supporting the Sikes Act and Legacy Resource Management Program.

b. A minimum of 5 Relevant Experience/Past and Present Performance in Sustainable Range Program, 3 of which shall be specifically with Integrated Training Area Management.

c. Financial and Project Capacity

d. Sample Project/SOW- Technical Approach, Budget, and Budget Justification

SECTION I- EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.

a. The name, address, telephone, e-mail, and fax numbers of the main participating team members and the name of the representative authorized to act on behalf of the team.

b. A description of your status as a University indicating jurisdiction under whose law you are organized and operating, and a brief history of your organization and its team members.

c. Date and location of establishment and the date of incorporation under present name.

d. Explanation of types of services your Non-Profit Educational Institution/University provides and how they relate to this application.

e. Provide the following: 1) Articles of Incorporation and by-laws; 2) Names, addresses, of the officers and participating team members.

SECTION II- CAPABILITY/QUALIFICATIONS TO MANAGE SUSTAINABLE RANGE PROGRAM IN A

SUSTAINABLE MANNER.

STAFFING PLAN. Please provide the following:

a. Describe your organizational approach to executing project responsibilities, providing the overall project coordination, and how your organization will respond to the Corps during all phases of the project, including the hiring of qualified personnel to respond to task requirements. You will be evaluated on your organizational chart and staffing plan to ensure you’re capable of carrying out all functions (project and financial capabilities) required for this program are met. You will also be evaluated on your ability to financially track projects from work initiation to invoice submission.

b. You will be evaluated on your plan to commit staff and other resources to the project and development/execution of this DoD Program.

c. You will be evaluated on your organizations ability to provide services nationwide, including Alaska, Hawaii, and US Territories.

QUALIFICATIONS OF KEY PERSONNEL. Please provide the following:

Identify your key personnel and their respective roles during development of the management plan. Key personnel are those persons considered critical to the accomplishment of the required services. Indicate the extent to which your key personnel mailto:Stephanie.A.Rostermundt@usace.army.mil have worked together as a team on projects. You will be evaluated on key personnel qualifications and project history and your organizations ability to hire qualified personnel in a timely manner to support project requirements.

PROJECT APPROACH. Describe your approach to creating the plan, implementing the plan, and achieving the Corps of Engineers goals. Place special emphasis on how your approach addresses the program and how it demonstrates a clear understanding of the scope and complexity associated with the program. Approach should demonstrate the ability to track progress of each project both in project and financial completion. Your organizations plan will be evaluated on its ability to respond to tasks associated with the primary areas of research and support listed within the FOA.

PROJECT EXPERIENCE. Describe your organizations previous project experience working with the Department of Defense (DoD) to complete tasks within SRP. At least one project should demonstrate the magnitude expected at the program level. All projects should demonstrate satisfaction of the customer. Your organization will be evaluated by the criteria outlined above and your project experience found under the primary areas of research and support listed within the FOA. Please include POCs for all projects listed for reference.

The Corps is seeking a customer orientated and motivated manager that will bring previous knowledge, innovation, and creativity to this program.

SECTION III- RELEVANT EXPERIENCE/PAST AND PRESENT PERFORMANCE IN SUSTAINABLE RANGE

PROGRAM

RELEVANT PROJECT EXPERIENCE. Provide the following information on projects for which you acted as prime developer. Identified projects must demonstrate an ability to perform within a program of this type.

a. List five (5) major projects or programs that your Non-Profit Educational

Institution/University successfully completed or participated in; or you have currently in progress over the past five (5) years.

b. For each project listed above please provide the following:

1. The name, address, type, and size (in acres) of each project;

2. The name and address of the owner of each project;

3. A description of how the project achieved an acceptable level of quality in the project planning, creation, design, and implementation;

4. Your role and services provided for each project;

5. The name, address, telephone, e-mail, and fax numbers of a point of contact with the client or other stakeholder for each project (This individual must be familiar with the project and the role of applicant played in the project and should be able to respond to the Corps inquiries); and,

6. Any other pertinent information to sufficiently describe each project.

The Army may also research additional databases to obtain further past performance history.

This will allow us to look at our past performance databases.

SECTION IV- FINANCIAL CAPACITY. Describe and/or document your strategy to obtain financing for this project including anticipated costs.

SECTION V- SAMPLE SCOPE. Non-Federal will request the sample project/scope of work from the USACE Grants Officer no later than 7 calendar days after FOA is published on Grants.gov. A technical approach, budget, and budget justification for the sample project/sow shall be submitted.

Offerors shall provide the following information to substantiate the basis for the proposed lump sum price. Failure to provide the requested information may result in the Offeror being excluded from consideration for award.

a. Direct Labor. Provide a breakdown of labor hours, rates, and cost by task, and furnish bases for estimates.

b. Indirect Costs (other than Profit). Offerors shall indicate how they have computed and applied their indirect costs, including cost breakdowns. Show budgetary data to provide a basis for evaluating the reasonableness of proposed rates. Indicate the rates used and provide an appropriate explanation.

c. Other Direct Costs. Offerors shall list all other costs not otherwise included in the categories described above, such as travel, subcontractor services, supplies, materials, and equipment, including the basis for pricing.

d. F&A: F&A shall be appropriate for the Sample Project. The F&A calculation used for the Sample Project will be in accordance with the NICRA. F&A will be calculated separately for all Task Orders and Modifications issued under this con.

e. Assumptions: Offerors shall list all cost assumptions in bullet format. Any assumptions that conflict with guidance provided in the announcement documents will not be considered to be valid.

Estimated Total Funding:

NTE $45,000,000 Estimated Number of Awards: NTE 1

Contents of Full Text Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description V. Application Review Information II. Award Information VI. Award Administration Information III. Eligibility Information VII. Agency Contacts IV. Application Information VIII. Other Information

Contact Information: Questions relating to Grants.gov including the registration process and system requirements should be directed to the Grants.gov Contact Center at 1-800-518-4726. For assistance with the requirements of this Funding Opportunity Announcement, please contact stephanie.a.rostermundt@usace.army.mil.

Instructions to Applicants:

The complete funding opportunity announcement, application forms, and instructions are available for download at Grants.gov.

Applications in response to this Funding Opportunity Announcement shall be submitted by the application due date. Applications may be submitted by mail, email, or via the internet through Grants.gov.

Applicants shall have a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number, register with the System for Award Management (SAM), and if submitting application via the internet, register with Grants.gov.

See Section IV of the Funding Opportunity Announcement for complete application submission information.

mailto:stephanie.a.rostermundt@usace.army.mil

Section A. Funding Opportunity Description

The United States Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) issues this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to determine if an interested Institution of Higher Education/Non-Profit Educational Institution is qualified to enter into a cooperative agreement, with a period of performance not to exceed (NTE) five (5 ) years, with the Corps to collect, analyze, and apply environmental and cultural resource data; and implement land rehabilitation and maintenance for optimal management of public lands under control of the Department of Defense within a nationwide, including Alaska, Hawaii, and US Territories, capacity.

The DoD manages military installations and DoD public lands and must manage those lands in accordance with all environmental laws, including the Sikes Act, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), Endangered Species Act (ESA), Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), Clean Water Act (CWA), and Clean Air Act (CAA). Compliance with these laws requires accurate, current data on the status of environmental resources on military installation and the application of the data in management decisions. Collecting, analyzing, and applying this data also supports the objectives of the Legacy Resource Management Program. The applicant must be able to work with the Corps to determine common management goals in support of this program.

The primary areas of research and support to be addressed under this agreement are:

1. Sustainable Range Program (SRP)

2. Integrated Training Area Management (ITAM)

3. Information management

4. Planning and support

5. Training Requirements and Integration (TRI)

6. Sustainable Range Awareness (SRA)

7. Range and Training Lands Assessment (RTLA)

8. Land Rehabilitation and Maintenance (LRAM)

9. Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

10. Environmental Compliance

The Corps is issuing this notice to obtain information about the experience and financial capabilities of qualified Institution of Higher Education/Non-Profit Educational Institution who wish to provide support to the DoD program. Omaha District will issue individual specific task orders for projects included within the scope of work.

Section B. Award Information

1. New Cooperative Agreement not to exceed $45,000,000.

2. Award to IHE, not to exceed $45,000,000, from this FOA.

3. Funding via Task Orders issued after award of each Cooperative Agreement.

4. Period of Performance not to exceed five (5) years.

5. Substantial Government Involvement is expected.

Section C. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants – Institutions of Higher Education

2. Cost Sharing – No Cost Sharing

3. Other – N/A

Section D. Application and Submission Information

1. Address to Request Application Package The complete funding opportunity announcement, application forms, and instructions are available for download at Grants.gov. USACE is not responsible for any loss of internet connectivity or for an applicant’s inability to access documents posted at the referenced website.

The administrative point of contact is Stephanie Rostermundt, 402-995-2083,

2. Content and Form of Application Submission All mandatory forms and any applicable optional forms must be completed in accordance with the instructions on the forms and the additional instructions below.

Please fill out forms SF 424A & B with as much non-specific project information as possible as no sample project will be included. Example: Section F of SF 424A

a. SF 424 - Application for Federal Assistance

b. SF 424 A – Budget Information for Nonconstruction Programs

c. SF 424 B – Assurances – Non-Construction Programs

d. Program Narrative – Brief program description illustrating applicant’s ability to meet the goals and objectives described in Section I of the announcement.

3. Application shall be submitted: Please refer to the date given on Grants.gov

4. Submission Instructions Applications shall be submitted by e-mail and the internet.

a. E-mail: Format all documents to print on Letter (8 ½ x 11”) paper. E-mail proposal to Stephanie.A.Rostermundt@usace.army.mil

b. Internet:

Applicants shall submit proposals through Grants.gov. When applications are submitted via the internet, applicants are responsible for ensuring that their Grants.gov proposal submission is received in its entirety. The Government bears no responsibility for data errors resulting from transmission of conversion processes associated with electronic submissions. The Government will bear no responsibility for delays in submissions due to technical difficulties at or with the Grants.gov website.

All applicants using Grants.gov to submit proposals must be registered and have and account with Grants.gov. It may take up to three weeks to complete Grants.gov registration. For more information on registration, go to http://www.grants.gov/ForApplicants.

http://www.grants.gov/ForApplicants

Section E. Application Review Information

1. Criteria The following criteria shall serve as the standard against which any response to this announcement will be evaluated.

a. Initial Review The Government will perform an initial review to determine that the applicant is

(1) eligible in accordance with Sections II and III of the announcement; (2) all information required by Section IV has been submitted; and (3) all information required by Section V has been submitted; (4) all mandatory requirements are satisfied.

b. Merit Review See Section E, Part 2. All items listed in initial review will be given a merit review.

2. Review and Selection Process

a. In accordance with 2 CFR 200, in order for competition requirements to be met, an impartial review of the merits of applications must be performed using the evaluation method and criteria described in the announcement.

b. Applications are received by the Grants Specialist and handled using FAR

15.207 – Handling Proposals and Information as guidance

c. A review panel is chosen by the Program Official. The review panel is responsible for evaluating the technical merits of the applications based on the criteria defined in Section I of this announcement.

d. The review panel will rate each evaluation criteria with the following adjectival descriptions:

OUTSTANDING

GOOD

SATISFACTORY

MARGINAL

UNSATISFACTORY

e. Once a selection recommendation is agreed upon by the Grants Specialist and the review panel, the Grants Specialist will determine if the applicant is eligible for award, draft the cooperative agreement, enter the obligation into CEFMS, assemble the award package for review and approval by the Grants Officer, and complete all reporting requirements.

f. Once the Non Federal Entity is selected and determined to be eligible, the Grants

Specialist will notify the recipient and send the terms and conditions of the cooperative agreement for signature.

3. Anticipated Award Date

Announcement Issue Date: 20170210 Announcement Due Date: 20170313 Estimated Award Date: 20170327

Section F: Award Administration Information

1. Award Notices Written notice of award will be given in conjunction with issuance of a cooperative agreement signed by a Grants Officer. The cooperative agreement will contain the effective date of the agreement, the period of performance, funding information, and all terms and conditions. The recipient is required to sign and return the document before work under the agreement commences. Work described in this announcement SHALL NOT begin without prior authorization from a Grants Officer.

2. Administrative Requirements The cooperative agreement issued as a result of this announcement is pursuant to the administrative requirements in 32 CFR 215 (A-110) (Universities, Hospital, Non-profit, or For -Profit)/OMB A-102 (Government Entity).

3. Reporting SF-PPR Performance Progress Report SF-425 Federal Financial Report SF-270 Recurring Reports/Invoices/Payment Vouchers/Expenditure Logs

Section G: Agency Contact

Stephanie Rostermundt, Grants Officer, Contracting Division USACE, Omaha District

ATTN: CENWO-CT-E

1616 Capitol Ave Omaha, NE 68102 Tel: 402-995-2083 E-mail: Stephanie.A.Rostermundt@usace.army.mil