oppG18AS00078-cfda15.817-cid140G0118R0037-instructions.pdf

140G0118R0037 FY18 / 19 BAA Solicitation Page 1

G18AS00078

U.S. Geological Survey

Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for 3D Elevation Program (3DEP)

140G0118R0037 Grants.gov Funding Opportunity Number: G18AS00078

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. OVERVIEW INFORMATION

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

A. Introduction B. Background C. Opportunity Considerations and Clarifications

1. Contract Mechanism

2. Acquisition in Alaska

3. Acquisition over Federally Recognized Tribal Lands

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

1. Lidar Base Specifications

2. Quality Level Upgrades

3. Product and Service Upgrades

4. Exceptions for Non-Conventional Technologies

5. 3D Elevation Program National Indexing Scheme

E. Objective

III. AWARD INFORMATION

IV. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

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

Scope

1. USGS Appropriations Law: Cost share restrictions for mapping projects carried on in cooperation with states and municipalities

2. Cooperative Agreements: State and Local Contributions

C. Post-Employment Conflicts of Interest

V. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. Application Submission B. Format and Content of Proposals C. Submission Dates and Times D. Late Submission and Withdrawal of a Proposal

VI. PROPOSAL REVIEW INFORMATION

A. Criteria

1. Project Location

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2. Areal Extent

3. Geographic Overlap with Federal Areas of Interest

4. Project Cost and Cost Share

5. Maturity of Applicants Proposal and Maturity of Designated Funding

Sources

6. Technical Approach

7. Past Performance

B. Review and Selection Process C. Evaluation Factors

VII. AGENCY CONTACTS

VIII. GENERAL INFORMATION

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

B. Disclosure of National BAA Statistics C. Government Obligation D. Prohibition on Contractor Involvement with Terrorist Activities E. Award Notices F. System for Award Management

IX. ATTACHMENTS

A. BAA Proposal Submission Tool B. Instructions for Conversion of Project Boundary to the 3DEP National Indexing

Scheme C. Request for Preliminary Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE) D. Applicant Validation of Funding Partners E. 3D Elevation Program: FY18 Status of 3DEP Quality Data F. 3DEP FY19 -FY21 Consolidated Federal Areas of Interest G. 3DEP FY19 Consolidated High Priority Federal Areas of Interest H. 3DEP Agency Specific Multi-Year 3DEP Priority Areas for Data Acquisition I. Department of the Interior Secretarial Priorities

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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 2018

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 USGS Lidar Base Specification Version 1.3 was held on Wednesday 22 August 2018. Materials from the webinar are posted on: https://nationalmap.gov/3DEP/FY19BAA.html.

Questions: Submit questions to gs_baa@usgs.gov

Response Dates: Proposals for lidar acquisition are due by 5:00 PM ET on 9 November 2018. The BAA will remain open and proposals received after the initial due date will be considered for review until 30 September 2019 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 may be issued in the event that 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 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 https://pubs.usgs.gov/tm/11b4/ https://pubs.usgs.gov/tm/11b4/ https://nationalmap.gov/3DEP/FY19BAA.html.

140G0118R0037 FY18 / 19 BAA Solicitation Page 5 unless it displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget control number.

OMB has reviewed and approved this information collection through January 2020, and assigned OMB Control Number 1028-0092. You may submit comments on any aspect of this information collection, including the accuracy 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:

Multiple Changes have been implemented between the 2018 and the 2019 Broad Agency Announcement. The primary changes include:

I. Overview Information: Added reference to an option to release amendments to this BAA should additional funding or geographically focused partnership opportunities become available throughout the open period of this BAA.

II. 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) Opportunity Description, B. Background: Added reference to the Department of Interior’s Secretarial Priorities. All awards resulting from this solicitation will address one or more of the priorities. Satisfaction of any specific priority is dependent upon the scope of the submissions received. The Secretarial Priorities are included in Attachment I.

C. 3. Opportunity Considerations and Clarifications, Acquisitions Over Federally Recognized Tribes. Added reference to the relationship and applicability of the DOI policy on Consultation with Indian Tribes and the DOI Policy on Consultation with Alaska Native Claims Settlement to the acquisition, delivery and publication of 3DEP data over tribal lands.

D. 1. 3DEP Lidar Base Specifications, Project Deliverables and Upgrade Options, Lidar Base Specifications: Noted the evolution from V1.2 to V1.3

D. 3. 3DEP Lidar Base Specifications, Project Deliverables and Upgrade Options, Product and Service Upgrades: Added text referencing the appropriate time to request additional products and services.

mailto:gs-info_collections@usgs.gov

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D. 5. 3DEP Lidar Base Specifications, Project Deliverables and Upgrade Options, 3D Elevation Program National Indexing Scheme: Added text and instruction on the new requirement for all FY19 submissions to conform to the 3DEP National Indexing Scheme. All 3DEP BAA projects must be converted, expanded and delivered to the USGS in the CONUS Albers Equal Area 1 km x 1km indexing scheme. Partners may request a 2nd delivery in a spatial reference system and tiling scheme of their choice.

V. Application and Submission Information

A. 1. Application Submissions, Geospatial Products and Services (GPSC) Proposals: Noted a new requirement to submit Attachment C: Request for Preliminary Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE) for those applicants wishing to make use of the GPSC suite of contracts. The USGS will no longer be estimating project costs based on an average 3DEP figure. As estimate for each individual project will developed based on geographic extent, terrain and vegetative cover.

VI. Proposal Review Information

A. 1 – 7. Criteria. Added reference to the Department of Interior’s Secretarial Priorities. All awards resulting from this solicitation will address one or more of the priorities. Satisfaction of any specific priority is dependent upon the scope of the submissions received. The Secretarial Priorities are included in Attachment I.

A. 3. Criteria, Geographic Overlap with Federal areas of interest. Added reference and specific instruction to the relative importance of the Federal Areas of Interest depicted in Attachments E – H. The shapefiles representing these AOIs are available for download: https://nationalmap.gov/3DEP/FY19BAA.html.

A. 4. Criteria, Project Cost and Cost Share. Added reference and instruction on the options for securing a cost estimate for a BAA project. The USGS will no longer be estimating project costs based on an average 3DEP figure. As estimate for each individual project will developed based on geographic extent, terrain and vegetative cover.

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IX. Attachments

Updated:

D. Applicant Validation of Funding Partners E. 3D Elevation Program: FY18 Status of 3DEP Quality Data F. 3DEP FY19 -FY21 Consolidated Federal Areas of Interest

New:

B. Instructions for Conversion of Project Boundary to the 3DEP National

Indexing Scheme C. Request for Preliminary Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE) G. 3DEP FY19 Consolidated High Priority Federal Areas of Interest 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 acquisitions. The BAA is meant to provide increased visibility to these existing processes for data acquisition partnerships to the broadest stakeholder community possible.

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 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.

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A synopsis of previous BAA Awards is available on https://nationalmap.gov/3DEP/PreviousBAAs.html. 3DEP products and services, including data resulting from BAA projects can be accessed via The National Map Data Download and Visualization Services: http://viewer.nationalmap.gov/launch.

B. Background

3DEP was developed to respond to needs for high-quality topographic data and for a wide range of other three-dimensional representations of the Nation's natural and constructed features

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. This role cannot be filled by the USGS alone, and 3DEP is a collaborative approach to acquiring data for the nation. 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 over the conterminous United States, Hawaii, and the U.S. territories, as well as interferometric synthetic aperture radar (ifsar) data over Alaska.

https://nationalmap.gov/3DEP/PreviousBAAs.html http://viewer.nationalmap.gov/launch http://nationalmap.gov/3dep/neea.html

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This Broad Agency Announcement is structured to result in awards that will support one or more of the following Department of Interior’s Secretarial Priorities:

1. Creating a conservation stewardship legacy second only to Teddy Roosevelt

a. Utilize science to identify best practices to manage land and water resource and adapt to changes in the environment

2. Utilizing our natural resources

b. Ensure access to mineral resources, especially the critical and rare earth minerals needed for scientific, technological, or military applications

8. Modernizing our infrastructure

a. Support the White House Public/Private Partnership Initiative to modernize

U.S. infrastructure

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. Alternatively, they may propose to use another contracting vehicle that they manage and directly oversee for data acquisition.

a) Geospatial Products and Services Contracts (GPSC)

The USGS National Geospatial Program’s (NGP) preferred method of data acquisition is through the Geospatial Products and Services Contracts (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

140G0118R0037 FY18 / 19 BAA Solicitation Page 10 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: http://geodatacontracts.er.usgs.gov/gpsc_information_sheet.html.

b) Cooperative Agreement

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, 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

3DEP coverage for Alaska is primarily focused on completion of state-wide ifsar.

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

• 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. Consideration of additional extent 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.

http://geodatacontracts.er.usgs.gov/gpsc_information_sheet.html

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3. Acquisition Over Federally Recognized Tribes

NOTE: USGS Implementation of these policies are under review; policies in effect at the time of award will be discussed with award recipients and documented as appropriate in award notifications.

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 acquisition and publication of airborne lidar over tribal lands requires tribal notification. BAA award recipients, both those using GPSC as well as Cooperative Agreement recipients, are subject to this policy.

USGS will initiate and manage the tribal notification and consultation process on behalf of all BAA award recipients during the project planning stage, if possible, before the lidar acquisition contract is awarded. USGS will identify any tribal/ANCSA lands within the project boundary and send a notification letter to those tribes. The BAA award recipients will be notified that the project boundary contains tribal lands and will receive a copy of the tribal notification letter. If there is no response within 45 days, the project may proceed. If an agreement with a Tribe on allowing data acquisition over tribal lands cannot be reached during the engagement or consultation process, the portion of the project over tribal lands will not proceed. If the tribe agrees to acquisition but objects to public release of any 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 lands boundaries will be published. Funding partners may be provided a copy of the entire project data for their own needs but may not further distribute the data concerning the tribal lands.

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 it 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.

http://www2.usgs.gov/tribal/downloads/DOI_Tribal_Consultation_Policy_Final.pdf

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

1. Lidar Base Specifications

The deliverables for any given project must conform to the most current published USGS product specification for lidar and derived products: USGS Lidar Base Specification Version 1.3, which can be found at http://pubs.usgs.gov/tm/11b4/. In the event that a new edition of the specification is released during the open period of the BAA, opportunities to migrate to the revised specification will be discussed and agreed upon at the time of award.

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)”

2. Quality Level Upgrades (QL1)

The USGS anticipates awarding lidar projects for QL2 data. However, this does not preclude applicants from proposing projects for the acquisition of higher quality QL1 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

Quality Level

Source Vertical Accuracy RMSEz

Nominal Pulse Spacing

(NPS)

Nominal Pulse Density (NPD)

DEM

Post Spacing

QL1 Lidar 10 cm 0.35 m 8 points/sq. meter 0.5 meter QL2 Lidar 10 cm 0.7 m 2 points/sq. meter 1 meter QL3 Lidar 20 cm 1.4 m 0.5 points/sq. meter 2 meters QL4 Imagery 139 cm N/A N/A 5 meters QL5 Ifsar 185 cm N/A N/A 5 meters http://pubs.usgs.gov/tm/11b4/

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(GPSC), additional products may be requested after award during the task order estimation process. The costs of the products will be determined at that time and if the applicant requests these products, the cost of the products will be added to their funding agreement. For applicants proposing to manage their own contract for data acquisition, the cost of these products should not be included in your 3DEP funding request.

4. Exceptions for Non-Conventional Technologies

Geiger Mode and Single Photon lidar systems do not currently meet the USGS Lidar Base Specification, as that specification 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 Specifications will be noted in the award documentation.

5. 3D Elevation Program National Indexing Scheme

3DEP has been operating under an annual, opportunistic approach to data acquisition, acquiring lidar projects of varying sizes, scattered across the US. As a result, the national 3DEP elevation layer is subject to data gaps or unnecessary overlap between adjacent collections. To mitigate this problem, future collections within the lower 48 will be coordinated by using an Albers Equal Area 1km x 1km indexing scheme. The project boundaries of all BAA projects that propose to use the Geospatial Products and Services suite of Contracts (GPSC) will be converted to conform to the Albers Equal Area projection and extended to complete all 1km x I km tiles that intersect the project boundary. Additional information and instructions for converting and expanding a project boundary to the Albers Equal Area projection are included in Attachment B. The data will be delivered to the USGS in the CONUS Albers Equal Area 1 km x 1 km scheme and, if requested to the funding partner in a spatial reference system and tiling scheme of their choice. The price of these adjustments are now a routine part of the total cost of a project and will be included in the Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE);

applicants should take these costs into consideration when requesting partnership funds from 3DEP to assure sufficient funds to support the work.

Cooperative Agreement recipients must acquire and deliver data that is in concurrence with the 3DEP National Indexing Scheme. Applicant contracts should specify that the https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/fs20173073 https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/fs20173073

140G0118R0037 FY18 / 19 BAA Solicitation Page 14 data will be delivered to the USGS in the CONUS Albers Equal Area 1 km x 1 km scheme in addition to the spatial reference system and tiling scheme of their choice.

Additional information and instructions for converting a project boundary to the Albers Equal Area projection and expanding to 1km x 1km tiles are included in Attachment B.

These adjustments may add an additional 1% to 3% to project costs; applicants should take these costs into consideration when requesting partnership funds from 3DEP to assure sufficient funds to support the work. 3DEP recognizes that applicants may have existing multi-year contracts in place with acquisition vendors that do not support this requirement. Requests for exceptions to the requirement should be documented in Attachment A: Proposal Submission Tool. Exceptions to the requirement will be discussed, documented and agreed upon prior to final award. Agreed upon exceptions will be noted in the award documentation.

C. Objective

This effort will result in the availability of 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 cooperative agreement. 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.

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

The implementation model for 3DEP is based on multi-agency partnership funding for acquisition. Applicants must commit to a cost share for their project to be considered for funding. Cost share (funds contributed by applicant) is an evaluation factor against which proposals are rated. The greater the applicant’s cost share, the greater the score for this factor. In FY18, the average BAA award covered 39% of the total project cost, resulting in an average cost share of 61% by award recipients. Project awards ranged from $23,205 to $1,056,000, with an average award of $403,134. BAA awards must comply with the following federal guidelines:

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1. USGS Appropriations Law: Cost share restrictions for mapping projects carried on in cooperation with states and municipalities

Appropriations law regulates the amount of money that the USGS can contribute to a mapping project carried on in cooperation with states and municipalities. The regulation 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. The 3DEP program will review the entire proposed funding package (both applicant partners and BAA funding partners) to assure that the USGS % 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. 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 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 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: BAA Proposal Submission Tool. For applicants requesting cooperative agreements, Federal 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 in preparing a proposal.

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V. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. Application Submission

1. Geospatial Products and Services (GPSC) Proposals

Acquisition proposals (for projects to be contracted through the USGS GPSC) must be submitted electronically to the Contracting Officer Vickie Floyd at gs_baa@usgs.gov.

Applicants must complete and submit Attachment A: BAA Proposal Submission Tool, and as appropriate Attachment C: Request for Preliminary Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE)and Attachment D: Applicant Validation of Funding Partners. These forms are also available for download at: https://nationalmap.gov/3DEP/FY19BAA.html.

For acquisition proposals these are the only submissions required. The tool submission includes a vector GIS file defining the location and coverage area of your project. Your project area must be represented by a polygon in shapefile or KML/KMZ format.

2. Financial Assistance (Cooperative Agreements) Proposals

Financial assistance (cooperative agreements) proposals (for projects being acquired through the applicant’s contract) must be submitted electronically through the grants.gov portal. To apply through the grants.gov portal, go to http://www.grants.gov/apply. 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 G18AS00078.

Documents and Forms to submit:

• Standard Form 424 Application for Federal Assistance

• Standard Form 424A Budget Information Non-Construction Programs

• Standard Form 424B Assurances Non-Construction Programs

• Proposal narrative – Mandatory (Proposal Submission Tool) o Cooperative Agreement applicants must complete and submit Attachment A:

BAA Proposal Submission Tool and as appropriate Attachment D: Validation of Funding Partner(s) for proposal submission. These documents are also available for download at: https://nationalmap.gov/3DEP/FY19BAA.html. For applicants submitting through grants.gov these documents constitute the narrative portion of the application and must be included as part of your mailto:gs_baa@usgs.gov https://nationalmap.gov/3DEP/FY19BAA.html http://www.grants.gov/apply https://nationalmap.gov/3DEP/FY19BAA.html

140G0118R0037 FY18 / 19 BAA Solicitation Page 18 application package o The narrative includes a vector GIS file defining the location and coverage area of your project. Your project area must be represented by a polygon in shapefile or KML/KMZ format.

• Detailed budget breakdown – Optional (may be required) o 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. If your proposal is accepted for award a grant specialist will contact you to obtain detailed information.

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 submit an application through the portal.

B. Format and Content of Proposals

Applicants must complete and submit Attachment A: BAA Proposal Submission Tool, and as appropriate Attachment C: Request for Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE) and Attachment D: Validation of Funding Partner(s) for proposal submission.

These documents are also available for download at

The applicant is asked to provide detailed information related to:

• Contact Information

• Project Summary

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

• Geographic Extent of Project*

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

• Project Timeline

• Data Specifications and Data Deliverables

• Technical Approach

• Project Cost and Finances

• Funding Partners

• Past Performance

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*The submission tool is designed to be used for a single geographic area. Applicants must submit a separate proposal for each distinct project area they wish to be considered.

Each submission will be evaluated against the criteria identified in VI A.

C. Submission Dates and Times

Proposals for lidar acquisition are due by 5:00 PM ET on 9 November 2018. The email subject line should contain the following: State, Last name of primary applicant, BAA Number 140G0118R0037- proposal (VASmith140G0118R0037 - proposal).

D. Late Submission and Withdrawal of a Proposal

Applicants are responsible for submitting electronic proposals so as to reach the Government office designated in this BAA by the time specified. If the electronic submittals are received after the exact time and date specified for receipt of offers, it is 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 30 September 2019 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.

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VI. PROPOSAL REVIEW INFORMATION

A. Criteria

1. Project Location.

Recognition of “Project Location” as a selection criterion is designed to support Secretarial Priority 1a. (Attachment I) to assure the availability of current scientific data to support land and water management and recognize changes to our environment

a) Preference will be given to geographic areas with no lidar coverage

b) Secondary preference will be given to geographic areas with existing data where

(1) Data Quality Level is QL3 (QL4 or QL5) data

(2) Data are more than 8 years old

(3) Significant changes to the landscape have occurred and are documented in the proposal.

2. Areal Extent.

Recognition of “Areal Extent” as a selection criterion recognizes the cost savings associated with larger projects and is designed to support regional acquisitions of value to the management of land and water resources as identified in Secretarial Priority 1a. (Attachment I).

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

b) Projects smaller than this range 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

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

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(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 FY19 – FY21 Consolidated Federal Areas of Interest

c) Additional preference is given to projects that are adjacent to areas designated in Attachment G: 3DEP FY19 Consolidated High Priority Federal Areas of Interest as FY19 Planned/ Funded – Opportunity to Expand or areas that overlap with geographic areas identified as Planned/Partially Funded – Seeking Partnerships Highest Priority

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

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

Recognition of “Project Cost and Cost Share” as a 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 ESTIMTATED 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 October 12, 2018 to receive the estimate in sufficient time to meet the 9 November 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

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(3) An estimate from another source together with 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.

Recognition of “Maturity” as a 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 in their proposal via Appendix D: Applicant Validation of Funding Partner(s).

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 IID.

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

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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.

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 5 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 140G0118R0037 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://nationalmap.gov/3DEP/FY19BAA.html during the open period of the BAA.

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

mailto:gs_baa@usgs.gov

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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 shall not be disclosed outside the Government and shall 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 shall 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 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.

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B. Disclosure of National BAA Statistics

Understanding the national needs for 3D 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 that is needed to support these requirements and the resources 3DEP partners are in a position 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 the purposes of analysis 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 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.

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E. Award Notices

Notification of acceptance of proposals will be emailed to applicants beginning in December 2018. 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 your submission proposes the use of the GPSC services, a 3DEP and/or GPSC representative will contact you to continue the Task Order estimation process. During this process, the final funding amount from both your 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.