oppW9124A-18-0001-instructions.pdf

Fort Huachuca Environmental Training

Section I - Funding Opportunity Description:

The principal objective of the Fort Huachuca Environmental Training is to support environmental programs through the use of student interns. The intern program encourages the development of science, mathematics, and engineering educational programs with the focus on education and training, rather than the work product. The program provides real world training and experience for students and new graduates in the fields of cultural resources, natural resources, and compliance. Participants will work at the Directorate of Public Works (DPW), Environmental and Natural Resources Division (ENRD), Fort Huachuca, Arizona as part of a dynamic, highly motivated team, often operating under tight time-lines to help accomplish critical Army requirements. Program participants are classified as student interns and are paid monthly stipends dependent on their education level, rather than being employees with an hourly wage. Program specific education and training include:

1. Cultural Resources Management: receive training in and utilize the National Historic

Preservation Act, Archaeological Resource Protection Action, the Native American Graves

Protection and Repatriation Act, and 36 CFR 79 (Curation of Federally-Owned and

Administered Archeological Collections. Participants will draw upon their current and learned skills to perform the following: conduct archaeological surveys to identify and record archaeological sites; interpret recorded data and write comprehensive cultural resources reports for submittal to Native American Tribes and the State Historic Preservation Officer; collect and prepare for curation sensitive archaeological artifacts; monitor Army undertakings that may affect significant cultural resources; assist in consultation meetings and informational fieldtrips with Army personnel, contractors, and the public; perform historic building inspections and report findings; and analyze data to help ensure that Army decision-makers are provided with the most complete cultural resources analysis upon which to make critical decisions. Full-time interns will require Section 106 training.

2. Natural Resources Management: Provide support in multiple programs, including, but not limited to Threatened and Endangered Species (TES) Act compliance, Sikes Act compliance, public outreach/environmental awareness in support of TES, nuisance wildlife management, TES wildlife habitat management, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), forestry, hunting program, and invasive species management in critical habitat. Interns in the program will require training, which includes training certification courses, to conduct field surveys, invasive species control, population monitoring, and data management techniques, as well as training for wild animal handling, and updated rabies series and/or rabies titer check.

3. Compliance: Intern will provide support for Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act activities. Participant will contribute to permit driven sampling and/or analysis of waste water, reuse water, drinking water, and storm water. Participant will input data and assist with database management. Other possible assignments for participants could include asbestos, lead and toxics database management. Clean Air Act permit maintenance where intern would be required to examine various equipment to provide emissions information and validate or update current data.

Basic lab skills/technique desired as well as the ability to use basic MS suite software.

Participant would be required to: walk, climb, and hike over rough terrain in all weather conditions while carrying equipment. The ability to crouch, stoop, bend in awkward positions in order to read equipment in basements, equipment rooms, and on roofs. Also, standing for extended periods of time while doing lab work. Interns in the program will require updated vaccinations as well as hepatitis A/B and, if cross training in Natural Resources, a rabies vaccination.

Section II - Award Information:

Proposals selected for funding through this solicitation will be funded through cooperative agreements. Period of performance is from 1 October 2018 to 30 September 2019. One year or multi-year awards up to three funding years will be considered, and additional releases of funds may be used to fund selected proposals through FY20 without further competition. Fort

Huachuca anticipates typical federal funding awards will be around $532,102 annually to fund

13 interns to include: 3 full-time cultural resources (MA level), 3 full-time natural resources ( 2

BA, 1 MA level), 4 full-time compliance (BA level), and 3 part-time cultural resources (BA students). This does not limit the government from hiring additional interns, or at different stipend rates, dependent on the amount of individual intern’s stipends or budget. Funds will be administered by the Community-based Restoration Program within the NOAA Restoration

Center. Awards are dependent upon the amount of funds the Department of the Army makes available to Fort Huachuca for this purpose in the FY19-FY21 budgets.

Section III - Eligibility Information:

1. Eligible Applicants:

This requirement is open to all eligible entities.

Interns must be full-time high school student or undergraduate or graduate students in a science field (6-12 credit hours dependent on school and degree level) with a minimum 2.5 GPA, or within three years of receiving their degree. Students can be from any accredited school in the

United States or abroad and must be able to receive an Army security clearance. Monthly stipends are based on the intern’s educational level (based on FY18 rates):

-high school: $1806 - $2031

-undergraduate (Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior): $2031 - $2875

-BA: $2968 - $3677

-graduate: $3677 - $3945

-MA: $3677 - $4498

-doctoral: $4217 - $4779

-PhD: $4217 - $5442

2. Comply with all requirements on attachment entitled, “Grants.gov Application Submission and Receipt Procedures.”

3. Cost Sharing or Matching:

Cost sharing is not required.

Section IV – Application and Submission Information:

1. Address to Request Application Package:

Application forms and instructions are available at Grants.gov. To access these materials, go to http://www.grants.gov, select “Apply for Grants”, and then follow the instructions. In the

Grants.gov search function, enter the funding opportunity number for this announcement

W9124A-18-0001.

2. Content and Form of Application Submission:

The Army is interested in environmental programs through the use of student interns to support

Cultural Resources Management, Natural Resources Management and maintaining compliance with various environmental statutes. The application/proposal must adequately describe the experience, curriculum studied and related education to support these requirements.

Application/proposal must be submitted electronically through Grants.Gov. A complete proposal consists of these completed documents:

a) Standard Form 424 as the cover page;

b) Proposed budget/financial specifics;

c) Grants.gov Lobbying Form (if applicable)

3. Submission Dates and Times:

Application/Proposal must be received no later than 4:00 p.m. MST on September 4, 2018 at

Grants.gov. Grants.gov will provide a confirmation page upon completing the submission. This confirmation page is a record of the time and date stamp that is used whether the proposal was submitted by the deadline.

Late Submission of Grants.gov Proposals – Any application/proposal submitted through

Grants.gov whereby the date and time of submission (as recorded in the submission receipt email from Grants.gov) is after the specified deadline for proposal submission will be considered late and will not be evaluated unless the Grants.gov website was not operational on the due date and was unable to receive the proposal submission. If this occurs, the time specified for the receipt of proposals through Grants.gov will be extended to the same time of day specified in this program announcement on the first workday on which the Grants.gov website is operational.

If an application receives a rejected notice from Grants.gov, the application must be corrected and resubmitted to grants.gov prior to the submission deadline. Failure to submit a corrected application before the submission deadline will result in the application being ineligible for evaluation.

It is recommended that electronic grant applications be submitted 24-48 hours prior to the due date and time to avoid delays caused by high system usage immediately prior to the due date and time and/or other potential electronic submission problems including rejected proposals.

4. Information on funding restrictions:

Application/proposal is required to comply with 2 CFR part 200, “Uniform Administrative

Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards.”

5. Other Submission Requirements:

Electronic proposals must be submitted through Grants.gov.

Should you have questions about the Grants.gov registration process, system requirements, how an application form works, or the submittal process, please call Grants.gov at 1-800-518-

4726 or support@Grants.gov.

Section V- Application Review Information:

1. Merit Review Criteria:

Proposals submitted under this program announcement are evaluated through a merit review process. The primary evaluation criteria, of equal importance, are:

a) Technical merits of the proposed effort, including how internships will be advertised for nationwide coverage;

b) Likelihood of the proposed effort to successfully meeting the goals and objectives of the program as described in Section I;

c) Applicant's and organization’s record of past performance on similar projects.

2. Review and Selection Process:

mailto:support@Grants.gov

The Directorate of Public Works, Environmental & Natural Resources Division, (DPW ENRD) will establish an evaluation team to review applications/proposals against the merit review criteria established.

A summary rating and accompanying narrative will generally be completed and submitted by the evaluation team recommending the application/proposal should be declined or recommended for award to the ENRD Division Chief.

DPW ENRD will submit applications/proposals selected for award to the Directorate of

Contracting, Fort Huachuca, Arizona 85613 for performing the processing and issuance of the cooperative agreement(s).

3. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates:

The anticipated announcement for awards is expected during the mid-September 2018 timeframe, followed by acceptance/declination letters to the applicants/proposers. Cooperative agreement award(s) are expected to be in place by late-September 2018.

Section VI, Award Administration Information:

1. Award Notices:

Successful applicants/proposers will receive a separate notice stating that an application has been selected for award. The notification letter or e-mail must not be regarded as an authorization to commit or expend funds.

A notice of Federal award signed by a Federal Agreements Officer is the authorizing document to proceed.

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements:

Successful applicant/proposer will be provided with a draft cooperative agreement for review and concurrence prior to the final cooperative agreement being awarded.

National Policy Requirements will be identified in the terms and conditions of the cooperative agreement.

3. Reporting:

A financial report using the Standard Form SF-425 is required. A final technical report is required to indicate fulfillment of the proposed objective by the acquisition.

Section VII - Agency Contacts:

For questions on the programmatic content, potential applicants/proposers are advised to contact:

Department of Army

DPW ENRD

Marty Tagg

Phone: (520) 533-4428 e-mail: martyn.d.tagg.civ@mail.mil

For administrative questions, potential applicants/proposers are advised to contact:

Army Contracting Command – Aberdeen Proving Ground

Huachuca Division – Directorate of Contracting

Nancy Johnson, Agreements Officer

Phone: (520) 533-1464 e-mail: nancy.e.johnson.civ@mail.mil

Section VIII – Other Information:

1. This is a continuing program for STEM Intern development.

2. If proprietary information is submitted, it must be marked or identified as proprietary information. The agency that receives the information will make every effort to protect the confidentiality of the proposal and any evaluations. However, under the Freedom of Information

Act (FOIA), such information (or portions thereof) may potentially be subject to release. It is the proposer’s responsibility to notify the receiving agency of proposals containing proprietary information and to identify the relevant portions of their proposals that require protection. The entire proposal (or portions thereof) without protective markings or otherwise identified as requiring protection will be considered to be furnished voluntarily to the receiving agency without restriction and will be treated as such for all purposes.

3. Only Federal Agreements Officers can bind the Federal Government to the expenditure of funds.

mailto:martyn.d.tagg.civ@mail.mil mailto:nancy.e.johnson.civ@mail.mil