program announcement.pdf

G15PS00558 FY15 / 16 BAA Solicitation Page 1

G15AS00123

U.S. Geological Survey

Broad Agency Announcement for 3D

Elevation Program (3DEP)

G15PS00558

Grants.gov Funding Opportunity Number: G15AS00123

G15PS00558 FY15 / 16 BAA Solicitation Page 2

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

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

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: Requirement for Non-Federal Match

C. Post-Employment Conflicts of Interest

V. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. Application Submission (Pre-proposal and Full Proposal)

1. Pre-proposal

2. Full Proposal

B. Format and Content of Pre-proposals

C. Format and Content of Full Proposals

D. Submission Dates and Times

1. Pre-proposal

2. Full Proposal

E. Late Submission and Withdrawal of a Pre-proposal or a Full Proposal

VI. PRE-PROPOSAL REVIEW INFORMATION

A. Criteria

1. Project Location

2. Areal Extent

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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. PROPOSAL REVIEW INFORMATION

VIII. AGENCY CONTACTS

IX. 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

X. ATTACHMENTS

A. BAA Pre-proposal Submission Tool

B. BAA Full Proposal Submission Tool

C. 3DEP FY16 Consolidated Federal Areas of Interest

D. 3DEP Funding Partners FY16 High Priority Areas for Lidar Data Acquisition

1. FEMA

2. NRCS

E. 3DEP Status Graphic (Existing, In-work and Planned with Funding)

F. Applicant Validation of Funding Partners

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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 – July 2015

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

Public Meetings: Public webinars to review submission procedures will be held on 23

July and 28 July, 2015. Registration is required. Details are posted on:

https://www.geoplatform.gov/elevation/3DEP/PublicMeetings

Response Dates: Pre-proposals are due by 1:00PM ET on 25 August 2015. Full

Proposals are due by 1:00PM ET on 23 October 2015

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.

Pre-proposals are invited from applicants who wish to propose a partnership with 3DEP to fund lidar data acquisition. Applicants may fund an acquisition project through the

USGS Geospatial Products and Services Contract or they may request 3DEP funds toward 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 pre-proposals. The pre-proposal https://www.geoplatform.gov/elevation/3DEP/PublicMeetings

G15PS00558 FY15 / 16 BAA Solicitation Page 5 step is highly recommended but is not required. The Government will review pre-proposals and provide feedback on the likelihood of funding based on the project’s alignment with the evaluation criteria identified in section VIA of this BAA to include consideration of the proposed project location (consistent with the acquisition strategy), project size and funds contributed.

A synopsis of previous BAA Awards is available on http://nationalmap.gov/3DEP/index.html. 3DEP products and services, including data resulting from BAA projects can be accessed via The National Map Viewer and

Download Platform: http://nationalmap.gov/viewer.html.

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 was 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)

(http://nationalmap.gov/3dep/neea.html), 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 http://nationalmap.gov/viewer.html http://nationalmap.gov/3dep/neea.html

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U.S. territories, as well as interferometric synthetic aperture radar (ifsar) data over

Alaska.

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 preferred method of data acquisition is through the GPSC, a multiple award acquisition vehicle that is designed to utilize the teams of firms on the contract for services needed to accomplish 3DEP data acquisition.

The contracts include acquisition, processing, and quality assurance of lidar and other source geographic data. These contracts are already in place and have been awarded through a competitive process, consistent with the Competition in Contracting Act and the Brooks Act. Firms on the GPSC have been selected based on their qualifications and performance in providing the professional services needed for 3DEP. The GPSC is an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract that provides for an indefinite quantity of services for a fixed time, above a specified minimum. IDIQs help streamline the contract process and speed service delivery. To ensure data quality and efficient development of standard products and services, the USGS prefers that partners use the

GPSC when possible and practical and expects to allocate approximately 80% 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 this agreement. The USGS expects to allocate approximately 20% or less of the available http://geodatacontracts.er.usgs.gov/gpsc_information_sheet.html

G15PS00558 FY15 / 16 BAA Solicitation Page 7 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 QL2 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 attachment C: 3DEP FY16

Consolidated Federal Areas of Interest or Attachment D: 3DEP Funding Partners

FY16 High Priority Areas for Lidar Data Acquisition

Alaska coastlines extending to the 50-foot elevation line flat geographies of the Yukon delta including all US Fish and Wildlife

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

Barrow larger municipalities with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulated airport facilities and FAA's identified Alaska Peninsula flight approach area the area of the Yukon River basin identified for native Alaskan village flood risk drainage areas impacting the proposed Susitna-Watana hydro-electric project north of

Anchorage.

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

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 1.2, which can be found at http://pubs.usgs.gov/tm/11b4/.

In addition to the requirements outlined in the USGS Lidar Base Specification, lidar data and derived products will 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)” http://pubs.usgs.gov/tm/11b4/

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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.

Applicants will be asked to detail these upgrade costs in the pre-proposal and full proposal submission tools.

E. 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.

IV. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. Eligible Applicants

Federal agencies, state and local governments, tribes, academic institutions and the private sector are eligible to submit proposals. Applicants may include single entities or

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

G15PS00558 FY15 / 16 BAA Solicitation Page 9 teams from Federal agencies, state and local governments, tribes, academic institutions and the private sector. 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 pre-proposals and to join other entities as team members in submitting pre-proposals.

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 2015, the average BAA award covered 36% of the total project cost, resulting in an average cost share of 64% by award recipients. Project awards ranged from

$61,000 to $1,325,000, with an average award of $355,000. BAA Awards must comply with the following federal guidelines:

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

Appropriations law 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 3DEP 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.

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2. Cooperative Agreements: Requirement for Non-Federal Match

For applicants proposing Cooperative Agreements: Pursuant to CFR § 200.306, State and local applicants requesting an award in the form of a cooperative agreement must commit non-federal sources as their minimum required match. The USGS has set this minimum non-federal match at 25%. Other federal sources may be partners in the application but may not be used to satisfy the minimum 25% state or local match. “Match” should not be confused with “Cost Share”. Federal and Non-Federal Contributions are 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.

V. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. Application Submission (Pre-proposal and Full-Proposal)

The application process is in two stages, as follows:

1. Stage 1, Pre-Proposal

Prospective applicants are highly encouraged to submit pre-proposals, though not required. Applicants are to use Attachment A: BAA Pre-proposal Submission Tool for pre-proposal submission. 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. This tool is also available on-line at:

http://nationalmap.gov/3DEP/BAAReferenceMaterials.html. 3DEP will assess the pre-proposals and provide feedback to the applicants on whether or not they are encouraged to submit a proposal in Stage 2. The purpose of the pre-proposal process is to provide applicants with information to help them determine if the effort associated with the production of a detailed proposal is warranted. All applicants maintain the option to submit a full proposal. All pre-proposals must be submitted electronically to the

Contracting Officer Vickie Floyd at gs_baa@usgs.gov.

http://nationalmap.gov/3DEP/BAAReferenceMaterials.html mailto:gs_baa@usgs.gov

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2. Stage 2, Full Proposal

a) Acquisition 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 should complete and submit Attachment B: BAA Full Proposal Submission

Tool. This form is also available for download at:

http://nationalmap.gov/3DEP/BAAReferenceMaterials.html. For acquisition proposals this is the only submission 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.

b) 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 G15AS00123.

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 (Full Proposal Submission Tool) o Cooperative Agreement applicants should complete and submit Attachment B:

BAA Full Proposal Submission Tool for proposal submission. This document is also available for download at:

http://nationalmap.gov/3DEP/BAAReferenceMaterials.html. For applicants submitting through grants.gov the document constitutes the narrative portion of the application and must be included as part of your application package o 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.

mailto:gs_baa@usgs.gov http://nationalmap.gov/3DEP/BAAReferenceMaterials.html http://www.grants.gov/apply

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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 in order to participate in the grants.gov application process. 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 Pre-proposals

Applicants are to use Attachment A: BAA Pre-proposal Submission Tool. This document is also available for download at:

http://nationalmap.gov/3DEP/BAAReferenceMaterials.html: The applicant is asked to provide information related to:

Contact Information

Project Summary

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 Finances

Funding Partners

*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. Format and Content of Proposals

Applicants should complete and submit Attachment B: BAA Full Proposal Submission

Tool for proposal submission. This document is also available for download at:

G15PS00558 FY15 / 16 BAA Solicitation Page 13 http://nationalmap.gov/3DEP/BAAReferenceMaterials.html. For acquisition proposals

(projects to be contracted through the USGS GPSC) this is the only document required.

For applicants submitting through grants.gov the document constitutes the narrative portion of the application and must be included as part of your application package.

The applicant is asked to provide detailed information related to:

Contact Information

Project Summary

Project synopsis (short succinct) 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 Finances

Funding Partners

Past Performance

*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 VII A.

For consistency the pre-proposal and full proposal submission tools are very similar. The full proposal document requires more detailed explanations of the technical and financial components of the proposed project.

D. Submission Dates and Times

1. Pre-proposals

Pre-proposals are due by 1:00PM ET on 25 August 2015. The email subject line should contain the following: State, Last name of primary applicant, BAA Number

G15PS00558- Pre-proposal (VASmithG15PS00558PP). Pre-proposals received after the deadline will not be reviewed. Feedback on the pre-proposals will be emailed directly to the primary contact(s) on or about the week of 11 September 2015.

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2. Full Proposals

Full Proposals are due by 1:00PM ET on 23 October 2015. The email subject line should contain the following: State, Last name of primary applicant, BAA Number

G15PS00558- Full proposal (VASmithG15PS00558FP)

E. Late Submission and Withdrawal of a Pre-proposal or a Full Proposal

Applicants are responsible for submitting electronic pre-proposals and full 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. Pre-proposals and full 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 2016 or until such time as the BAA is cancelled through an amendment or another BAA is issued; additional selections will be made depending on availability of funding and evaluation of proposals consistent with the evaluation criteria provided herein.

VI. PRE-PROPOSAL REVIEW INFORMATION

1. Project location

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 are more than 8 years old

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

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

2. Areal extent

a) 3DEP prefers projects between 1,500 and 5,000 square miles.

(1) Within this range, preference is given to larger projects

b) Projects outside of this range may be considered

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(1) To fill in gaps in coverage

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

3. Geographic overlap with areas represented on Attachment C: 3DEP FY16

Federal Areas of Interest or geographic overlap with the agency specific

FY16 High Priority Areas for Data Acquisition represented in attachment

D

a) General preference is given to projects that overlap identified

Federal areas of interest (Attachment C)

b) 3DEP Federal funding partners (agencies represented in

Attachment D) may give additional preference to projects that overlap their individual agency requirements

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

a) 3DEP uses an average figure of $335.00 per square mile (QL2) to estimate the cost of lidar collection over the United States. This average cost includes data acquisition, processing, 3DEP quality assurance/quality control as well as project/contract management

(including 5% assessment for the use of the USGS GPSC).

Collection, processing and contract management costs represent about 85 percent ($285 per square mile) of the total cost for QL2 data. It is important to note that as this is an average cost, in some geographic areas of the country the price will be higher, and for some the cost to acquire the data will be lower. Applicants may choose to use the $285 figure to estimate their project acquisition, processing and assessment cost or alternately they may provide another cost estimate together with an explanation of how the cost estimate was derived to enable an evaluation of the proposed project costs. The USGS must determine that cost estimates reflect valid industry cost for proposed work 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

a) Applicant is required to provide validation of all funding partners listed in their proposal via Appendix F: Applicant Validation of

Funding Partners (only required for full proposal)

6. Technical Approach

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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

The pre-proposal selection process will be conducted based upon a technical peer review according to the evaluation criteria specified above. Each proposal will be evaluated based on the overall value and benefit to the government based on project location and areal extent of proposed data acquisition, cost realism (cost per square mile for defined geographic area) and cost share (funds contributed by applicant), maturity of applicant’s proposal and designated funding, 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 80% or more of the available funding to projects proposing to use the GPSC. It is assumed that projects will continue to mature between the pre-proposal and full proposal stages. The evaluation of pre-proposals will consider and allow project concepts that may not be fully formulated at the time of the pre-proposal (stage 1). However, all proposals must be fully defined for stage 2, full proposal submission.

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. Past performance is the factor with the least weight.

VII. PROPOSAL REVIEW INFORMATION

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Criteria for evaluation of proposals will be the same as those stated for the Pre-proposals, Section VI A above.

Review and Selection of full proposals will be the same as stated for the Pre-proposals, section VI B above.

Weighting of evaluation factors mirror Section VI C above.

VIII. AGENCY CONTACTS

Interested parties are encouraged to submit comments or questions via email to Vickie Floyd at gs_baa@usgs.gov and include BAA G15PS00558 in the subject line. Comments or questions submitted should be concise and reference the relevant part and paragraph of the BAA. All questions and answers will be posted publically via an announcement to the Federal Business

Opportunities website under the BAA number. Please take caution when submitting questions containing proprietary or sensitive information.

IX. 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 white paper. 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 mailto:gs_baa@usgs.gov

G15PS00558 FY15 / 16 BAA Solicitation Page 18 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.

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 our partners are in a position to contribute to the acquisition of lidar data and derived products. The USGS will collate and may make publically available collective pre-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.

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This information will be used for the purpose 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.

E. Award Notices

Notification of acceptance of proposals will be emailed to applicants beginning 1

December 2015. Award notifications are dependent upon the availability of Federal funds. Unsuccessful applicants will be notified shortly thereafter. 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 begin 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. System for Award Management

Successful applicants must be registered in the System for Award Management

(www.sam.gov) and have an active DUNS number.

http://www.sam.gov/

G15PS00558 FY15 / 16 BAA Solicitation Page 20

X. ATTACHMENTS

A. BAA Pre-proposal Submission Template

B. BAA Final Proposal Submission Template

C. 3DEP FY16 Consolidated Federal Areas of Interest

D. 3DEP Funding Partners FY16 High Priority Areas for Lidar Data Acquisition

1. FEMA

2. NRCS

E. 3DEP Status Graphic (Exisitng, IN-work and Planned with Funding)

F. Applicant Validation of Funding Partners