OpportunityTitle: Wetland Design Assistance
Description: Announcement for Funding Opportunity (AFO) for a Competitive Grant Agreement.ANNOUNCEMENT FOR FUNDING OPPORTUNITY The NRCS requests proposals for wetland and associated upland restoration services from individuals and organizations that share a common interest in the conservation and restoration of wetland resources throughout Oklahoma. Services shall be provided throughout the State of Oklahoma.One or more grant agreements may be awarded as a result of this AFO.SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONA.Proposals must be received no later than 10:00 a.m. July 11, 2011. Proposals received after that time will not be considered. Proposals will not be accepted by facsimile machine submission. Applicants must submit one original and four copies of their proposal to USDA-NRCS, Attn: Martha J. Worlein, 100 USDA, Suite 213, Stillwater, OK 74074-2655.B.Electronics Submission - In accordance with NRCS General Manual 401(E) - 401.40 Grants and Electronics Submission1. In order to submit proposals electronically, applicants must be registered with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR). This database is used as a central location for maintaining organizational information for organizations seeking and receiving grants/agreements from Federal agencies. Please visit the: http://www.grants.gov Get Started section to register. Allow a minimum of 5 days to complete the CCR registration.2. The Federal Government requires that all applicants for Federal Grants and Cooperative Agreements excluding individuals other than sole proprietors have a unique nine digit identification number provided by Dun &amp; Bradstreet, Data Universal Number System (DUNS) number. The DUNS number will be used to identify related organizations receiving Federal funding under Grants/Cooperative Agreements; and to provide consistent name and address data for electronic submission through grant application systems. To request a DUNS number, please call 1-866-705-5711 (toll free), between 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (M-F) local time of caller when calling within the United States or visit: RequestaDUNS.htm. The process to request a number takes about 5-10 minutes. A DUNS number will be assigned at the conclusion of the call. Please have the following information ready before requesting your DUNS number: Legal Name of Entity or Doing Business as (DBA), Employer/Vendor Identification Number (EIN/VIN), Address, and Telephone Number.AGENCY CONTACTMartha J. Worlein, Contracting Officer, martha.worlein@ok.usda.gov Sharla Goforth, Contract Specialist, Sharla.goforth@ok.usda.govPROPOSAL CONTENTA. The application package must include the completed Standard Form 424. B. The application shall include a capabilities statement that addresses the following as a minimum:1. A description of the specialized experience, technical competence, financial responsibility, and available organizational resources necessary to successfully perform legal boundary and engineering surveys, planning, design, construction, and construction management services to implement wetland and associated upland restoration services.2. The hourly prices for each discipline and unit prices for associated supplies required to perform legal boundary and engineering surveys, planning, design, construction, and construction management services for wetland and associated upland restoration in conservation plans.3. Past experiences providing legal boundary and engineering surveys, planning, design, construction, and construction management services for wetland and associated upland restorations for conservation.4. The application shall include an appendix. Material should be included only when necessary to support information provided in the narrative. Copies of documents, brochures, etc., are encouraged to demonstrate experience, knowledge, skills and abilities.SELECTION Each proposal will be evaluated in accordance with the evaluation factors listed above. Discussions may be held with each applicant to clarify aspects of the proposal.A. In accordance with the NRCS National Engineering Manual Part 505.31 - B., Non-NRCS engineering sources must be approved by the State Administrative Officer and the State Conservation Engineer and must meet the following requirements:1. Registration is necessary in the State in which the work is to be undertaken if registration is required by State law, and non-NRCS engineering sources must be properly authorized to practice in compliance with other State laws.2. They must have had satisfactory experience in the kind of engineering work to be undertaken and must be available to supervise the work directly.3. They must have the necessary facilities and staff to do the work in the specified time. AUTHORITYSection 3837 of the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 authorized the Secretary of Agriculture to provide technical assistance under this program to eligible producers.TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE AWARDNRCS has the option to cancel the solicitation or limit the number of awards made form this solicitation. See Attachment 1 for statutory requirements included in the AFO.I. PURPOSE The WRP is a voluntary wetlands conservation program that promotes the restoration, enhancement, and protection of wetland systems and associated uplands. Through WRP, landowners may receive financial and technical assistance to install or implement structural or vegetative wetland and associated upland restoration practices on eligible land. WRP was authorized by USC16 Section 3837; regulations at 7CFR Part 1467 and the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 which provides that the Secretary may request the services of non-Federal entities to assist in providing services necessary to develop and implement conservation programs. There are presently in excess of 52,000 acres enrolled in WRP in Oklahoma. The agency is directing resources toward the restoration of degraded wetlands across the state of Oklahoma.II. OBJECTIVES The objective of WRP is to provide technical and financial assistance to landowners in planning, designing and implementing wetland and associated upland restoration that maximizes wildlife habitat in wetland systems, as well as provide water quality improvements, reduced soil erosion, reduced impacts of flooding and improve wildlife habitat for threatened and endangered species. III. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE PARTIESA. The NRCS will:1. Conduct an initial briefing at the Oklahoma NRCS State Office in Stillwater, Oklahoma to negotiate the terms of individual projects.2. Designate a liaison to coordinate activities and provide quality assurance.3. Provide access to NRCS technology and technical tools to the maximum extent possible.B. The Recipient will:1. Perform all services in accordance with applicable NRCS policy and criteria that can be found at the following websites: i. NRCS Field Office Technical Guide: http://efotg.nrcs.usda.govii. NRCS National Engineering Handbook References: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/ENG/iii. NRCS National Engineering Manual: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/ENG/2. Sign and seal all legal boundary surveys and engineering designs according to Oklahoma State Law. C. It is Mutually Agreed:1. The agreement is effective upon signature of the NRCS State Conservationist or designated official.This agreement may be amended at the request of either party. Any changes will be made with mutual consent through a bilaterally signed and dated amendment prior to changes in performance or additional expenses incurred. NRCS will not fund any changes not properly approved in advance. The signed amendment becomes part of the agreement and supersedes that part of the original agreement. The amendment request shall include a cover letter requesting/justifying the request for change and a revised SF 424 Application for Federal Assistance and SF424(c )Budget. The following changes require a formal amendment to an approved NRCS agreement:i. Need for additional fundingii. Need to revise the objectives, deliverables, schedule, or key personnel of the agreementiii. Need to extend the period of performance; andiv. Need to de-obligate funds prior to the end of the performance period. 2. NRCS and the Recipient may mutually terminate this agreement upon reaching acceptable terms to terminate conditions. NRCS may terminate the agreement in its entirety should the Recipients request to terminate a portion of the project or objectives will compromise the agreements original purpose.3. This agreement may be temporarily suspended by NRCS if determined that corrective action by the Recipient is needed to fulfill the terms of the agreement. When the Recipient is delinquent in submitting deliverables or required reporting, NRCS will issue a suspension notice and set a final date by which the outstanding items must be received before one or more administrative action is required by NRCS:i. Make no further payments until all deliverables and reports are provided to the technical liaisonii. Make no new agreement with the Recipient or amend a monetary increase or time extension to the existing agreementiii. Make a site visit to determine whether the Recipient is violating other terms of agreementiv. Request the USDA Inspector General to make a special audit of the Recipient.4. NRCS may suspend the agreement until progress is brought into compliance with the agreed upon objectives and schedule. Payments withheld during the period of delinquency, if otherwise payable, shall be released when payments are resumed. If the items or an acceptable explanation is not received by the date identified in the suspension notice, the suspension shall be converted into a termination. 5. NRCS may terminate this agreement in whole or in part if NRCS determines the Recipient has failed to comply with any of the conditions of this agreement. NRCS shall promptly notify the Recipient in writing of the determination and reasons for the termination, together with the effective date. Payments made by or recoveries made by NRCS under this termination shall be in accordance with the legal rights and liabilities of NRCS and the Recipient. Upon Recipient notification of the date of termination, the Recipient shall not incur any new obligations and shall cancel as many outstanding obligations as possible. NRCS will credit the Recipient any non-cancelable obligations properly incurred by the Recipient prior to the date of termination.6. Each party to the agreement assumes responsibility for the actions of their officials or employees acting within the scope of their employment to the extent provided by State or Federal law.7. Employees of NRCS shall participate in efforts under this agreement solely as representatives of the NRCS. To this end, they shall not participate as directors, officers, employees, or otherwise serve or hold themselves out as representatives of the Recipient or other entity with whom NRCS is entering into this agreement or any member thereof. NRCS employees shall not assist the Recipient or any employee of the Recipients organization with efforts to lobby Congress, or to raise money through fundraising efforts. Further, NRCS employees shall report to their immediate supervisor should any negotiations with the Recipient, or a member/employee of the Recipient arises regarding future employment. The NRCS employee shall refrain from participation in any agreement effort until such time that NRCS, the employee, and possibly the Recipient, have satisfactorily resolved the issue.8. The Recipient&#239;&#191;&#189;s staff and employees will exercise due care when using NRCS provided equipment or property, if provided under this agreement. The Recipient will replace equipment or reimburse NRCS for all costs associated with NRCS equipment or property damage resulting from willful misuse or abuse by the Recipient. The Recipient will not be responsible for costs associated with normal wear and tear or use of such NRCS equipment or property provided to accomplish any part of the NRCS work described in this agreement, if any.9. The Recipient shall retain all records associated with this agreement for a period of three years following the agreement expiration and shall make such records available to NRCS administrative and financial staff, the Comptroller General of the United States, or any authorized representative, for the purpose of making audits, examinations, excerpts, and transcripts as authorized by 7 CFR 3052 Audits of States and Local Governments and Non-Profit Organizations. Records shall be considered all correspondence, receipts, work papers, or documents related to this agreement.10. The Recipient assures NRCS that the program or activities provided for under this agreement will be conducted in compliance with all applicable Federal civil rights laws, rules, regulations, and policies. These include but are not limited to: (a) Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d, 2000e-16), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, disability, or national origin; (b) Title IX of the Education amendments of 1972, as amended (20 U.S.C. 1681-1683, and 1685-1686), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex; (c) Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended (29 U.S.C. 794) which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disabilities; and (d) all requirements imposed by the Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (7 CFR 15), Department of Justice (28 CFR Parts 42 and 50) to the effect that no person in the United States shall, on the grounds of age, sex, disability, color, race, or national origin, be excluded from participation in or in denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination under any program or activity for which the Recipient has received Federal financial assistance. The Recipient has provided signed assurances, incorporated by reference, that it is in compliance or will take immediate steps to comply with these requirements.11. It is the intent of NRCS to fulfill its obligation under this agreement. However, commitments cannot be made beyond the period for which funds have been appropriated by Congress. In the event funds needed by NRCS to fulfill its obligation resulting from this agreement are not appropriated, this agreement will automatically terminate. Reimbursement to the Recipient will be for work completed and eligible for reimbursement prior to the effective date of agreement termination.12.NRCS requires the Recipient to follow its written organizational policy regarding travel if it is in significant alignment with the provisions of 48 CFR 31.2055-46(a) as they apply to travel under Federal awards.IV. EXPECTED ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND DELIVERABLESApplicants will provide assistance necessary to develop and implement WRP restoration plans that improve and protect wetland habitat for environmental benefits. Performance may include any part or all operations necessary to perform legal boundary and engineering surveying, planning, design, construction, and construction management services activities for various wetland restorations, enhancements and creation practices; and other related conservation practices that meet NRCS standards and specifications. Applicants will perform work in close coordination with Oklahoma NRCS representatives. Surveys may consist of, but are not limited to, any part or all of the following activities: legal boundary surveys, topographic surveys, design surveys, construction layout surveys, construction quality assurance surveys, and quantity surveys. All surveys shall be geo-referenced as specified in the task order. . Digital drawings shall be readable in AutoCAD 2007 format. All digital data will be provided to NRCS in addition to paper products. Wetland Engineering Practices and Biological Practices may include but are not limited to the following Conservation Practices: Wetland Restoration (657), Wetland Enhancement (658), Wetland Creation (659), Open Channel (582), and associated practices such as Critical Area Planting (342), Fence (382), Range Planting (550), Tree/Shrub Establishment (612), and Structure for Water Control (587); and others as deemed necessary and applicable by the Oklahoma NRCS. All practices are described in the NRCS electronic FOTG, which can be found at: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/efotg/.V. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCESpecific terms for individual projects will be negotiated on an as-needed basis. The period of the resulting grant agreement will be one year and will not exceed five years.VI. RESOURCES REQUIREDA. Recipient:1. Specialized experience and technical competence to perform legal boundary and engineering surveying, planning, design, construction, and construction management services activities.2. The adequacy of organizational, personnel, and financial resources and experience to successfully perform legal boundary and engineering surveys, planning, design, construction, and construction management services activities.3. Illustration of understanding the intent of the WRP program. The applicants recognition of the value and need of the project and the understanding of the intent of WRP.4. Ability to demonstrate successful past history and credibility in working on wetland restoration in the State of Oklahoma or similar ecosystems.B. NRCS: to be determined for individual task ordersVII. MILESTONESTo be determined for individual task orders
GrantorContactEmailDescription: USDA NRCS
GrantorContactText: Martha Worlein &lt;br/&gt;Contracting Officer &lt;br/&gt;Phone 405 742 1224