OpportunityTitle: Ecologically Sustainable Fire Risk Reduction
Description: I. Funding Opportunity DescriptionThe Navy spends countless dollars annually on preserving and conserving federally listed species and their habitats. Additional dollars are spent on fuel treatments typical in the region but which lack quantitative support, such as strict thinning of all vegetation within 100 feet or more from buildings. Observational data suggest that these typical fuel treatments may, in the long run, serve to decrease soil moisture and temperature, and increase invasive vegetation that serve as flash fuels &#150; thus increasing long-term fire risk, while decreasing the quantity and quality of habitat available for federally listed species. These potentially conflicting requirements often occur in highly urban and suburban areas where fire risk and liability are real threats to human safety and the military mission. The risks for both fire and federally listed species are likely to be compounded by the effects of climate change that are only beginning to be realized. The current project seeks to bring all these objectives together to develop, implement, and provide quantitative data on the effectiveness of an ecosystem management approach. The ecosystem management approach will seek to reduce fire risk and liability in an ecologically sustainable manner that also increases habitat quality for listed species, and reduces long-term maintenance costs. Achieving this will fulfill the Navy&#146;s requirements under the Endangered Species Act and Sikes Act to protect the military mission, conserve species and habitats, and minimize risk to human safety while protecting the military mission. It will also reduce the need for lengthy, formal consultations regarding fuel treatment to habitats that support federally listed species, by generating options that support both fire risk reduction and protection of federally listed species habitats. (Non-native plants, for instance, reduce habitat quality and quantity, and increase fire risk.) The Navy is in a unique position to provide a forum for testing an ecosystem approach to these challenges. Due to its federal status, it has more flexibility than some private entities to perform fire risk reduction via innovative methods. To achieve real change and be useful to the Government or other entities, techniques suggested by qualitative or observational data will need implementation and testing with quantitative results.The purpose is to support and conserve federally listed species and their habitat on Navy land; and for researching and implementing fire risk reduction techniques that work with habitat conservation goals, reduce maintenance, and have verifiable data on their efficacy. The Recipient shall:&#149; Research, develop, and implement methods that simultaneously reduce fire risk, reduce invasive vegetation, enhance native habitat, and reduce long-term maintenance costs in all these areas at a single demonstration site, including methods to address subjects covered in Section G.&#149; Identify and design metrics (in situ and/or ex situ) to quantify and test the effects of these methods on fire risk and native habitat, including the variables identified in Section G.&#149; Implement monitoring regimen for the demonstration project site in this Agreement and interpret monitoring results of these metrics to establish quantitative data on various ecologically sustainable fire risk reduction techniques and their efficacy, as outlined in Section G.II. Award Information Type of assistance instrument anticipated: [ ] Grant[x] Cooperative Agreement (note: see Statement of Work, posted separately for &#147;substantial involvement&#148; expected with the agency.III. Eligibility Information 1. Eligible ApplicantsAny potential cooperator who qualifies under the DoDGARS Part 32, 33, and 34 is eligible to apply. 2. Cost Sharing or Matching Cost sharing [ ] is or [x] is not required. IV. Application and Submission Information 1. Address to Request Application PackageApplication packages can be obtained electronically at Grants.gov as detailed below or by contacting the individual listed in Section VII Agency Contact(s). Application forms and instructions are available at Grants.gov. To access these materials, go to http://www.grants.gov select &quot;Apply for Grants&quot;, and then select &quot;Download Grant Application Package&#148;. Enter the CFDA (12.300) or the funding opportunity number N62473-14-2-0006.NOTE: You will not be able to download the Application Package unless you have installed Adobe Acrobat Reader. Adobe Reader is available for free to download from the Download Software page http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support/technical-support/recommended-software.html;jsessionid=GH2HTWlJqGk7yhQzN5S5ZcpzHhm4nYpq4srtybwlPTjY2qps1JxD.2. Content and Form of Application SubmissionApplicants may choose to submit applications in hard copy or electronically. Regardless of the means used to deliver the application, the applicant shall complete the mandatory and applicable forms by accessing the forms as noted in noted in IV, 1 &#147;Address to Request Application Package&#148;.Content and Form of Application FORM: SF 424 (R&amp;R)Complete this form first to populate data in other forms. Complete all the required fields in accordance with the pop-up instructions on the form. The list of certifications and assurances referenced in Field 18 can be found on the certification package for grants document entitled, &#147;Certifications for Grants and Agreements&#148;, which is posted with the announcement. Note: Completion of SF-424 Fields First. The Adobe Reader forms are designed to fill in common required fields such as the applicant name and address, DUNS number, etc., on all Adobe Reader forms. To trigger this feature, an applicant must complete the SF-424 information first. Once it is completed the information will transfer to the other forms. You must complete the mandatory forms and any applicable optional forms (e.g., SF-LLL Disclosure of Lobbying Activities) in accordance with the instructions on the forms and the additional instructions below. Files that are attached to the forms must be in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) unless otherwise specified in this announcement.FORM: RESEARCH &amp; RELATED SENIOR/KEY PERSONNEL (EXPANDED) Complete all the required fields in accordance with the pop-up instructions on the form.The Offeror shall provide type written resumes (not to exceed 3 pages each, single sided) for key personnel. Resumes must state each individuals&#146; qualifications, experience with this type of project, professional registrations and certificates, possession of permits and licenses, and subject-relevant publications within the last seven (7) years only. Copies of permits and licenses (not included in page totals) shall be submitted with resumes. The Offeror shall submit evidence of the minimum technical requirements and qualifications required in the Scope of Work and its attachments. Experience must be demonstrated and described in resumes with details including hours and activities. Experience must be equivalent to the full-time requirements described in the Scope of Work.FORM: RESEARCH AND RELATED BUDGET Complete the Research and Related Budget form in accordance with the instructions on the form. You must provide a detailed cost breakdown of all costs, by cost category, by the funding periods described below, and by task/sub-task corresponding to the task number in the proposed Statement of Work. Options (if applicable) must be separately priced. The form will generate a cumulative budget for the total project period. You must complete all the mandatory information on the form before the NEXT PERIOD button is activated. You may request funds under any of the categories listed as long as the item and amount are necessary to perform the proposed work and meet all the criteria for allowability under the applicable Federal cost principles. The budget should adhere to the following guidelines:The budget should be driven by program requirements. Elements of the budget should include the following:&#149; Direct Labor - Individual labor category or person, with associated labor hours and unburdened direct labor rates.&#149; Indirect Costs - Fringe benefits, overhead, G&amp;A, COM, etc. (must show base amount and rate). Justify in Field K.&#149; Travel - Number of trips, destination, duration, etc. Justify in Field K.&#149; Subcontract - A cost proposal as detailed as the applicant&apos;s cost proposal will be required to be submitted by the subcontractor. If applicable, include in Research &amp; Related Subaward Budget Attachment Form.&#149; Consultant - Provide consultant agreement or other document that verifies the proposed loaded daily/hourly rate. Include a description of the nature of and the need for any consultant&apos;s participation. Strong justification must be provided, and consultants are to be used only under exceptional circumstances where no equivalent expertise can be found at a participating university. Provide budget justification in Field K.&#149; Materials - Specifically itemized with costs or estimated costs. An explanation of any estimating factors, including their derivation and application, shall be provided. Include a brief description of the applicant&apos;s procurement method to be used (competition, engineering estimate, market survey, etc.). Justify in Field K.&#149; Other Directs Costs - Particularly any proposed items of equipment or facilities. Equipment and facilities generally must be furnished by the contractor/recipient (justifications must be provided when Government funding for such items is sought). Include a brief description of the applicant&apos;s procurement method to be used (competition, engineering estimate, market survey, etc.). Justify in Field K.Budget Justification (Field K on the form): Provide the required supporting information for the cost elements as shown above (see Research &amp; Related Budget instructions) and listed as follows: indirect cost, travel, consultant, materials, and other direct costs. Provide any other information you wish to submit to justify your budget request.FORM: SF-LLL DISCLOSURE OF LOBBYING ACTIVITIES If applicable, complete SF- LLL. Applicability: If any funds other than Federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with the grant/cooperative agreement, you must complete and submit Standard Form - LLL, &quot;Disclosure Form to Report Lobbying.&#148;3. Submission Dates and TimesSignificant Dates and TimesEvent Date Time Full Applications Due May 30, 2014 8:00 AM PSTNotification of Selection for Award *June 30, 2014 4:00 PM PSTStart Date of Grant *July 15, 2014 As applicable* These dates are estimates as of the date of this announcement. For applications submitted through Grants.gov and handling of late applications: After an application is submitted through Grants.gov, the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) will receive a series of three e-mails. It is extremely important that the AOR watch for and save each of the e-mails. You will know that your application has reached NAVFAC SW when the AOR receives e-mail Number 3. You will need the Submission Receipt Number (e-mail Number 1) to track a submission. The three e-mails are as follows: Number 1 &#150; The applicant will receive a confirmation page upon completing the submission to Grants.gov. This confirmation page is a record of the time and date stamp for the submission. Number 2 &#150; The applicant will receive an e-mail indicating that the application has been validated by Grants.gov within a few hours of submission. (This means that all of the required fields have been completed.) Number 3 &#150; The third notice is an acknowledgment of receipt in e-mail form from the designated agency within ten days from the application due date. For applications the e-mail is sent to the authorized representative for the institution. The e-mail for applications notes that the application has been received and provides the assigned tracking number. Hard copy submissions will receive only e-mail number 3.OPTION 1 - Any application submitted through Grants.gov where the time and date for submission (e-mail Number #1) is after the deadline for application submission in Section IV.3, will be late and will not be evaluated unless the Grants.gov website was not operational on the due date and was unable to receive the application submission. If this occurs, the time specified for the receipt of applications through Grants.gov will be extended to the same time of the day specified in this ANNOUNCEMENT on the first workday on which the Grants.gov website is operational. OPTION 2 - All applications must be received by the due date and time established above. Proof of timely submission is automatically recorded by Grants.gov. An electronic time stamp is generated within the system when the application is successfully received by Grants.gov. The applicant will receive an acknowledgement of receipt and a tracking number from Grants.gov with the successful transmission of their application. Applicants should print this receipt and save it, along with facsimile receipts for information provided by facsimile, as proof of timely submission. When NAVFAC SW successfully retrieves the application from Grants.gov, Grants.gov will provide an electronic acknowledgment of receipt to the email address of the AOR. Proof of timely submission shall be the date and time that Grants.gov receives your application. Applications received by Grants.gov, after the established due date for the program will be considered late and will not be considered for funding by NAVFAC SW. NAVFAC SW suggests that applicants submit their applications during the operating hours of the Grants.gov Contact Center, so that if there are questions concerning transmission, operators will be available to walk you through the process. Submitting your application during the Contact Center hours will also ensure that you have sufficient time for the application to complete its transmission prior to the application deadline. Applicants using dial-up connections should be aware that transmission should take some time before Grants.gov receives it. Grants.gov will provide either an error or a successfully received transmission message. The Grants.gov Contact Center reports that some applicants abort the transmission because they think that nothing is occurring during the transmission process. Please be patient and give the system time to process the application. Uploading and transmitting many files particularly electronic forms with associated XML schemas will take some time to be processed. For hard copy submissions and handling of late submissions:Any application, modification, or revision, that is received at the designated DoD agency after the exact time specified for receipt of applications is &quot;late&quot; and will not be considered unless it is received before the award is made, the contracting officer determines that accepting the late application would not unduly delay the acquisition; and (a) The application was sent, to the address specified for the designated agency, by U.S. Postal Service Express Mail three or more business days prior to the date specified for the receipt of applications (the term &quot;business days&quot; excludes weekends and U.S. Federal holidays); or (b) There is acceptable evidence to establish that it was received at the DoD agency designated for receipt of applications and was under the Government&apos;s control prior to the time set for receipt of applications; or (c) It was the only application received. However, a late modification of an otherwise timely and successful application that makes its terms more favorable to the Government will be considered at any time it is received and may be accepted. This applied to hard copy and Grants.gov submissions. Acceptable evidence to establish the time of receipt at the DoD agency includes the time/date stamp of that installation on the application wrapper, other documentary evidence of receipt maintained by the installation, or oral testimony or statements of Government personnel. If an emergency or unanticipated event interrupts normal Government processes so that applications cannot be received at the Government office designated for receipt of applications by the exact time specified in the announcement, and urgent Government requirements preclude amendment of the announcement closing date, the time specified for receipt of applications will be deemed to be extended to the same time of day specified in the announcement on the first work day on which normal Government processes resume. Note that applications delivered by commercial carriers are considered &quot;hand carried&quot; and that no exception can be made to allow such applications to be considered if for any reason they are received after the deadline. Applicants are advised that some applications responding to past announcements that were sent via commercial carriers were delayed during shipment and arrived after the deadlines, typically by one or two days. To decrease the probability that applications delivered by commercial carriers will arrive after the deadline and thus be ineligible to compete, applicants are urged to schedule delivery to occur several days before the deadline. 4. Funding Restrictions Reimbursement of pre-award cost will [ ] or will not [ x ] be allowed. 5. Other Submission RequirementsApplications may be submitted as follows:(a) Electronically through Grants.gov or direct email to: Penny Brown at penny.brown@navy.mil (
GrantorContactEmailDescription: Cooperative Agreement Administrator&apos;s email address
GrantorContactText: Penny Brown &lt;br/&gt;Contract Specialist  &lt;br/&gt;Phone 619-532-3859