Cultural Resources Technical Guidance Support for Joint Base San Antonio, Texas

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Fort Worth District, on behalf of the Air Force Civil Engineer Center (AFCEC), is soliciting Statements of Interest for a cooperative agreement titled Cultural Resources Technical Guidance Support for Joint Base San Antonio, Texas. This opportunity is issued under the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) Program and is restricted exclusively to organizations that are active members of the Colorado Plateau, Great Plains, or Rocky Mountains CESU regions. The CESU framework is designed to foster collaboration between federal agencies and academic or nonprofit partners to provide research, technical assistance, and education that supports environmental and cultural resource management. The primary purpose of this opportunity is to support the Air Force Cultural Resources Program in ensuring compliance with federal environmental and cultural resource laws while minimizing impacts to cultural and tribal resources. The selected recipient will provide technical expertise, strategic evaluation, and planning assistance related to cultural resources management. This includes contributing to policy development, improving guidance documents, and supporting implementation of federal mandates such as the National Historic Preservation Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, and the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. The work emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration and the advancement of scientific and cultural knowledge beyond the immediate project scope. Funding for the base period is approximately 479,752.50 dollars, supporting Task 1 and Task 2 over a 12-month period. Additional funding may be made available for optional tasks or follow-on work, with the possibility of up to five additional 12-month extensions depending on funding availability. The CESU indirect cost rate is fixed at 17.5 percent. Funds may be used for personnel, travel, technical support, and other allowable costs consistent with the cooperative agreement. Travel requirements include periodic trips to Washington, DC, and San Antonio, Texas, with reimbursement aligned to federal travel regulations. Eligibility is limited to CESU member organizations within the specified regions. Applicants must demonstrate qualifications through a Statement of Interest rather than a full proposal at this stage. Required qualifications include expertise in cultural resources management, familiarity with federal environmental laws, and experience working with federal land management agencies. Personnel must meet professional standards established by the Secretary of the Interior and possess relevant technical and field experience. Additionally, all recipients and subrecipients must maintain an active Department of Defense cybersecurity assessment compliant with NIST SP 800-171 within the past three years. The application process requires submission of a concise Statement of Interest, limited to two pages, outlining organizational qualifications, relevant experience, available personnel, and capabilities. This document must include organizational identifiers such as CAGE Code and Unique Entity ID, as well as a biographical sketch of the principal investigator and descriptions of past projects. Submissions are evaluated based on alignment with program objectives, qualifications of personnel, and demonstrated capability to execute the work. Only selected applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal and budget in a subsequent phase. Statements of Interest must be submitted via email by May 28, 2026, at noon Central Time. Questions must be submitted by May 7, 2026. Applications are reviewed by a panel, and the process includes a mandatory posting period of at least 30 days prior to selection decisions. The period of performance begins upon award and extends for one year, with potential continuation periods. Deliverables include quarterly progress reports, annual inventories, and final project reports. The cooperative agreement emphasizes collaboration, data sharing, and public dissemination of results, ensuring that project outcomes contribute to broader scientific and cultural resource knowledge.

Focus on clearly demonstrating relevant federal cultural resource experience and qualified personnel; align directly with stated tasks and objectives