Conservation and Forestry Program Support (2026-2031) for Environmental Natural Resources Management Division, Directorate of Public Works, Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Polk, Louisiana

The U.S. Department of Defense, through the Department of the Army, Fort Worth District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is requesting full proposals under RFP W9126G262RFP9554 for Conservation and Forestry Program Support for Environmental Natural Resources Management Division, Directorate of Public Works, Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Polk, Louisiana. The cooperative agreement is offered only to members of the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units Program in the Great Plains, Gulf Coast, and Great Rivers Regions. The award is authorized under 16 USC 670c-1, the Sikes Act. For projects implementing and enforcing integrated natural resources management plans, priority is to be given to Federal and State agencies having responsibility for conservation or management of fish or wildlife. The project is intended to support and enhance the installation's implementation of its Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan and compliance with applicable environmental requirements while maintaining alignment with military training and readiness. Work encompasses natural resources and environmental programs including INRMP, National Environmental Policy Act activities, the Integrated Pest Management Plan, Invasive Botanical Species Control Plan, Endangered Species Management Component, Integrated Cultural Resources Management Plan, Integrated Wildland Fire Management Plan, and Maneuver Damage activities. The effort may involve up to twenty full-time or equivalent onsite support personnel at JRTC and Fort Polk, Louisiana. Positions described in the Statement of Objectives are not open to hybrid or remote schedules. Mandatory basic tasks include INRMP oversight, non-game, game and fish, botany, NEPA writing, threatened and endangered species support, and conservation GIS support, while other identified tasks are optional and may be exercised depending on project conditions, needs, and funding. The maximum funds available for the requirement's stated period of performance are 1250000 dollars. The base period is approximately ten months from the date of award, and meaningful work must commence by September 30, 2026. The Statement of Objectives also establishes four potential twelve-month follow-on periods, with mandatory basic tasks continuing in each exercised follow-on period and specified optional tasks potentially exercised during applicable periods. A maximum indirect cost rate of 17.5 percent applies to work covered by the CESU cooperative agreement and modifications. Unless otherwise specified, the direct-cost base for applying the indirect rate must be the same base identified in the recipient's federally negotiated indirect cost rate agreement or, when no such agreement exists, the Modified Total Direct Cost base. No applicant cost-share or matching contribution is expressly required in the RFP. Applicants must be members of one of the identified CESU regions and must satisfy the solicitation's administrative and security requirements. The recipient, proposed subrecipients, and contract vendors must have an active NIST SP 800-171 DoD assessment performed within the previous three years. The work also requires personnel to be capable of gaining installation access, passing applicable background investigation requirements, providing proof of U.S. citizenship, and obtaining and maintaining required security clearance where applicable. The proposal must include administrative information such as the project title, grant administrator information, UEI, CAGE code, EIN, SAM name and address, CESU region, FICE code, prime respondent and subrecipient or vendor information, NIST compliance evidence, technical and administrative contacts, signature authority documentation, required federal forms, and a Federal Audit Report. The full proposal consists of four sections: Administrative Information, Forms, Certifications, and NIST SP 800-171 Assessment Compliance; Technical Approach; Experience and Qualifications; and Budget. Sections II and III together may not exceed 25 pages, excluding the cover page and table of contents, and proposals exceeding this limit will not be evaluated. Applicants must provide two electronic copies, one PDF and one MS Word or Excel version containing all required sections. Required signed forms include SF 424, SF 424a, SF 424b, and Disclosure of Lobbying Activities SF-LLL. The technical approach must explain how each applicable project task and objective will be achieved and the methodology to be used. Experience and qualifications must identify the Principal Investigator or Field Director and other project personnel and relevant experience. The budget must provide complete costs by task and period of performance, including labor, fringe, travel, supplies and equipment, subawards, indirect costs, a detailed Excel cost breakdown, and a cost narrative with applicable supporting rate agreements. Evaluation will consider Technical Approach, Experience and Qualifications, and Budget. Technical Approach and Experience and Qualifications are individually rated and are evenly important, while Budget is reviewed but not rated. Technical Approach review addresses understanding of goals and objectives, methodology, deliverables and data handling, and schedule and milestones. Experience and Qualifications review considers the Principal Investigator or Field Director's relevant knowledge, analysis and report preparation experience, and the team's demonstrated ability to meet the objectives effectively and efficiently. Budget costs must be allowable, allocable, reasonable, justified, and consistent with the Statement of Objectives. Technical and experience factors may receive Excellent, Good, Satisfactory, Marginal, or Poor ratings. The Government reserves the right to reject a proposal and make no award. The RFP was issued August 26, 2026. Technical questions and clarification requests must be submitted in writing by email to the Agreement Specialist and Agreement Project Manager no later than 12:00 P.M. Central Daylight Time on August 31, 2026. Full proposals are due by 12:00 P.M. Central Daylight Time on September 14, 2026, by email to Maria.E.Lopez@usace.army.mil and Kathy.S.Mitchell@usace.army.mil, with the RFP number referenced in the email subject line. Only the Agreement Specialist or Grants Officer may extend the proposal deadline through written notification to all potential respondents. No recurring application cycle or award notification date is stated in the RFP.

Address every project objective with a clear and technically sound methodology. Demonstrate thorough understanding of project goals and requirements, explain deliverables and data handling, and provide a feasible schedule and milestones. Establish directly relevant Principal Investigator or Field Director and team experience. Ensure all costs are allowable, allocable, reasonable, justified, and consistent with the Statement of Objectives. Keep Sections II and III within the combined 25-page limit because proposals exceeding that limit will not be evaluated. Ensure the recipient and every proposed subrecipient and contract vendor have the required current NIST SP 800-171 DoD assessment. Reference the RFP number in the submission email subject line.