U.S. Department Of Agriculture – NRCS Maryland State Office Easement Acquisition Services

Applications must be received by 5 pm Eastern Daylight Time on August 8th, 2019.  Questions must be submitted by 5 pm Eastern Daylight Time on July 15th, 2019, and answers to questions will be posted to Grants.gov by July 26th, 2019.  NRCS anticipates announcing selections no later than August 15th 2019, and making awards by August 25th, 2019.

Maryland Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is accepting proposals from 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations to assist with expediting the completion of easement program projects. Eligible organizations will have experience with contracting and bid acquisition for small and large natural resource related projects. The awardee will work with NRCS to implement activities for properties enrolled in NRCS easement programs, including acquisition services and contract management for land surveying, environmental reviews, title reviews, market analysis, property appraisals, and title agents/real estate attorneys. The objectives of the award are to obtain acquisition and closing services for easements on lands enrolled in NRCS Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP).  The awardee will develop bid proposals, select contractors, manage contractors, and administer payments for these activities. The award recipient is expected to:

1. Coordinate activities with NRCS, landowners, and partners, as needed.

1. Develop bid proposals, select contractors, manage contracts/contractors, verify invoices, and submit payment requests. The recipient organization shall verify that selected contractors are certified surveyors in good standing in the State of Maryland and have the capability to provide a complete and certified easement plat that can be filed with county land records.

    

2. Contract with professional vendors to complete the deliverables identified by NRCS. Deliverables must be in accordance with Specifications for the service as provided by NRCS. NRCS will provide the most current Specification to the recipient organization. Contracting services will include easement boundary surveys, appraisal technical reviews, title and closing services, pre-acquisition data searches, and area wide market analyses.

3. Instruct the selected contractor to coordinate with NRCS staff or designated partner, and landowners on deliverables identified by NRCS.

    

4. Verify contractor invoices and submit payment requests to NRCS only after receiving the necessary approvals from the NRCS Program Manager or designee.

1. Provide all equipment and office space necessary to perform the services, unless provided by NRCS or a partner organization, and shall be subject to the same rules and regulations that apply to NRCS and other USDA employees when using Government- owned property or equipment.

1. Provide designated agreement contact persons between the NRCS and the recipient organization regarding technical and administrative matters.

Key Dates

Applications must be received by 5 pm Eastern Daylight Time on August 8th, 2019.  Questions must be submitted by 5 pm Eastern Daylight Time on July 15th, 2019, and answers to questions will be posted to Grants.gov by July 26th, 2019.  NRCS anticipates announcing selections no later than August 15th 2019, and making awards by August 25th, 2019.