The National Park Service is offering this grant for the Wrangell-St. Elias McCarthy Road Corridor Mechanical Fuel Reduction Project.

This Funding Announcement is not a request for applications. This announcement is to provide public notice of the National Park Service (NPS), intention to fund the following project activities.

ABSTRACT

Funding Announcement:

Project Title: Hazardous Materials

Recipient: Southeast Alaska Guidance Association

Principle
Investigator: Scott Young
Total Anticipated
Award Amount: $12,500

Cost Share: N/A

New Award
Or Continuation: New

Anticipated
Length of
Agreement: Less than 1 year

Anticipated
Period of
Performance: December 30,2011 – September 30, 2012

Award
Instrument: Cooperative Agreement

Statutory
Authority: Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act of 1997, Public Law 104-208, 110 Stat. 3009 (181,189), 16 U.S.C 1g; Public Lands Corps Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2005, Public Law 109-154, 119 Stat. 2891, 2893, 16 U.S.C 1701-1706, 1723; Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996, Public Law 104-333, 16 U.S.C 1f.
CFDA 15.931, Conservation Activities by Youth Service Organizations.

Project:

1. Coordinate a work schedule with NPS and provide an eight (8) member crew to include two (2) leaders experienced in the operation of hand tools and small power tools for the following Hazardous Fuel Reduction project:

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve McCarthy Road Corridor Mechanical Fuel Reduction Project.

2. Provide all food, support costs, and labor to accomplish services indicated in this statement of work.
3. Provide transportation to the work site, camp gear and food for all the crew members.
4. Matching requirement of 25%
Single Source Justification Criteria Sited:

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN
COMPETITION (or SINGLE SOURCE) FOR DISCRETIONARY COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS

BACKGROUND:

• A brief history of this project. Is this part of an on-going program, agreement, etc…?

o This is part of the pre-existing cooperative agreement between SAGA and NPS. The project entails hazardous fuels reduction along the McCarthy road corridor in WRST. NPS or contract fallers will be falling and limbing spruce trees and SAGA crew members will be assisting with piling of vegetation within the project area to provide defensible space for buildings along the McCarthy road corridor.

1) 505 DM 2 Single Source – Only one responsible source will satisfy agency requirements.

• Identify the source and explain why specifically competition is not practical.

o The funding for this project stipulates that a youth service organization will be used to accomplish the work. SAGA, a youth service organization, has a previously established relationship with the NPS, has done work in many units of NPS Alaska, and has an existing signed cooperative agreement.

2) Nature and description of the supplies or services required to meet the agency’s needs:

• Description of the item(s) or service(s) and the required delivery schedule.

o SAGA will provide an 8-person crew for manual labor. The crew will be composed of 2 crew leaders (21+ years of age) who have USFS chainsaw training, and 6 crew members between the ages of 15-25. Majority of tasks will involve piling downed vegetation into burn piles. They will be available to work 8 10- hour days (eighty hours total) for the duration of time covered in the task agreement. Potential work date range is May 30 – September 21, 2012.

• The minimum essential characteristics or unique features of the item(s). If requesting a service, fully describe all services to be performed.

o SAGA will be responsible for providing transportation to the work site, personal protective equipment (hard hats, leather gloves, and safety glasses), food for their crewmembers, and camping supplies (tents, pads, sleeping bags).

• State the price of the requirement – base year and every additional anticipated agreement period thereafter.

o $12,500 for 2012

3) Criteria for justifying award without competition. In order for an assistance award to be made without competition, the award must satisfy one or more of the following criteria. Please explain which criterion specifically addresses the proposed agreement.

Unique Qualifications – The applicant is uniquely qualified to perform the
activity based upon a variety of demonstrable factors such as location, property ownership, voluntary support capacity, cost-sharing ability, if applicable, technical expertise, or other such unique qualifications;

SAGA has a proven positive track record when working with the National Park Service – Alaska Region. Because they are an Alaska-based organization, they bring specific Alaska knowledge of the varied landscapes, potential hazards, and project logistics to the table. They have shown great flexibility in working with remote Alaska logistics including organizing transportation and equipment. In addition, SAGA is able to provide a single crew for the entirety of the proposed work schedule and thus this saves the NPS time and money from having to hire more than one crew.

4) A description of the market research that was conducted and the results, or a statement of the reason a market research was not conducted:

Type and degree of market survey conducted

I requested cost estimates from SAGA, Inc., and Student Conservation Association, Inc. SAGA was the only one that responded able to provide a crew with their own tools and equipment.

5) Any other facts supporting the use of other than full and open competition:
None