Reptile Habitat & Nuisance Wildlife Management | W9126G 21 2 SOI 1076

Opportunity Information: Apply for W9126G 21 2 SOI 1076

The Reptile Habitat and Nuisance Wildlife Management opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number W9126G-21-2-SOI-1076) is a Department of Defense cooperative agreement effort, administered through the USACE Fort Worth District, to support natural resources management at two Air Force installations in Texas: Laughlin Air Force Base in Val Verde County and Goodfellow Air Force Base in Tom Green County (San Angelo). The project is intended to start in 2021 and is tied directly to the Sikes Act (16 USC 670c-1), which requires military installations to manage natural resources in coordination with appropriate partners through Integrated Natural Resources Management Plans (INRMPs). The request being posted is not a full proposal solicitation. It is a Request for Statements of Interest (RSOI) intended to identify qualified investigators and organizations that could later be invited to submit a detailed technical proposal and budget.

Eligibility is narrow and is routed through the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) network. Applicants must be non-federal partners affiliated with one of these CESU regions: Desert Southwest (W9126G-16-2-0001), Great Plains (W9126G-10-2-2010), or Gulf Coast (W9126G-12-2-0019). Because the anticipated award mechanism is a CESU cooperative agreement, the CESU Network indirect cost rate (17.5%) may apply, but only by mutual agreement and official authorization by both parties. The opportunity is listed under CFDA 12.300, with the funding activity described as science and technology and other research and development. While the listing notes eligible applicants as public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, the practical gatekeeping requirement emphasized throughout is CESU membership in one of the specified units.

The government’s purpose is to obtain professional, technical, and field support that helps Laughlin AFB and Goodfellow AFB meet environmental compliance obligations and successfully implement their INRMP requirements. The scope is broader than field biology alone and can include developing and evaluating plans and reports, performing regulatory reviews, preparing guidance documents, conducting field surveillance and oversight, delivering training, building briefing materials, supporting database management, attending meetings at the installation and headquarters levels, responding to data calls (including inputs supporting an annual report to Congress), and compiling and analyzing program data for leadership decision-making. In other words, the partner is expected to function as a technical extension of the installations’ natural resources programs, bridging research, monitoring, and operational management needs.

Work is organized around one anchor (mandatory) task plus one or more optional tasks. The anchor task is focused on reptile management at Laughlin AFB. The Laughlin INRMP identifies several special-status reptiles that may occur in the area, including five species listed by the state and one rare lizard taxon that has been petitioned for federal listing. Specifically named are the Texas horned lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum), reticulate collared lizard (Crotaphytus reticulatus), Texas indigo snake (Drymarchon melanurus erebennus), Texas tortoise (Gopherus berlandieri), and trans-pecos black-headed snake (Tantilla cucullata). The southern subspecies of the spot-tailed earless lizard (Holbrookia lacerata subcaudalis) is also highlighted as occurring on Laughlin AFB and having been petitioned for federal listing in 2010. The expected Laughlin work emphasizes continued monitoring of these special-status reptiles and deeper investigation into their relative abundance, habitat and vegetation relationships, and distribution across habitat types on the installation. A key deliverable anticipated from this effort is development of a conservation management plan for each special-status species, informed by the survey and analysis results.

The Goodfellow AFB component addresses nuisance wildlife, with an emphasis on operational management of white-tailed deer. The Goodfellow INRMP provides the basis for these requirements, and the anticipated work involves running a practical, on-the-ground deer trap, transport, and process control program. The stated objective is population reduction to lessen vehicle strike risk, reduce safety concerns, and alleviate ecological impacts associated with overabundant deer on the installation. This is framed as an operational program rather than purely a research study, implying the selected partner should be able to implement and manage the logistics, protocols, and documentation needed for effective and accountable deer management activities.

Funding for the base period is expected to be about $110,000. The base period of performance is 18 months from award, and the government anticipates up to four optional follow-on periods of 18 months each, contingent on funding availability and performance. Only one award is expected. The Air Force Civil Engineer Center (AFCEC) is identified as the organization funding the work, with USACE Fort Worth District managing the solicitation and administrative aspects.

For this RSOI stage, applicants are asked to submit a short qualifications package rather than a full technical plan. The submission must be no more than two pages, single-spaced, 12-point font, and emailed as an attachment to the listed points of contact (Alisa.Marshall@usace.army.mil and Jason.G.Harrison@usace.army.mil). The requested content includes basic entity identifiers and contacts (name, organization, CAGE code, DUNS number, and contact information) and a concise statement of qualifications. The qualifications section should include a biographical sketch, examples of relevant past projects and clients with brief descriptions, identification of staff/faculty/students available and their expertise, and any other capabilities that demonstrate capacity to deliver (such as field equipment, lab resources, greenhouse access, or other facilities). The government explicitly states that a full study proposal and budget are not requested at this time.

Review will be conducted by a board made up of personnel from the receiving installation or activity, focusing on how well submissions align with program objectives and the investigator’s specific experience and capabilities relevant to the requirements. After reviewing statements of interest, the government may invite one or more candidates to submit a full proposal. The posting had to remain open at least 30 days, and the stated deadline for statements of interest was 5:00 PM Central Time on January 5, 2021. Points of contact for questions are Alisa Marshall (Grants Specialist, USACE Fort Worth District) and Grant Harrison (Project Manager, USACE Fort Worth District), with the provided phone numbers and email addresses in the notice.

• The Department of Defense, Fort Worth District in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Reptile Habitat & Nuisance Wildlife Management" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.300.
• This funding opportunity was created on Dec 04, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 05, 2021. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $110,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.

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