Opportunity Information: Apply for J2101100015
Apply for J2101100015
- The National Park Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Vascular and non vascular plant specimen identification, curation, and technical support for vegetation monitoring in the Southwest Alaska Network" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 00.000 Not Elsewhere Classified.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jun 22, 2010 and posted on Jun 22, 2010.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 30, 2010. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $50,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $50,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- CESU University of Alaska Fairbanks
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Opportunity Summary:
This notice describes the National Park Service (NPS) intent to make a single-source cooperative agreement award for a vegetation monitoring support project in the Southwest Alaska Network (SWAN). It is explicitly not an open call for applications; it functions as public notice that NPS plans to fund specific work without full and open competition. The project is titled "Vascular and non vascular plant specimen identification, curation, and technical support for vegetation monitoring in the Southwest Alaska Network" (Funding Announcement Number J2101100015) and falls under the natural resources category.
The intended recipient is the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), specifically the UAF Museum of the North, with Carolyn Parker listed as the principal investigator/program manager. The agreement is structured as a Cooperative Agreement under the CESU framework, reflecting an assistance relationship where NPS and UAF collaborate closely rather than a standard procurement contract. The anticipated total funding is $50,000 with no cost share requirement, and the planned agreement length is five years, with an anticipated performance window beginning around late June 2010 and extending to mid-June 2015. The NPS point of contact is Erica Cordeiro, Contract Specialist (907-644-3303). Statutory authorities cited include 16 USC 1a-2j and 16 USC 5933, and the CFDA listing is shown as 00.000 (not elsewhere classified).
The core purpose of the project is to support SWAN long-term vegetation inventory and monitoring by ensuring that plant specimens collected by NPS are correctly identified (especially difficult or uncommon taxa), properly processed as vouchers, and curated for long-term storage and public use. This includes both vascular plants and nonvascular groups (such as mosses and lichens), which often require specialized expertise and reference collections for accurate determinations. The work also includes technical support that may extend into field assistance on projects like rare plant inventories and baseline vegetation monitoring, along with database-related support such as queries and managing specimen information. A key operational detail is that identifications/determinations are expected to be delivered digitally by February 15 each year for specimens collected during the prior summer field season.
A central theme in the announcement is the justification for a non-competitive (single-source) award. NPS argues that only one responsible source can meet the agency needs because high-quality taxonomic determinations depend on experts who are affiliated with a well-established herbarium and who have direct, ongoing access to extensive reference collections, microscopes, and specialized resources. The UAF Museum of the North is presented as uniquely qualified due to its facilities and deep familiarity with Alaska flora, making it better positioned than other institutions to resolve identifications for taxonomically challenging specimens. The notice also states that a market survey was not conducted because the required expertise is inherently limited and because UAF is considered the best-equipped provider given the Alaska-specific nature of the work.
The announcement also explains why NPS expects "substantial federal involvement," which is a hallmark of a cooperative agreement. NPS intends to remain actively engaged across the monitoring workflow, including sampling design, field logistics, data collection, analysis, and reporting to maintain consistency and data quality over time. NPS ecologists contribute local knowledge and professional judgment and handle much of the fieldwork and specimen collection logistics, while UAF provides the specialized identification and curation capacity that NPS staff does not have in-house for many difficult taxa. The relationship is described as iterative and collaborative, with the idea that problems that arise during field seasons or specimen processing are best resolved through direct coordination rather than a rigid contractor deliverable model.
In terms of outputs and public value, the work builds and improves museum collections and associated digital records. NPS notes it has already contributed thousands of specimens to UAF collections through past inventory and monitoring, and that these curated collections support education and research for students and faculty while also benefiting external researchers through broader accessibility (including via the ARCTOS database). The collaboration is also framed as supporting education and outreach goals, since it can provide hands-on training opportunities using real monitoring datasets under museum and faculty supervision.
Finally, the cost rationale is based on prior similar efforts between NPS and UAF, including a previous task agreement (J9910324505). The notice cites a base-year cost of about $8,500 (including 17.5% indirect costs) and anticipated subsequent-year costs of about $3,000, with the broader total anticipated award amount capped at $50,000. NPS indicates it considered contract pricing for comparable work, but concluded that the collaborative, evolving nature of taxonomic determinations and monitoring support is not well suited to a standard contract approach, and that the necessary expertise is not readily available outside an academic herbarium setting.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is this notice about?
This notice is a public statement of the National Park Service (NPS) intent to award a single-source cooperative agreement for vegetation monitoring support in the Southwest Alaska Network (SWAN). It describes the planned award, the recipient, the purpose of the work, and the justification for not using full and open competition.
Is this an open grant opportunity that organizations can apply to?
No. The notice explicitly says it is not an open call for applications. It functions as a public notice that NPS plans to fund specific work with a specific recipient without full and open competition.
What is the project title and funding announcement number?
The project is titled "Vascular and non vascular plant specimen identification, curation, and technical support for vegetation monitoring in the Southwest Alaska Network." The Funding Announcement Number is J2101100015.
What category does this project fall under?
The notice places the project under the natural resources category.
Who is the intended recipient of the award?
The intended recipient is the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), specifically the UAF Museum of the North.
Who is listed as the principal investigator/program manager?
Carolyn Parker is listed as the principal investigator/program manager for the intended recipient.
What type of funding instrument will be used?
NPS intends to use a Cooperative Agreement under the CESU framework. The notice describes it as an assistance relationship with close collaboration between NPS and UAF, rather than a standard procurement contract.
Why is NPS using a cooperative agreement instead of a contract?
The notice states that the work is iterative and collaborative, and that NPS expects substantial federal involvement in the monitoring workflow (including design, logistics, data collection, analysis, and reporting). NPS also explains that taxonomic determinations and monitoring support evolve as field seasons and specimen processing reveal new issues, making direct coordination more appropriate than a rigid contractor deliverable model.
What is the anticipated total funding amount?
The anticipated total funding is $50,000.
Is there a cost share requirement?
No. The notice states there is no cost share requirement.
How long is the planned agreement period?
The planned agreement length is five years.
What is the anticipated performance window?
The notice describes an anticipated performance window beginning around late June 2010 and extending to mid-June 2015.
Who is the NPS point of contact?
The NPS point of contact listed in the notice is Erica Cordeiro, Contract Specialist, at 907-644-3303.
What statutory authorities are cited for this award?
The notice cites 16 USC 1a-2j and 16 USC 5933 as statutory authorities.
What CFDA listing is shown for this opportunity?
The CFDA listing is shown as 00.000 (not elsewhere classified).
What is the main purpose of the project?
The core purpose is to support SWAN long-term vegetation inventory and monitoring by ensuring that plant specimens collected by NPS are correctly identified, properly processed as vouchers, and curated for long-term storage and public use.
What types of plants/specimens are included?
The work includes both vascular plants and nonvascular groups, such as mosses and lichens. The notice emphasizes that nonvascular groups and difficult or uncommon taxa often require specialized expertise and reference collections for accurate determinations.
What does "specimen identification" mean in this project?
In this context, identification (also described as determinations) refers to the taxonomic work needed to accurately name specimens collected during NPS field efforts, especially for difficult or uncommon taxa that require expert review and comparison against reference collections.
What does "voucher" processing and curation involve?
The notice describes processing specimens as vouchers and curating them for long-term storage and public use. This is framed as ensuring specimens are properly prepared and stored within museum collections, with associated records maintained for future access and research value.
Does the project include technical support beyond identifications?
Yes. The notice includes technical support that may extend into field assistance on projects such as rare plant inventories and baseline vegetation monitoring, as well as database-related support like running queries and managing specimen information.
Are there specific annual deliverable expectations?
Yes. A key operational detail in the notice is that identifications/determinations are expected to be delivered digitally by February 15 each year for specimens collected during the prior summer field season.
Why is this award single-source (non-competitive)?
NPS justifies a non-competitive award by stating that only one responsible source can meet the agency needs. The notice argues that high-quality taxonomic determinations depend on experts affiliated with a well-established herbarium and with direct, ongoing access to extensive reference collections, microscopes, and specialized resources. The UAF Museum of the North is presented as uniquely qualified for Alaska flora and taxonomically challenging specimens.
Was a market survey conducted to identify other potential providers?
No. The notice states that a market survey was not conducted because the required expertise is inherently limited and because UAF is considered the best-equipped provider given the Alaska-specific nature of the work.
What does "substantial federal involvement" mean here?
The notice explains that NPS intends to remain actively engaged across the monitoring workflow, including sampling design, field logistics, data collection, analysis, and reporting, to maintain consistency and data quality over time. NPS ecologists contribute local knowledge and professional judgment and handle much of the fieldwork and specimen collection logistics, while UAF provides specialized identification and curation capacity.
How does this work benefit the public or the broader research community?
The notice frames public value in terms of building and improving museum collections and associated digital records. It notes that NPS has already contributed thousands of specimens to UAF collections through past inventory and monitoring, and that curated collections support education and research for students and faculty while also benefiting external researchers through broader accessibility, including via the ARCTOS database.
Will this project contribute to education and outreach?
According to the notice, yes. The collaboration is described as supporting education and outreach goals by providing hands-on training opportunities using real monitoring datasets under museum and faculty supervision.
How was the cost level justified?
The notice bases the cost rationale on prior similar efforts between NPS and UAF, including a previous task agreement (J9910324505). It cites a base-year cost of about $8,500 (including 17.5% indirect costs) and anticipated subsequent-year costs of about $3,000, with the overall total anticipated award capped at $50,000.
Did NPS consider using contract pricing or a standard contract approach?
Yes. The notice says NPS considered contract pricing for comparable work, but concluded that the collaborative and evolving nature of taxonomic determinations and monitoring support is not well suited to a standard contract approach, and that the necessary expertise is not readily available outside an academic herbarium setting.
Where will specimen records be accessible?
The notice references broader accessibility of curated collections and mentions the ARCTOS database as one avenue for access to associated digital records.
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