Integrated Training Area Management (ITAM) Support at Fort Polk, LA | W9126G 20 2 SOI 2762

Opportunity Information: Apply for W9126G 20 2 SOI 2762

The Integrated Training Area Management (ITAM) Support at Fort Polk, Louisiana opportunity is a Department of Defense cooperative agreement (administered through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District) intended to line up a qualified partner to provide professional and technical support for Fort Polk's Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan (INRMP). The underlying purpose is to help the installation successfully implement the Sikes Act (16 USC 670c-1) by aligning military training needs with sustainable land stewardship, environmental compliance, and long-term range readiness. This posting is a Request for Statements of Interest (RSOI), meaning the government is not asking for a full technical proposal or a detailed budget at this stage; instead, they want organizations to demonstrate relevant qualifications, experience, staffing capability, and the ability to perform similar work described in the draft Statement of Work.

Eligibility is limited in a very specific way. Respondents must be non-federal partners within the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) network, specifically in the Colorado Plateau CESU region and/or the Great Plains CESU region. Being a non-federal partner in one of those CESU regions is a requirement to be considered. While the source data lists "EligibleApplicants: Unrestricted," the narrative eligibility language controls here, so the practical pool is restricted to those qualifying CESU partners.

Funding is described in two layers. For the base period, approximately $3,863,750 is expected to be available if all tasks are funded. The notice also signals that additional funding may be added for extra tasks and/or follow-on work in later fiscal years for the selected awardee. The listing includes an award ceiling of $28,724,226 and an expectation of one award, which suggests this could become a larger, multi-year support effort depending on mission needs, task authorizations, and available appropriations.

The anticipated work is organized around five major service areas that together support ITAM program execution at Fort Polk. First is Land Rehabilitation and Maintenance (LRAM) support. This includes developing and documenting land management objectives in the ITAM Plan that address specific landscape conditions and military mission requirements, identifying repair, maintenance, and reconfiguration projects, and translating those into activities within the ITAM Work Plan. The recipient would produce planning-level designs and specifications, conduct field planning with ITAM staff, Range Operations, home-station and Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) units, and Department of Public Works (DPW) staff across natural/cultural resources, environmental compliance, and real property. A major practical component is shepherding projects through NEPA and other permitting/approval processes with DPW coordination, and supporting acquisition and upkeep of materials, equipment, and supplies needed to execute projects.

Second is geospatial analysis and cartographic (GIS) support, with a strong operational emphasis. Work includes creating and maintaining geospatial data, performing spatial analyses, and producing maps to support training scenario development as well as routine products like hunting area status maps and training area status maps for Range Operations personnel. GIS deliverables also support Range Modernization through mapping landscape constraints, alternatives analyses, restrictions, operational overlays, safety and regulatory considerations, stewardship concerns, airspace issues, and critical infrastructure. A key responsibility is serving as the site Data Steward for Sustainable Range Program (SRP) proponent geospatial layers, including coordinating range-related facility data with the installation real property office so attributes in GIS and real property databases remain accurate and aligned.

Third is Range and Training Land Assessment (RTLA) support, focused on assessment design and maintaining an up-to-date assessment picture across the installation. Tasks include delineating proposed assessment areas using GPS when appropriate, producing maps in GIS, coordinating with GIS personnel so assessments are captured and kept current in the installation GIS database and reflected in the ITAM Plan, and uploading assessment area maps into the ITAM Work Plan as part of complete activity packages. The recipient would also develop detailed assessment specifications describing the location and extent of management actions, materials and equipment required, and the analyses to be performed on collected data, and then document those specifications in the ITAM Work Plan. The scope of assessments is broad and includes training lands, maneuver trails, training clearings, Fort Polk maneuver damage assessments (both rotational training unit and home-station components), and extreme weather impacts. The notice emphasizes leveraging existing information from all installation land management programs to avoid duplicative effort and to strengthen the assessment baseline.

Fourth is Sustainable Range Awareness (SRA), which is the education and outreach piece designed to reduce land impacts and improve compliance by improving user understanding. This includes delivering training courses and developing, updating, and distributing communication materials such as posters, DVDs, logos, maps, field handbooks, reference cards, soldier cards, and safety briefing content. The intent is practical: provide training land users with clear, usable guidance that supports safe, compliant, and sustainable use of ranges and training areas.

Fifth is Training Requirements Integration (TRI), which ties together mission planning and environmental and land management realities so training can proceed efficiently while staying within legal and resource constraints. TRI work includes ensuring environmental compliance requirements, range facility requirements, and landscape condition requirements are incorporated into range and training land management decisions, and coordinating mission needs with garrison facility and environmental plans. The recipient is expected to provide decision support by gathering information on range and training land conditions, advising the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization, and Security (DPTMS) and ITAM offices on potential impacts and permitting requirements related to environmental, natural, and cultural resources, and participating in training briefings and land management coordination meetings. There is also an explicit expectation to integrate Range Complex Management Plan (RCMP) mission goals and objectives into the INRMP and subordinate plans, and to coordinate mission needs with NEPA analysis required for the INRMP so proposed training land management actions are properly included in the NEPA approval pathway.

Administratively, responses are Statements of Interest only, intended to help the government identify potential investigators/partners capable of performing this work. The posting indicates a draft Statement of Work is attached for reference, but it is not a request for a full proposal at this stage. Review of Statements of Interest was scheduled to begin April 11, 2020, aligning with the original closing date shown in the source data. The opportunity is labeled W9126G 20 2 SOI 2762, falls under CFDA 12.005, and is categorized as Science and Technology and other Research and Development, even though many tasks are applied program support and operational planning. The point of contact listed is Sandy Justman, Contract Specialist, CESWF-CT, at sandra.justman@usace.army.mil and 817-886-1073.

• 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 "Integrated Training Area Management (ITAM) Support at Fort Polk, LA" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.005.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 11, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 11, 2020. (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 $28,724,226.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

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