Natural Resources Support Nellis AFB | W9126G 20 2 SOI 1517

Opportunity Information: Apply for W9126G 20 2 SOI 1517

The Natural Resources Support Nellis AFB opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number W9126G 20 2 SOI 1517) is a Department of Defense effort, administered through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Fort Worth District), to identify a qualified partner to provide ongoing, field-based natural resources support for Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada and associated training lands, including Creech AFB and the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR). The Air Force is seeking professional and technical assistance to implement its Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan (INRMP) in compliance with the Sikes Act (16 USC 670c-1). The government is using a Request for Statements of Interest (SOI) to screen and select potential investigators before making an award.

Eligibility is limited in a very specific way: this opportunity is only available to non-federal partners within the Colorado Plateau Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) region. In other words, an applicant has to be an eligible, non-federal CESU member/partner to be considered. The anticipated award mechanism is a cooperative agreement through the CESU program, and if both parties approve, the CESU Network indirect cost rate of 17.5% may be applied. While the notice lists the broader category as “unrestricted,” the text clarifies that CESU Colorado Plateau membership (as a non-federal partner) is the real gatekeeping requirement.

Funding is substantial and structured for longer-term support. About $1.8 million is expected to be available for the base year, and the posted award ceiling is $9,556,445, with the expectation of a single award. The work is largely operational and applied, centered on implementing surveys, monitoring, mapping, and management actions, then delivering written products and data to the USACE Omaha Project Manager, the Air Force Civil Engineer Center (AFCEC) Nellis Installation Support Section point of contact, and the Nellis natural resources point of contact.

The scope of work is organized around three main themes: invasive species management, multi-species wildlife work, and habitat-focused monitoring and mapping. First, the invasive plant component calls for required invasive weed surveys and eradication across Nellis AFB and the NTTR, prioritizing infestations near the main base and range boundaries to prevent spread across Air Force property. The partner would maintain and expand an invasive plant inventory using map review, imagery, and on-the-ground surveys, then focus treatment where populations are largest or most likely to expand. Where treatments disturb ground cover or where invasive plants elevate wildfire risk, the project anticipates revegetation and reseeding using native, drought-tolerant species that also help control erosion and support wildlife.

Second, the wildlife portion is broad and emphasizes continuing inventory and monitoring programs that feed directly into management decisions and mission compatibility. It includes reptiles and amphibians (seasonal habitat use and distribution documented through multiple survey methods), large mammals and wild horses (population composition and trends, rangeland utilization, ecosystem degradation indicators, and coordination with BLM for horse and burro data), and golden eagles (surveys and monitoring tied to conservation and reducing Bird Aircraft Strike Hazard concerns). It also includes desert tortoise work, with both density/habitat surveys and compliance surveys and clearances to support mission activities in tortoise habitat, requiring qualified biologists approved by the Nellis Natural Resources Program Manager. Bat work is another key element, involving mist-netting and acoustic monitoring (for example, Anabat detector deployments), along with strict handling and decontamination practices intended to prevent white-nose syndrome and to comply with range access restrictions. Additional categories include “species at risk,” migratory and neotropical birds (including raptors), and candidate or special status species, with an emphasis on translating new findings into updated best management practices and integrating results into existing management guidance documents used by the installation.

Third, the habitat objectives focus on water-dependent features and landscape classification. The wetlands task centers on seeps and springs on the NTTR and requires continued mapping, photo-documentation, water level tracking, and water quality measurements, paired with observations of surrounding vegetation and wildlife use. Another task targets unique habitats and rare plants through surveys and inventories, with deliverables that update program guidelines and map habitat boundaries and rare plant population locations and densities. Finally, the opportunity includes initiating vegetation classification work on the North-South Range of the NTTR, which essentially means surveying and mapping vegetation communities and adding those GIS layers to the natural resources database.

Across all tasks, a consistent deliverable expectation runs through the announcement: collect defensible field data, maintain and populate the Natural Resources GIS database (occurrences, habitat use, seasonal distribution, and in some cases estimated densities), and produce clear reports that document methods, results, and management recommendations that allow the Air Force to sustain training and readiness while meeting natural resource compliance responsibilities. Administrative details in the notice direct questions and SOI submissions to the USACE contract specialist listed, and the review of statements of interest was scheduled to begin around February 16, 2020 (the original closing date shown in the posting).

• 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 "Natural Resources Support Nellis AFB" 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 Jan 17, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 16, 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 $9,556,445.00 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.

Apply for W9126G 20 2 SOI 1517

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: