THE GREAT PLAINS COOPERATIVE ECOSYSTEM STUDIES UNIT

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THE GREAT PLAINS COOPERATIVE ECOSYSTEM STUDIES
UNIT

• Wyoming State Bureau of Land Management Agreement
  Procedural Guide

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THE GREAT PLAINS COOPERATIVE ECOSYSTEM STUDIES
UNIT INTRODUCTION

• Assistance Agreements are a growing trend and
  because Government Appropriations are limited,
  great value can be realized by developing and
  entering into partnerships to accomplish BLM
  projects. The BLM cannot circumvent the normal
  acquisition process so before we can enter into a
  cooperative agreement, stringent rules must be
  followed and authorized legislation must exist.
  As with all procurements, only warranted
  contracting officers can obligate the Government
  when entering into an agreement. Review of this
  short guide should help when planning your
  GP-CESU project and will ultimately help in
  finalizing an award.

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THE GREAT PLAINS COOPERATIVEECOSYSTEM STUDIES
UNIT DEFINITIONS

• Cooperative Agreement (CA) Agreements that may
  be entered into that the primary purpose is to
  provide public support and stimulation and NOT
  for the direct benefit of the Government.
  Substantial BLM involvement is required and
  entering into a cooperative agreement shall only
  be authorized by Federal Statute.
• Task Order (TO) Is simply an agreement issued
  under the basic terms and conditions of an
  existing agreement and will basically be
  authorized under that basic agreement. A task
  order will define a brand new project, standing
  alone and requiring the same justifications as
  the basic agreements.
• Statement of Programmatic Involvement (SPI) A
  document submitted by the requester to provide
  reason and justification for entering into a
  cooperative agreement or task order.
• Instrument Selection Determination (ISD)
  Prepared by the Assistance Officer upon review of
  the SPI and is the final determination and
  approval for entering into an agreement. Other
  approvals are required.
• Partner May also be referred to as Recipient
  or Cooperator and is the Research or University
  Partner affiliated with the GP-CESU and
  authorized to enter into agreements with GP-CESU
  affiliated Federal Government Agencies.

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THE GREAT PLAINS COOPERATIVE ECOSYSTEM STUDIES
UNITMANDATORY CRITERIA

• As with any cooperative agreement, if we cant
  meet the following minimum criteria, we cannot
  enter into GP-CESU agreement
• First of all the primary purpose of the
  agreement/task order is to provide public
  support and stimulation. This means that the
  project is to be accomplished for the benefit of
  the public and not for the direct benefit of
  the Government. The project cannot be a BLM
  mission need otherwise a procurement contract
  shall be used. Yes, even though an agreement is
  awarded, the Government will probably always
  receive some indirect benefit.
• Secondly, the agreement must be authorized by
  Federal statute reflecting the specific
  legislative authority that identifies the
  particular project or recipient types.
• Finally the BLM must provide substantially
  involvement during the course of the agreement.
  Basically meaning that the BLM is required to
  assist in project accomplishment and this
  assistance is far more than just providing
  funding and approving results. It is jointly
  working together without limitations to satisfy
  project objectives and may involve program over
  site, sharing of information, etc.

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THE GREAT PLAINS COOPERATIVE ECOSYSTEM STUDIES
UNITSTEP BY STEP PROCEDURES

• Step 1 Coordinating
• At this point you and the partner should already
  know what your proposed project is. So your
  first step as the requester is to coordinate with
  the Wyoming State BLM Assistance Officer (AO) or
  Technical Representative (TR) to establish the
  validity of possibly using the GP-CESU
  Cooperative Agreement.
• If your proposed project does fall within the
  purview of the GP-CESU Strategic Plan and Mission
  Statement the AO will provide you with
  (electronically) a working package that includes
  boilerplates of all the required documents for
  your use and action. Those boilerplate documents
  include the following
• Statement of Programmatic Involvement Completed
  and signed by the Requester
• Standard Form 424 Request for Application
  Completed by the partner
• Standard Form 424A Proposed Budget Completed
  Jointly and should reflect a complete estimated
  detail of the contribution of the parties in
  terms of dollars, in-kind services, furnished
  property, etc.
• Standard Form 424 Assurances Completed by the
  partner
• Task Order Included Form 1511-1 and Narrative
  Complete in draft form by both parties.
• You should then coordinate and maybe meet with
  the partner to start completing the above
  documents and at any time you may consult the AO
  for guidance.

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THE GREAT PLAINS COOPERATIVE ECOSYSTEM STUDIES
UNITSTEP BY STEP PROCEDURES

• Step 2 Submission of Agreement Documents to the
  AO
• All of the required documents should be in final
  form except the task order. The task order
  should be in draft format and reflecting the
  agreed to proposed efforts and other data.
• The partner will forward to the AO the SF424,
  424A, 424B and any other proposal documentation.
  
• You will need to send to the AO your developed
  Statement of Programmatic Involvement (SPI) and
  draft task order. It is very important that
  these documents are sent electronically. You
  need to sign the SPI so a finalized hard copy of
  this document shall also be provided to the AO
  and if Government funding is to be transferred to
  the partner, a Purchase Requisition will also be
  submitted via the IDEAS network.
• Please try to make sure the AO receives
  everything together and avoid piece-meal
  submissions. The AO will start the time count
  and commence working your project only upon
  receipt of all pertinent documents. Standard
  lead time to finalize and send for review and
  signature to the partner is approximately 60
  days. Much sooner if workload permits.

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THE GREAT PLAINS COOPERATIVE ECOSYSTEM STUDIES
UNITSTEP BY STEP PROCEDURES

• Step 3 AO Review and Finalizing of
  Agreement/Task Order
• Upon receipt by the AO of a complete request from
  the requester, a thorough review will be
  conducted by the AO. The SPI will first be
  reviewed and if all criteria is met, the AO will
  accomplish an Instrument Selection Determination
  (ISD) and obtain appropriate approvals.
• Once SPI/ISD is approved, the AO will review and
  finalize the task order/agreement and if
  necessary coordinate with the requester or
  partner as required. When the task order is
  finalized, it is mailed to the partner for review
  and signature. Upon receipt of signed document,
  pertinent State Director or Field Manager
  signature will be requested prior to AO
  signature. After AO signs, distribution will be
  as follows
• Original copy for AO file
• Original copy to Cooperator/Partner
• Copy to Government Technical Representative
• Copy to BLM Finance for Award Obligation
• Copy to Host University GP-CESU Office at the
  University of Nebraska-Lincoln
• The Government Representative/Requester will also
  be assigned and appointed by letter as the
  Assistance Representative to represent the AO
  on all technical matters.
• Post Award - The Government Assistance
  Representative as well as the Cooperator shall
  ensure that the task order/agreement is completed
  in accordance with the agreement terms and
  conditions including the timely report submittals
  and project completion. A copy of all report
  submittals and end products shall be provided to
  the GP-CESU Office for their files.