A cooperative agreement is being offered ONLY to members of the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) Program Region(s) Great Plains, Gulf Coast, Great Rivers, and Colorado Plateau. Award will be made upon mutual agreement and acceptance of the terms and conditions contained in the request for proposal and the of the recipient's CESU Master Agreement. Note the established CESU Program indirect rate is 17.5%.

Responses to this Request for Statements of Interest will be used to identify potential organizations for this project. Approximately $357,659 is expected to be available to support this project for the base period. Additional funding may be available to the successful recipient for optional tasks and/or follow on work in subsequent years.

NOTE: This project will be awarded under the authority of 16 USC 670c-1, Sikes Act: For projects for the implementation and enforcement of integrated natural resources management plans, priority shall be given to award to Federal and State agencies having responsibility for the conservation or management of fish or wildlife.

Period of Performance. The base period of agreement will extend 12 months from date of award. There may be up to four 12-month follow-on periods based on availability of funding.

Description of Anticipated Work: See attached Statement of Objectives 

At this time we are only requesting a Statement of Interest response demonstrating available qualifications and capability for performing similar or same type of work as outlined in the Statement of Objectives. A full proposal and budget are NOT requested at this time.

Review of Statements Received: All statements of interest received from a member of the CESU Region(s) identified above will be evaluated by a board comprised of one or more people at the receiving installation or activity, who will determine which statement(s) best meet the program objectives: offer the most highly qualified Principal Investigator, have the most relevant experience and the highest capability to successfully meet the program objectives. Submitters whose statements are determined to best meet the program objectives will be invited to submit a full proposal.

Submission of Statement of Interest, questions, and full description: Refer to Related Documents for details.