Accelerate Conservation Planning and Implementation

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The purpose of Agreement is to provide funding for technical assistance in a variety of USDA NRCS programs. Significant technical expertise exists within entities in Pennsylvania that can provide this assistance over a regional or statewide area. Entities will be expected to provide services across county lines, or in multiple counties. Entities are expected to provide services through a variety of means, not limited to term employees and contractors. Technical assistance will be provided to individuals or groups NRCS routinely provides assistance to predominately on private property, and other eligible land where conservation planning is completed and conservation practices are implemented. To a lesser extent, there may be tasks for Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention, including dam safety assessment. Technical assistance may be requested for specific conservation practices. Technical assistance may be needed for federal easement monitoring. Assistance may be provided to individual producers or groups of producers. In carrying out the duties of providing technical assistance the entity may receive and administer financial assistance funds that will be provided to the program participant/producer to carry out conservation practices. Personnel may be asked to regularly report to USDA Service Centers and use NRCS computers, software and other equipment, however will not use government vehicles. All conservation practices must follow the National Engineering Handbook and Section IV of the Pennsylvania Technical Guide. All Conservation Planning must meet the National Planning Procedures Handbook and be developed and stored in the current NRCS conservation planning software. All Land Treatment and Easement administration and technical functions must meet the Program Manual and associated NRCS guidance. Personnel will follow the rules and procedures of disclosure set forth in the Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. 552a, and implementing regulations and policies, with respect to systems of records determined to be subject to the Privacy Act. Personnel shall also comply with privacy of personal information relating to natural resources conservation programs in accordance with Section 1244 of Title II of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (PL 1070-171, 116 Stat. 235). NRCS will accept proposals under this notice for single or multiyear projects, not to exceed five years, submitted by eligible entities from PENNSYLVANIA. Eligible entities include Non- profits. Proposals will be screened for completeness and compliance with the provisions of this notice. Incomplete and/or noncompliant proposals will be eliminated from competition, and notification of elimination will be sent to the applicant. Late applicants may be considered. Complete proposals received by applicable deadlines will be evaluated by a technical peer review panel based on the Proposal Evaluation Criteria identified in the instructions in section V.B. Proposals, along with their associated technical peer review, will then be forwarded to the PENNSYLVANIA Review Board. The PENNSYLVANIA Review Board will make its recommendations for project approval to the NRCS Pennsylvania State Conservationist who will make the final selections.

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