Parntership for the National Trails System

NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD

This Funding Announcement is not a request for applications. This announcement is to provide public notice of the National Park Service¿s intention to fund the following project activities without full and open competition.

ABSTRACT
Funding Announcement P14AS00209
Project Title Partnership for National Trails System
Recipient Partnership for National Trails System
Principle Investigator / Program Manager Gary Werner
Total Anticipated Award Amount 100000
Cost Share none
New Award or Continuation? Continuation
Anticipated Length of Agreement From date of award until 008/30/2019
Anticipated Period of Performance From date of award until 008/30/2019
Award Instrument Cooperative Agreement
Statutory Authority 16 USC 1(g) and National Trails System Act 82 Stat. 919; 16 USC 1241 et seq
CFDA # and Title 15.921 Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance
Single Source Justification Criteria Cited Unsolicited Proposal, Continuation and Unique Qualifications
NPS Point of Contact June Zastrow 303-9876718, june_zastrow@nps.gov

OVERVIEW

The PNTS is a national non-profit organization working to develop and coordinate nonprofit involvement in the National Trails System and its components. This organization is made up of 35 nonprofit groups whose missions support individual components of the National Trails System.

NPS and the PNTS will work jointly to promote and enhance the National Trails System. This agreement also enables NPS, the PNTS, and its other partners to jointly promote and support trail development at the state and local level. To accomplish such work, the PNTS is involved in promoting trail development, researching trails related issues, administering educational programs, and developing special projects.

RECIPIENT INVOLVEMENT

PNTS agrees to:

1. Develop informational and educational articles intended to increase awareness of issues associated with the National Trails System through the publication of Pathways Across America. This quarterly publication is the only national publication devoted to America¿s National Scenic and Historic Trails providing essential informational and educational articles intended to increase the effectiveness of the Federal staff, State agencies, and non-profit supporters of the National Trails System through better communications for greater public benefit. In addition, the PNTS, working closely with NPS, will develop a supplemental format for Pathways Across America to be available through the World Wide Web.

2. Plan, develop, and produce additional educational and informational materials stimulating innovative ways to fully develop the components of the National Trails System, as well as the system as a whole.

3. Provide planning and organizational support for national scenic and national historic trail¿s workshops and the 15th and 16th National Scenic and Historic Trails Conferences in 2015 and 2017 respectively.

4. Undertake projects and activities that help to achieve the three goals of the ¿Decade for the National Trails
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE INVOLVEMENT

Substantial involvement on the part the National Park Service is anticipated for the successful completion of the objectives to be funded by this award. In particular, the National Park Service will be responsible for the following:

NPS agrees, as its substantial involvement, to:

1. Encourage NPS program offices and, National Park Service units, and other Federal agencies to participate as fully as possible in the National Trails System and related activities;

2. Work with the PNTS in the development of articles and participate in the review of each issue of Pathways Across America and ensure that it reaches all appropriate NPS staff nationwide (in some years, support for Pathways may, in fact, take the form of a contract for services);

3. Share information with the PNTS and to produce effective joint educational and informational materials concerning the National Trails System and its components;

4. Participate with the PNTS in the organization and presentation of conferences and workshops concerning the National Trails System.

5. Participate with the PNTS in projects and activities that help achieve the three goals of the ¿Decade for the National Trails.¿

The projects or activities under this Agreement will be individually authorized by separate task agreements, with each project or activity having a separate work plan and budget developed cooperatively between the NPS and PNTS.

Both NPS and the PNTS agree to:

1. Cooperate in all activities related to the National Trails System to ensure that the efforts of each party will complement those of the other.
2. Cooperate to promote and support the National Trails System through such activities as, but not limited to research, education, training, marketing, and fundraising.

3. Cooperate to advance the three goals of the ¿Decade for the National Trails¿, specifically to Increase Public Awareness of the National Trails System, to complete the National Scenic and Historic Trails on the ground, to strengthen the capacity of the agencies and nonprofit organizations to better sustain the National Trails for public benefit.

4. Meet periodically for the purpose of discussing each activity or task to determine ways of enhancing the program and encouraging maximum public participation.

SINGLE-SOURCE JUSTIFICATION

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
SINGLE SOURCE POLICY REQUIREMENTS

Department of the Interior Policy (505 DM 2) requires a written justification which explains why competition is not practicable for each single-source award. The justification must address one or more of the following criteria as well as discussion of the program legislative history, unique capabilities of the proposed recipient, and cost-sharing contribution offered by the proposed recipient, as applicable.

In order for an assistance award to be made without competition, the award must satisfy one or more of the following criteria:

(1) Unsolicited Proposal ¿ The proposed award is the result of an unsolicited assistance application which represents a unique or innovative idea, method, or approach which is not the subject of a current or planned contract or assistance award, but which is deemed advantageous to the program objectives;

(2) Continuation ¿ The activity to be funded is necessary to the satisfactory completion of, or is a continuation of an activity presently being funded, and for which competition would have a significant adverse effect on the continuity or completion of the activity;

(3) Legislative intent ¿ The language in the applicable authorizing legislation or legislative history clearly indicates Congress¿ intent to restrict the award to a particular recipient of purpose;

(4) Unique Qualifications ¿ The applicant is uniquely qualified to perform the activity based upon a variety of demonstrable factors such as location, property ownership, voluntary support capacity, cost-sharing ability if applicable, technical expertise, or other such unique qualifications;

(5) Emergencies ¿ Program/award where there is insufficient time available (due to a compelling and unusual urgency, or substantial danger to health or safety) for adequate competitive procedures to be followed.

The National Park Service did not solicit full and open competition for this award based the following criteria:

(1) UNSOLICITED PROPOSAL, (2) CONTINUATION AND (4) UNIQUE QUALIFICATIONS

SINGLE SOURCE JUSTIFICATION DESCRIPTION:

PNTS was created by the lead non-profit organizations of each national scenic and historic trail as the lead for their affiliation. No other organization exists with a sole focus of and mission for the support of national scenic and historic trails. PNTS role in the specific support of the national trails system is recognized by organizations with broader missions such as the American Hiking Society, American Trails, and other state and federal land management agencies.

STATUTORY AUTHORITY

16 U.S.C. §1g provides that the National Park Service may, in fiscal year 1997 and thereafter, enter into cooperative agreements that involve the transfer of National Park Service appropriated funds to State, local and tribal governments, other public entities, educational institutions, and private non-profit organizations for the public purpose of carrying out National Park Service programs pursuant to 31 U.S.C. 6305 .

National Trails System Act 82 Stat. 919; 16 USC 1241 et seq. emphasized the use of cooperative agreements and encouraged the Secretaries to assist non-profit organizations in the support of national trails.