Request for Quotes:
Technical Service Providers for Dairy Manure Management
Submissions received before July 22, 2024, will be prioritized.
Scope
About Carbon A List
Carbon A List is a climate action instigator specialized in navigating the burgeoning opportunities for climate action, especially, but not limited to, the land sector. Our mission is to help clients and partners unlock climate action in a way that creates equity, transparency, and continuous improvement. Carbon A List offers strategic consulting, methodology development and design, and project development services to a wide range of climate-centric organizations. 
About the Grant
We are leveraging our expertise and positioning to deliver on a $70 million U.S. Department of Agriculture Partnership for Climate Smart Commodities grant (“the Grant”). Serving as a collaboration between industry partners, the Grant is designed to develop end-to-end supply chain partnerships with the goal of both producing climate smart commodities and marketing them via brands and retailers to consumers. In coordination with its Project Partners and Service Providers, Carbon A List aims to enroll more than 350 participating farms in its climate-smart commodity incentive programs.
About the Request
Carbon A List strives to support American farmers as they pursue new on-farm management activities and will invest in new infrastructure so that farmers can access new markets related to climate-smart agriculture (CSA). Engagement with farmers to implement climate-smart commodity production is a cornerstone of this partnership, and this project offers a suite of financial, technical, and agronomic services to farmers to lower financial burdens and create market certainty.
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The Dairy Manure Management Incentive is a $22 million dollar fund designed to compensate farmers for the cost of adopting new climate-smart manure management practices, including storage, handling, and cropland applications that fit their site-specific needs. Applications selected for funding underwent a comprehensive internal review to establish eligibility and determine potential GHG benefits. An external review was also conducted to solicit input from industry professionals and inform selections.
Scope of Work
Farmers enrolled and receiving funding through the Dairy Manure Management Incentive are required to implement the awarded climate-smart practices in compliance with the state Natural Resources Conservation Center’s Conservation Practice Standards. Selected Technical Service Providers (TSPs) will be required to provide the following deliverables for their assigned site visits:
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Complete a site visit and interview with the dairy farmer to determine and record the resource concerns by following the Instructions for Completing the Environmental Evaluation Worksheet outlined by NRCS.
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Use the Resource Concern List and Planning Criteria, identify Resource Concerns present and use approved Measurement and Assessment Tools to compare the potential environmental effects of alternatives.
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Complete a NRCS Environmental Evaluation CPA-52 Worksheet encompassing each of the practices to be funded by the Dairy Manure Management Incentive.
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Submit the following resources to Carbon A List upon completion:
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Wet-signed pdf of the completed CPA-52 Worksheet
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Completed CPA-52 Worksheet in Excel format
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Longitude and latitude of the site of practice implementation and/or farmstead visited and referenced in the CPA-52 Worksheet
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Provide any requested clarity, answer questions and assist Carbon A List as required to obtain USDA Approval of the CPA-52 Worksheet submitted.
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These activities are to be conducted at each of the following sites:
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​​​Expected Deliverables
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Completed site visit
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Wet-signed pdf of the completed CPA-52 Worksheet
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Completed CPA-52 Worksheet in Excel format
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Longitude and Latitude of the future site visited and referenced in the CPA-52 Worksheet
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The specific timeline for the delivery of services will be determined in collaboration with Carbon A List.  Contracting is contingent upon USDA approval.
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Evaluation Criteria
Qualifications (30%)
The following qualifications are desired and will be evaluated during the quote review process:
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Experience implementing the Nine-Step Conservation Planning Process utilized by the NRCS; Certified Conservation Planner preferred.
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Strong communications skills and desire to work with and support dairy farmers in successfully addressing their resource concerns.
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2+ years of experience supporting farmers implementing the following NRCS Practice Standards:
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367 Roof and Covers
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313 Waste Storage Facility
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317 Composting Facility
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590 Nutrient Management
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592 Feed Management
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632 Waste Separation Facility
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E533C Install Variable Frequency Drive(s) on Pump(s)
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634 Waste Transfer
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561 Heavy Use Area
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Budget (25%)
​Quotes will be compared on the following basis:
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Hourly rate for the TSP assigned to the site.
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Time required for the TSP to conduct the site visit and submit the required deliverables.
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Travel costs associated with the site visit.
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Availability and Timeline (35%) 
Carbon A List is in immediate need of support for this scope of work. Submissions will be evaluated based on
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Availability to conduct the site visit.
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Time required to complete the CPA-52 once the site visit is complete.
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Sites per Contract (10%) 
Carbon A List prefers to minimize the number of contracts required for this work. Preference may be given to submissions that offer a greater sites-per-contract ratio provided that the quality of service is not compromised.
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Please note if you are a Registered Disadvantaged Business Enterprise for our records.
Submission Process
Submission Format
Download the Request for Quotes template by clicking the link below. Determine which farms you would like to submit a quote for and use the guidance below to ensure that you have submitted a complete quote.
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The following information is required for each site visit quote: ​
1. TSP Qualifications (entered in template and uploaded resumes):
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Template: Provide the name and years of relevant experience of the TSP that would be assigned to the selected site.
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Upload: Upload resumes for all TSPs listed in the template.
2. Budget Information (entered in template only):
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Include the hourly rate for the proposed TSP.
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Estimate the time required to complete the scope of work. Provide a separate estimate for travel time.
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Estimate the total travel budget for the site visit.
3. Availability and Timeline (entered in template only):
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Include the earliest and latest dates by which the site visit would be conducted.
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Estimate the timeline (in weeks) from site visit to submission of the completed CPA-52.
4. Complete the submission form below and upload the requested files.
Ready to Submit?
Please take a moment to ensure that all sections have been reviewed:
Review and Selection
Quotes submitted before July 22nd, 2024, will be prioritized. From that point on, reviews will take place on a rolling basis.
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Quotes will be reviewed against the Evaluation Criteria and selected on a site-by-site basis. Providers that do not wish to bid on select sites may leave those rows blank; however, in order to be considered for this scope of work all columns must be completed in the template and resumes for the TSPs identified in the template must be uploaded as part of the submission.
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For tentatively-selected TSPs, the submission point of contact will be asked to coordinate introductions with Carbon A List. These introductions are intended to:
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Facilitate introductions and Q&A between Carbon A List and tentatively-selected TSPs.
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Review the scope of work, timeline, and budget.
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Identify and determine next steps for any proposed revisions to the scope, contract, or timeline (a draft contract can be shared prior to the meeting).
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Establish a timeline for contracting and project launch.
Terms and Conditions
Contract duration
The contract will be negotiated by Carbon A List and the selected proposer not to exceed 6 months.
Payment terms
Payment is made depending on the contractor’s compliance with payment standard operating procedures and processes.
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Federal Procurement Standards Compliance
Generally, Contractor shall comply with
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all laws applicable to Contractor in its performance and delivery of services; and
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all policies and procedures related to this Grant published by Carbon A List from time to time and delivered to Contractor.
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Conflict of Interest
Please outline your organization's policy on conflicts of interest and attest there are no material conflicts of interest impacting delivery of services.
Regulatory Changes
In the event of a change in regulations that have a direct impact on the Contractor’s ability to provide the Services or Deliverables in a timely manner, the Parties agree to meet and confer on adjustments to processes and procedures or modifications this agreement.
During the meet and confer period, Parties agree to use reasonable efforts to comply with current and new regulations, policies, and procedures using interim guidance, in writing, from Carbon A List on how to proceed.
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Non-Disparagement
Recipients may not engage in any advertising deemed by USDA as disparaging to another agricultural commodity or competing product, or in violation of the prohibition against false and misleading advertising. Disparagement is defined as anything that depicts other commodities in a negative or unpleasant light via overt or subjective video, photography, or statements. Comparative advertising is allowable, provided the presentation of facts is truthful, objective, not misleading, and supported by a reasonable basis.
Additional Information
Note this opportunity is open to U.S. businesses. Please state that your business is located in and licensed to operate within the United States. This opportunity is only open to businesses that do not have pending or current lawsuits that would impact ability to deliver services.
Questions?
​To support proposers in their submission process, we have established an FAQ site for this RFP and we encourage you to submit any questions you might have via the FAQ Form. We strive to answer all submissions promptly and thoroughly, and may elect to combine similar questions and responses. ​Our goal is to conduct a fair, transparent, and efficient selection process, and we thank you for your understanding and cooperation.