Closing Services and Title Insurance Services - Lamar County, Texas

The United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service is seeking to obtain closing services for acquisition of wetland easemens on behalf of the United States of America. BACKGROUND: The Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) authorizes the acquisition of conservation easements from willing landowners for the purpose of restoring and protecting wetlands. The NRCS is the lead agency within the United States Department of Agriculture charged with administering this program. SCOPE: The Contractor (hereinafter called the - Closing Agent or - CA) shall furnish all reasonable and necessary closing services which are incident to the acquisition of a wetland easement by the United States of America. The acquisition of the easement will comply with the requirements of the following: Department of Justice Title Standards 2001 (Standards); Department of Justice Regulations Concerning Approval of Title, as amended (Regulations); Department of Justice's Procedural Guide for the Acquisition of Real Property by Governmental Agencies; and applicable NRCS regulations and policies governing the WRP. The closing services provided by the CA will be in compliance with Texas law and the regulations governing the title insurance industry. NOTE: THE CLOSING SERVICES WILL BE PERFORMED IN THE COUNTY, IN WHICH THE WETLAND EASEMENT IS LOCATED, UNLESS THE CA, THE LANDOWNER, AND THE NRCS BUTUALLY AGREE TO A DIFFERENT LOCATION. STANDARDS AND RESPONSIBILITIES: The CA is responsible for having a current knowledge of the requirements of Texas law and regulations in connection with the closing of real estate transactions, the issuance of title insurance policies and title clearance. The title insurance company which is to issue the policy must be authorized to conduct business in the State of Texas, must be in compliance with Texas law and must be acceptable to the NRCS. DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES: A. Policy to be Issued - The CA must issue a Policy of Title Insurance to cover both the easement area and, if necessary, the access to and from the easement area. B. Title Search and Issuance of Policy - A title search will be performed for a sufficient period of time for the title insurance company to insure the title without objectionable exceptions. C. Issuance and Transmittal of Closing Instructions - Upon receipt of the required documents, the CO will obtain from its Office of General Counsel (OGC) a Preliminary Title Opinion (PTO) and Closing Instructions. See Attached Statement of Work (SOW) for further detailed instructions. TIME FRAMES/DATES: Period of Performance - September 18, 2009 through October 18, 2009 PRICE: The Government estimated price range fo the project is under $25,000 The Small Business size standard is based on the North American Industry Classification (NAICS) code 541191, which is $7 million average annual income. SUBMITTAL REQUIREMENTS: This is a Small Business Set-Aside. Interested and qualified firms must submit thier bid not later than 1:00 pm, September 15,, 2009 to the attention of Danny Mandell, Contracting Officer at the contracting address listed in this notice. All contractors must be registered in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) to be considered for an award of a federal contract. For information regarding registration, go to the CCR Web Site at www.ccr.gov. It is the offeror's responsibility to check the FEDBIZOPPS website at: http://www.fedbizipps.gov for any revisions to this announcement or other notices. Email address for inquires is: contact@example.gov