Ecological Parameters in the Forested Wetlands of Southern Florida

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District, is seeking Statements of Interest for a cooperative agreement under the Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit (CESU) Program to conduct ecological research on the forested wetlands of southern Florida, specifically within the coastal mangrove wetlands of southern Biscayne Bay and Florida Bay. This effort supports the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan and requires direct collaboration with federal and state agencies including the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Florida state entities. The base funding available is $575,000 for a 12-month period starting at the date of award, with potential for up to four additional 12-month follow-on periods contingent on funding and performance. Only organizations that are members of the CESU Region are eligible, and award will be made under the CESU Master Agreement with a mandatory 17.5% indirect cost rate. Submission of a Statement of Interest is the initial step and does not require a full proposal or budget; however, applicants must include their Unique Entity ID, CAGE Code, and demonstrate technical qualifications including PhD-level expertise in ecology or biology, direct experience with prey fish and submerged aquatic vegetation sampling, familiarity with Everglades ecosystems, and alignment with USACE mission objectives. Key personnel changes require prior coordination with USACE, and all team members must provide biographical sketches. All Statements of Interest are due by Noon Central Time on 5 June 2026 and must be submitted electronically via email to the designated Grants Specialist and Project Manager. The notice must be publicly posted on Grants.gov for 30 days before any full proposal requests are issued. Evaluation will be based on technical merit, capability to meet program objectives, and alignment with USACE and DOI environmental missions, using a trade-off methodology that prioritizes scientific excellence over cost. A mandatory cybersecurity requirement mandates that the offeror and any subrecipients have an active NIST SP 800-171 DoD assessment completed within the last three years, and failure to meet this criterion results in disqualification. Successful applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal with detailed deliverables, including quarterly and annual reports in MS Word, all raw data in Excel or CSV format, federal permits, and annual inventories of federally owned or acquired property. Fieldwork must comply with all applicable permits from federal, state, and tribal authorities, and all work will be subject to USACE oversight through the RECOVER program, with final acceptance conducted by the Jacksonville