NRCS Kansas Title Services

Amendment 0003 PLEASE NOTE: DUE DATE CHANGED TO 29 NOVEMBER 2022 at 0800 EST Regarding the deed question - In order to properly quote the title search services an offeror needs to see the deeds that the landowners provided when they applied for these easement acquisitions. An aerial map or survey is not enough for determining the possibility of multiple chains of title or the extent of the search. Please provide the needed deeds. Deeds attached Regarding the acquisition values question - Please provide the exact easement acquisition values/policy amounts needed for each acquisition. Having the GARC amounts and regions is not sufficient for quoting purposes. An offeror needs to be given an exact value so that we can provide an exact quote. There will not be an exact amount until a survey has been completed. A survey will not be completed until there is an agreement to purchase a conservation easement in place. For FY22 enrollments Meador and Carnahan these are approximates (usually within +/- 10%). For those enrolled in FY21 we have surveys and these amounts will be exact. As follows: Meador 34.9 acres Rice County - $53,841.98 Carnahan 70 acres Labette county - $160,580.00 SKR Land LLC 196 acres Wallace County - $495,948.84 Howell 44 acres Miami County - $104,513.28 Sunrise Farms 19.23 acres Sherman County - $49,786.47 Stude Trust 56.15 acres Edwards County - $91,216 Regarding the incumbent question - To be specific, please provide the incumbent's name and the prices they charged for a title search, title commitment, updated title commitment, closing fee. We do not need their filed insurance rates. First United Title America. Below are the FY21 costs associated with title work: Preliminary Title Search - $750 Title Commitment - $250 Closing fee - $750 Title Policy - $911 Regarding the multiple award question - For these 6 acquisitions will you make one award for all 6 parcels? Yes. In reviewing the Statement of Work - please confirm that the search period is 60 years. I do not know if there is a specific search period denoted in years. I will look into this. In reviewing the Statement of Work - it states the Contractor must obtain NRCS signature on the WED. Typically NRCS sends the original WED to the Contractor with the Acceptance by Grantee page signed. Please confirm that Kansas NRCS will sign the Acceptance by Grantee page and send it to the closing agent prior to the closing so the deed will be ready for recording after execution by the sellers. The NRCS State Conservationist (STC) has the delegated authority to sign the WED and only after the Grantee has signed. To expedite this process the title company digitally sends a WED signed by the Grantee to NRCS. The STC then signs the WED, it is notarized, and then this original signed WED is sent by overnight mail to the title company (a digital copy is also sent to the title company the same day of signature). In reviewing the Statement of Work - Please confirm that a subsurface mineral rights search is not required. NRCS never requires a subsurface mineral rights search but this solicitation has confusing information regarding this. Usually the requirement is to identify if the mineral rights have been severed and provide the severance documents (deeds) that reflect the severance during the normal course of our title search. Subsurface mineral rights search is not required. If the title company discovers subsurface mineral rights have been severed NRCS conducts a subsurface mineral rights search to assess the risk. In reviewing the Statement of Work who is responsible for preparing Subordination Agreements? NRCS will notify the landowner of the required subordination agreement. NRCS will prepare this subordination agreement for the landowner Finally, with this being Thanksgiving week and this solicitation quote being due on the day after Thanksgiving would the government please consider moving the due date out to mid next week so that everyone can enjoy the holiday and concentrate on this quote properly? NRCS has no objections to moving the due date to the mid or close of next week. New due date is 29 November 2022 Amendment 0002 (Please see Attachment) Does the government have any vesting deeds that can be provided to help an offeror develop its search prices? Offered area map was provided in a previous email or, where possible, a survey. What are the acquisition values for each potential easement? The acquisition values are based on a annually updated Geographical Area Rate Cap (GARC) attached. Identify the region in which the property is located and multiply the GARC value for that region by the acres offered. FY21 GARC for Stude, Howell, Sunrise Farms, SKR Land LLC., and FY22 GARC for Meador and Carnahan. Do you have tax parcel numbers? No. The solicitation states that the Statement of Work is attached but it does not appear to be attached. Can you please provide one? Based on the Statement of Work provided we could have additional questions. I thought this was appended to the solicitation request. Please find a SoW attached. Is there an incumbent for this work? If so, who is the incumbent and what were their last prices? There was an incumbent. Please find there - updated Rates attached. When does the government expect to make an award? ASAP. Will there be multiple awards? Annually, if the title company can produce the deliverables described in the SOW KS NRCS would continue the agreement with that company. Amendment 0001: See attachments below for information about the properties The objective of this contract is to obtain a preliminary title search, a title search, title commitment, post survey updates, final title policy, or closing services for acquisitions of conservation easements.