Title Search and Closing Services for California NRCS Easement Programs

This solicitation, numbered 12FPC326Q0013, is a total small business set-aside for Title Search and Closing Services supporting the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) conservation easement programs in California, specifically under the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program – Wetland Reserve Easements (ACEP-WRE). The acquisition, issued under FAR Part 12 as a Request for Quotation, is restricted exclusively to small businesses with a size standard of $19.5 million in annual revenue, classified under NAICS code 541191. All offerors must maintain active SAM registration throughout performance and submit a single, signed quote package via email to the contracting specialist by May 8, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The contract will be awarded on a lowest price technically acceptable (LPTA) basis, where technical acceptability is determined through evaluation of licensing status, past performance with federal or similar transactions, local presence in California counties, timeliness capabilities, and compliance with NRCS and ALTA standards. The primary place of performance is Davis, California, but services are required at multiple sites across the state, including Humboldt, San Joaquin, and Sacramento counties. The contractor must deliver a comprehensive range of title and closing services, including preliminary title reports, issuance of title commitments under ALTA 1991 (revised 2012), escrow management, recording of deeds and easements, issuance of final title insurance policies, and submission of required documentation such as IRS Form 1099 and settlement statements. Performance must adhere to NRCS closing instructions, OGC preliminary title opinion requirements, AGAR provisions, and federal privacy and labor laws. The contract is a firm fixed-price arrangement with a performance period of approximately one year from award, and payment will be processed electronically through the Invoice Payment Platform (IPP), with no alternative methods accepted without written approval. Attachments include detailed work statements, evaluation criteria, and sample title service documents for reference, while the solicitation incorporates essential clauses covering small business utilization, equal opportunity, labor standards, whistleblower protections, cybersecurity restrictions, data residency mandates, prohibitions on AI training with government data, and restrictions on the use of government trademarks. Amendments issued on May 5 and May 7, 2026, corrected and supplemented the solicitation, with the latter adding a previously omitted question. Contract award and administration responsibility rests solely