3DEP Broad Agency Announcement Frequently Asked Questions

Proposal Submissions |  Funding  |  SeaSketch, Geographic Areas of Interest  | Technical, Lidar Base Specifications... 

 

Proposal Submissions

 

1.1  What are the FY23 BAA Due Dates? 

The final submission due date was June 1, 2023.

 

1.2  What application materials are required and where can I find them? Do you have a link to a full sample submittal/proposal package and associated deliverables? 

There is not a sample application package available, but applicants can find the instructions and required materials on the current fiscal year page linked at the BAA Portal.  Application materials will be available as soon as the BAA is released.

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Required materials for an acquisition proposal to be contracted through the USGS GPSC include: 

• Attachment A: BAA Proposal Submission Tool  

• Attachment C: Request for Preliminary Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE) as appropriate   

• Attachment D: Applicant Validation of Funding Partners for each funding partner  

• Vector GIS file defining the coverage area of the project represented by a polygon in shapefile, GeoPackage, or KML/KMZ format. 

 

Applicants requesting financial assistance to use their own contracting mechanism will have additional documents provided through the grants.gov portal. Required materials for an acquisition proposal to be acquired through the applicant's contract mechanism include: 

• Attachment A: BAA Proposal Submission Tool  

• Attachment D: Applicant Validation of Funding Partners for each funding partner  

• Standard Form 424: Application for Federal Assistance   

• Standard Form 424A: Budget Information Non-Construction Programs  

• Standard Form 424B: Assurances Non-Construction Programs   

• Detailed budget breakdown: Optional (may be required)  

• Vector GIS file defining the coverage area of the project represented by a polygon in shapefile, GeoPackage, or KML/KMZ format. 

 

1.3  How do I submit my proposal? 

BAA proposal for GPSC project:

• Submit completed application materials listed in FAQ 1.2 by emailing the Contracting Officer at gs_baa@usgs.gov.
  
   
• The email subject line should include: State, Last name of primary applicant, and the current year’s BAA Number.
  
  
  
  For example:  “BAA Application for NV Smith DOIGFBO230001”

 

BAA proposal for Financial Assistance (cooperative agreement):

• Submit completed application materials listed in FAQ 1.2 through www.grants.gov

**View the Navigate the BAA infographic for a step by step of the 3DEP Broad Agency Announcement application process.

 

1.4  After submitting a proposal, what type of confirmation does the applicant receive to know that the submission has been received?

Proposals contracted through the USGS GPSC must be submitted electronically to the Contracting Officer Vickie Floyd at gs_baa@usgs.gov. Applicants will receive confirmation of their submission, generally within 1 week of the date of submission.

Financial assistance (cooperative agreements) proposals (for projects being acquired through the applicant’s contract) must be submitted electronically through the grants.gov website. Applicants will receive an automatic response from grants.gov acknowledging that the application was successfully submitted to grants.gov. 

 

1.5  If an acquisition is planned for the upcoming winter season, will submitting a proposal early result in an earlier approval/denial notification? 

The 3DEP team will not begin evaluation and ranking of proposals until after the submission deadline has passed. The proposed submission window is not considered when ranking the proposals, HOWEVER once proposals have been ranked, the USGS will notify those applicants with time sensitive submissions as early as possible in the notification cycle. It is important to note that final award is based on the availability of funding. Applicants to the FY23 BAA should be targeting an acquisition window between February 2023 and January 2024. 

 

1.6  The BAA timeline in any year indicates the BAA is for acquisitions that occur spring of the federal fiscal year through winter of the following fiscal year. For example, acquisition for projects awarded through the FY23 BAA will occur spring of 2023 through winter 2024. Can a same year winter acquisition be considered, for example winter of 2023 for a project awarded through the FY23 BAA? It can be difficult to obtain a quote for a project more than a year out.

It may be possible, however there are several considerations and caveats:

 

• The USGS must have the authority to allocate funding to BAA projects before any awards can be made. USGS authority is based on federal appropriations. The federal FY begins on October 1. If Congress fails to pass a full and final budget before October 1, the government will be operating under a Continuing Resolution (CR). Spending under a CR is restricted, thus limiting our ability to issue BAA awards. 
  
   
• Exact timelines vary but BAA submissions are normally due in October or early November. We expect to complete our review and have a prioritized list of projects early December. All Financial Assistance (cooperative agreements) proposals must be reviewed and approved by the USGS and DOI, the level of approval is based on the size and scope of the award. The USGS cannot issue awards until all approvals have been received. The USGS Office of Acquisition and Grants may (pending budgets, USGS and DOI reviews and approvals) be able to begin processing awards by mid-December, processing may be slowed during the holiday season.
• Processing of a Financial Assistance (Cooperative Agreement) proposal may take 30 to 60 days. Expenses cannot be authorized until the award has been issued; if needed the USGS does have the authority to issue a pre-agreement to cover limited expenses while the final award is being processed, however a pre-agreement CANNOT be guaranteed.

 

1.7  What is the average rate of awarded applicants? For projects that have not been chosen for funding, can you highlight some of the common reasons a project may not receive funding. 

In FY22, the BAA provided funding to support 88% of the requests. It is important to note: 

 

• The acceptance rate has been going up as the stakeholders become more familiar with and structure their submissions to align with the criteria for selection as defined in the annual solicitation 
• The 3DEP program reserves the right to negotiate with the applicant on the scope of a project should the request exceed the available funding 
• Project support is based on the availability of funding. All projects are scored and ranked based on the stated criteria. The program’s ability to support the current FY projects recommended for award will be based on the final FY budget.  

 

Every year we have a number of projects that are not selected for award. The final score of a project is the sum total of the score for the individual criterion. As noted in section VI. Proposal Review Information of the solicitation: 

“Each proposal will be evaluated based on the overall value and benefit to the government based on project location and areal extent of proposed data acquisition, cost realism (cost per square mile for defined geographic area), cost share (funds contributed by applicant), maturity of applicant’s proposal and designated funding, technical approach and past performance as applicable and related to the subject of this BAA. The most important factors are project location, geographic overlap with areas identified by federal agencies as areas of interest for lidar acquisition, project cost and cost share (funds contributed by applicants) and technical approach. These factors are equally valued. Secondary factors include areal extent and maturity of applicant’s proposal and (maturity of) designated funding sources. Past performance is the factor with the least weight."

At the end of each BAA cycle the program provides feedback to all unsuccessful applicants. The feedback is relative to the criteria as stated in the BAA. Applicants who take note of the opportunities to modify their submissions to align their projects with the published criteria have a greater opportunity of success in the next BAA cycle.  

 

1.8  I am interested in possibly investing in the 3DEP program and I have a few specific questions: 

• Does our company need to be State Certified or have a Registered Surveyor (PLSS) for the State in which we propose to acquire data? 

• Is this a requirement per State or is each State different? 

• Does there have to be a partnership agreement with another private firm or can one private entity take on the entire task of a specific AOI if they have the capability? 

Proposals are invited from applicants who wish to propose a partnership with 3DEP to fund lidar data acquisition and the creation of lidar derived elevation products. Applicants may fund an acquisition project through the USGS Geospatial Products and Services Contract or they may request 3DEP funds to apply towards a lidar data acquisition project where the requesting partner uses their own contracting vehicle. Federal agencies, State and local governments, Tribes, academic institutions and the private sector are eligible to submit proposals. The government will review proposals based on the project’s alignment with the evaluation criteria identified in the annual BAA solicitation.  

Your question suggests that you would be proposing to use your own contract vehicle. While the BAA itself does not contain language that specifically addresses the certification requirements, submission of a proposal includes a technical proposal and reference to past performances. During the evaluation period the evaluation team would verify that a company proposing to do work on behalf of 3DEP does have the appropriate expertise, license(s) and certification(s) to work in the state where they are proposing to acquire data.  

With regards to the specific question, there is no requirement that a private firm must work with another private firm to assure acquisition of an entire project area. It is important to note that 3DEP is a partnership program. Each applicant (in your case a private firm) is requesting to enter into a partnership with 3DEP to acquire data over an area of mutual interest and benefit. Over the past few years, partners offered up between 25% and 95% of the project costs. Cost share is one of the criteria against which proposals are rated. The larger the cost share, the higher the score for that criteria. All of the selection criteria are outlined in the annual BAA solicitation. The BAA does not designate specific project areas; as a national program we encourage proposals for any area of the country that does not yet have 3DEP compliant data (as noted in Attachment E: 3DEP Status Graphic). 3DEP encourages proposals and provides a higher score for those proposals that overlap with current 3DEP priorities as noted in Attachments F - H. All attachments are available as part of the full solicitation. In addition, the attachments will be available for download from the current fiscal year webpage.

 

1.9  Is there a published scoring process?  

The USGS does not reveal the specific points for each criterion, however the annual solicitation notes the following: 

"The most important factors are project location, geographic overlap with areas identified by federal agencies as areas of interest for lidar acquisition, project cost and cost share (funds contributed by applicants) and technical approach. These factors are equally valued. Secondary factors include areal extent and maturity of applicant’s proposal and (maturity of) designated funding sources. Past performance is the factor with the least weight."

 

1.10  Can an applicant submit more than one BAA proposal? 

Yes. There is no limit to the number of proposals that an applicant can submit. Each proposal will be evaluated independently against the criteria as noted in the BAA. 

 

1.11  Is the partner commitment letter/Attachment D the same this year as last year? I ask because I've had partners filling out that for several months and I used last year’s form. 

BAA attachments are revised each year to reflect new program requirements and to incorporate feedback from our applicants on the functionality of the forms. The USGS requires that applicants submit the forms associated with the current open solicitation. 

Attachment D : Validation of Funding Partner is required for all Federal, State, local, Tribal, non-project and private sector funding partners listed in your funding table. 

 

1.12  If you plan on using GPSC is it necessary to complete past performance?

Applicants choosing to make use of the services of the Geospatial Products and Services (GPSC) Suite of Contracts do not need to complete the Technical Evaluation component of Attachment A: Proposal Submission Tool. They also do not need to make any references to a lidar vendor in the Past Performance Section of the Proposal Submission Tool. As appropriate, however, applicants may wish to include information on their ability to manage large lidar acquisition projects with multiple partners or work with their funding authority to secure and commit the funding.

 

1.13  For those applicants proposing to use the GPSC Suite of Contracts, if a preferred vendor is specified in the application does this guarantee that the vendor will win the project?  Where specifically in the BAA application should the preferred vendor be listed?

The selection of a vendor for any given project is based on several factors designed to result in a successful completion of the project for the USGS and for the funding partners. The USGS will make every effort to award the task order to the identified contractor, however USGS is not obligated to award the project to the preferred vendor and the selection cannot be guaranteed.

This information is not mandatory but can be included in Attachment A: Proposal Submission Tool under Suggested Source and Rationale for Suggested Source. If a suggested source (preferred vendor/contractor) is identified, a rationale for the selection must be included.

 

1.14  What percentage of awardees are new applicants in each cycle?                 

The percentage of new applicants varies year-to-year. Returning applicants are generally those who have state or regional plans and are strategically working across their entire area of interest (AOI), acquiring a portion of their entire AOI each year.

 

1.15  Where in the application do we indicate we have received an Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE) and are using that as our cost estimate?

The first section of the “Project Finances” area of BAA Attachment A: Proposal Submission Tool includes checkboxes (highlighted in the image below) that are used to indicate the source of the cost estimate. The first checkbox should be used if the applicant has an IGCE from the USGS Geospatial Products and Services (GPSC) Commercial Partnership team. Applicants can submit BAA Attachment C: Request for a *PRELIMINARY Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE) to gs_baa@usgs.gov to request an IGCE. 

The second checkbox, along with an explanation of the source of the estimate, should be used if using an estimate received from a lidar acquisition vendor or using another source or method.

Whichever source is used, the cost estimate and project square miles will be used to populate either the total estimated cost or the cost per square mile in the following section. After values are entered using the chosen method, hitting “TAB” will calculate a total project cost that will be auto populated in the funding table on the following page.

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1.16  What is the benefit of a State partnering with the 3D Elevation Program as a whole?

3DEP is a partnership-driven program that provides consistent, high-quality, publicly available, application-ready elevation data that spans project, jurisdictional, and watershed boundaries. There are numerous benefits to partnering with 3DEP, including: 

• A cost-share process that allows project funds from Federal, State, local, Tribal, non-profit, and private partners to be leveraged toward large data collections - reducing acquisition costs by as much as 25%
• An end-to-end data acquisition and publication process that allows partners to concentrate on their business activities and mission rather than on contract management
• Data validation processes and controls that ensure delivery of consistent, high quality elevation products that adhere to published specifications
• A process that ensures data will be placed in the public domain for benefit of all, with a goal to eliminate unnecessary and wasteful duplicate data collection
  
  
  
   

1.17 For large regional proposals should we use multiple submissions? 

If the proposal is made of noncontiguous areas that are separated by large expanses, it is advised to split into more than one application. If the proposal is a contiguous area it is recommended to submit as one application unless the total acquisition cost is over 5 million dollars. If the total acquisition cost will exceed 5 million dollars, it is recommended to split the application into multiple submissions. There is no limit to how many applications can be submitted. 

 

 1.18 Is there a repository of prior 3DEP BAA proposal submissions for reference? 

We do not make prior applications publicly available as they contain financial, contact, and other potentially sensitive information. You can find descriptions of projects that have received 3DEP BAA awards on the 3DEP BAA Portal by scrolling to the bottom of the page to the “Related Content” section where you will find the expired solicitations from previous years. 

 

 1.19 Are the slides available from the yearly public BAA instructional webinar held in August? 

The slide deck is not available for download. A recording of the presentation is available via the BAA portal.

 

 

Funding 

 

2.1  As the full /final cost of a project may not be known at the time of submission (applicant enters a cost ESTIMATE) will the award amount be increased / decreased to maintain the requested % contribution match once the final cost of the project has been determined?  The final contract price the partner signs with a vendor may be higher or lower than the estimate. 

For those applicants applying for financial assistance through a cooperative agreement or cost-share contract the final amount of your award is set and cannot be modified. The BAA evaluation team reviews your technical proposal as well as the estimated price to determine if the price represents a fair market value for the proposed acquisition. Applicants are encouraged to research lidar acquisition costs in advance of submitting a proposal. The Contracting Officer (CO) may request additional information or request to negotiate with the partner prior to award if the evaluation team has concerns that the ESTIMATED cost does not reflect a realistic cost to acquire the data. 

For applicants applying to use the Geospatial Products and Services Contract (GPSC), the final price of the project will be determined post award. The BAA evaluation team reviews the project cost in the proposal to determine if the price represents a fair market value for the proposed acquisition. The Contracting Officer (CO) may request additional information or request to negotiate with the partner prior to award. The award amount may be increased / decreased to reflect final project costs. The applicant may also choose to increase / decrease the project size to reflect the available funding. As noted in BAA Attachment A: Proposal Submission Tool, applicants may send a request to the GPSC prior to submission to obtain an Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE) for a specific AOI. 

 

2.2  For those seeking to use the Geospatial Products and Services Suite of Contracts, will the IGCE include the 6% USGS assessment?  

No, the assessment is not included in the preliminary IGCE. Applicants utilizing the GPSC option are subject to a 6% assessment on the value of their contribution. This assessment covers both the DOI and USGS assessments. The USGS portion of the assessment supports the cost of contract management. The final cost of the project calculated in the funding table will include the acquisition cost plus the 6% assessment.  

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2.3 Regarding partner contributions, does a project need to have both state and local contributions to be considered for a BAA award? 

No. Federal agencies, State and local governments, Tribes, academic institutions, and the private sector are eligible to submit proposals. An application may be submitted on behalf of one or more partners. While the program encourages applicants to work across levels of government to determine mutual areas of interest and seek additional funding sources to help support the project, there is no requirement to do so. 

Note that State and local applicants requesting an award in the form of financial assistance (cooperative agreement) must contribute a minimum of 25% State and/or local funds to the collective applicant cost share. Federal partners are welcome participants in State / local applications, but their contributions may not represent more than 75% of the applicant’s cost share. See Question 2.4 for more information.  

 

2.4  Can you please further explain and / or provide examples of the following statement (from solicitation Section IV.B.2).: "State and local applicants requesting an award in the form of a cooperative agreement must contribute a minimum of 25% State and/or local funds to the collective applicant cost share. Federal partners are welcome participants in State / local applications, but their contributions may not represent more than 75% of the applicant’s cost share."

This 25% rule only applies to state and local applicants applying for financial assistance in the form of a cooperative agreement. If an applicant is proposing to commit $100,000 to the project (Funding Partner Total on Attachment A), a minimum of $25,000 must come from a State or local partner. See the chart below for other examples. The 25% is based on the “Funding Partner Total”. The “Total Estimated Project Cost” and the “Funds Requested from 3DEP” are NOT considered in this calculation. 

 

 

2.5  Our State agency receives a portion of our funding from a federal source. Should this funding be listed as a “Federal” contribution or should it be listed as a “State” contribution?

3DEP is a partnership program that relies on the collaborative efforts of Federal, State, local, Tribal, non-profit, and private stakeholders to provide funding to support the program. The program tracks the percentage of federal and non-federal contributions. For accurate reporting we encourage applicants to list the full suite of funding partners who contribute funds to a project.   

However, many state agencies receive a portion of their annual operating expenses from a federal source and use it as they see fit based on the authorities under which the funds were transferred to the state. An applicant must adhere to any specific instructions or conditions noted in the original agreement. 

If the USGS will be receiving funds directly from the federal agency (via an Interagency Agreement) or will need to invoice the federal agency directly the applicant MUST list the federal agency as a funding partner and note the contribution as “Federal” in the funding table of Attachment A.  

For applicants applying for cooperative agreements, applicants should be as explicit as possible to support the reporting requirements of 3DEP; however, the minimum requirement is to list the agencies which are providing funds in direct support of the project. For example, if a state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is providing $100,000 to support a project, the proposal can list the state DNR as the funding partner, regardless of whether the state DNR received any portion of their funding from a federal source. 3DEP would encourage the applicant to note any collaboration with federal partners in their project summaries. 

 

2.6  Is there an upper limit (dollar amount) for 3DEP BAA Awards?   

The USGS does NOT set either a minimum or a maximum dollar amount for BAA awards. Because each project is a different size, both the partner contribution and the 3DEP award are project dependent. The common factor between all projects is the percentage of the project funds that a partner is willing to fund. The evaluation team looks at the percentage of the project that the partner is proposing to fund.  

Although project scores are based on % and not on actual $$ amount, the USGS does have a limited amount of funding to use to support BAA awards. 3DEP reserves the right to negotiate with the applicant if a project is worthy but exceeds the available funding. In several cases 3DEP and the partner have agreed to a smaller project to reflect available funding. 

 

2.7  When you refer to “cost share", does that mean the state contribution part? 

“Cost Share” reflects the partner (applicant) funding. Applicants can be Federal, State, localities, Tribes, non-profits, or private industry. If you are a state agency applying for BAA funding, then your state funds would be the state “cost share”. The funding package for each BAA Partnership Project consists of the “partner funding” and the “funds requested from 3DEP”. The funding partner(s) and their proposed contribution are listed in the “Proposed Funding Table” in the Proposal Submission Tool (Attachment A). 

 

2.8  We have applied for a state grant to cover a portion of our state cost share. Notification on this grant will not occur until December. Can we still submit a BAA proposal? 

The due date for BAA submissions is generally around October or November (check the BAA Portal for this year's exact due dates). Proposals received by the due date will receive priority consideration for funding. The BAA remains open all year; however, subsequent awards are based on the availability of funding.  

To meet the submission deadline, we suggest you submit the proposal and note the contribution as "Pending" (see example below) and provide the date when a decision on the funding will occur. The USGS reserves the right to hold the submission until such time as the certainty of the funding has been determined.  

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2.9  Will 3DEP cost-share on QL1 or just QL2?

The National Enhanced Elevation Assessment (NEEA) of 2012 and the subsequent 3DEP Call for Action concluded that the most need could be met by a national baseline of QL2 data. 3DEP strongly prefers to fund baseline QL2 lidar to further the goal to complete nationwide coverage of high-resolution elevation data.

Requirements for higher density data should be clearly defined and justified in your BAA proposal. 3DEP prefers that partner funds are used to “buy up” to QL1 or better, however, the program will make every effort to accommodate stated requirements to ensure that stakeholder needs are met

 

2.10  How should the cost of upgrades to QL1 specification be noted within the BAA Submission package?

Reference to QL1 areas should be noted in the following locations in Attachment A: Proposal Submission Tool:

• Delineate QL1 / QL2 AOIs in the Project Diagram
• Delineate QL1 / QL2 AOIs in the Project Shapefile or KML/KMZ file
• Under the Project Finance Section use Option 1 to enter the total cost for the full project
  • We recognize that a total project cost that includes both QL1 and QL2 AOIs will generate a cost per square mile that does not reflect a valid QL2 cost for the project. The 3DEP team will take that into consideration and will make the necessary adjustments to assure a fair evaluation of project costs.
• Under Additional Project Details of Clarifications provide any text that will further explain those areas you wish to upgrade to QL1

 

2.11  What is the expected USGS federal budget for the upcoming year's 3DEP awards? Approximately how much is expected from FEMA, NRCS, and other federal partners? How do you expect this year's award amounts to compare to previous awards?

The FY23 federal budget has not yet been finalized and signed into law. Until the final budget is set, the 3DEP federal funding partners (including the USGS, FEMA, NRCS and others) are not yet able to determine their FY23 support for 3DEP. Over the past 8 years of the BAA (FY15 - FY22), the federal budget to support 3DEP BAA awards has remained consistent, approximately $10 - $12 M each year and support for the program within the 3DEP federal community remains high.

All projects are ranked against the criteria identified within the solicitation. Should the funding levels be reduced, the program will support those projects with the highest overall rankings. 

The 3DEP annual acquisition plan includes partnerships developed through the BAA, federal partnerships developed through the 3DEP Working Group and direct Federal, State and Local lidar acquisitions that are acquired to 3DEP specifications. 3DEP annual acquisition plans are displayed on our 3DEP web pages. 

 

2.12  How would a request for a multi-year project be presented in a BAA application?

The 3DEP BAA only accepts submissions for single year funding. As appropriate we do encourage reference to multi-year plans, such as “this submission is requesting funding for phase 1 of a 3-year plan” or you can point to a website that includes information about your multi-year goals and objectives. This information should be included in Attachment A: Project Summary or Attachment A: Additional Project Details or Clarifications.

 

2.13  Could you explain if projects that are planned for acquisition prior to the selection of this year's awards can still be considered for funding? Is there a limit for applying for funding to support past projects (e.g., acquisitions that are more than 1-5 years old?)

Each project is considered on a case-by-case basis, based on alignment with the criteria for selection as defined in Section VI. A. of the 3DEP BAA Program Announcement (Proposal Review Information Criteria). 3DEP will not consider funding for any project that was acquired prior to the Lidar Base Specification v1.3. Examples of projects that have been funded in the past include:

 

• The partner completed an acquisition which meets the 3DEP Standards (including the deliverables) as defined in the Lidar Base Specification v1.3 or later versions but the data was not in the public domain; the 3DEP funding was requested to provide the data to the USGS to be made available to the public through The National Map.
• The partner completed a lidar point cloud acquisition which meets the accuracy specs as defined in the Lidar Base Specification v1.3 or later versions but did not include the generation of breaklines which results in a hydroflattened DEM. The partner requested funding to support the generation of breaklines / DEM and the delivery of the data to the USGS to be made available to the public through The National Map.
• The partner funded or plans to fund a lidar project which meets the 3DEP specifications (including the deliverables) as defined in the Lidar Base Specification v1.3 or later versions and wants to report the recent / proposed acquisition as an “in-kind” match to request additional funds for an adjacent project. This is generally presented as a state or local partner who has acquired or plans to acquire Area A regardless, but requests funding through the 3DEP BAA to expand the acquisition to include areas A and B.

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2.14  Is there any way to ensure that task orders are awarded in time to assure acquisition during the Spring acquisition season? Some state partners have trouble spanning state fiscal years.

BAA awards are based on the availability of funding in any given fiscal year (FY). The USGS will evaluate and rank all proposals shortly after the submission deadline which typically occurs in October or November. If the USGS has fiscal authority to obligate funds (contingent upon the status of the federal budget), the USGS will begin to notify partners of the status of their awards in late November or early December. Notification letters are sent out in the following order:

 

1. Applicants requesting a Winter acquisition of the current FY
   
    
2. Applicants requesting a Spring acquisition of the current FY
   • The USGS recognizes that the Spring acquisition season occurs earliest in the South, later in the North. With that in mind notification letters are prioritized based on geographic location. Applicants in the south are likely to receive notification of award before those in the northern states.
     
      
3. Applicants requesting a Fall/Winter acquisition for the end of the current FY or early the following FY

 

IMPORTANT NOTE: For those choosing to use the Geospatial Products and Services Contracts (GPSC), the USGS cannot issue a task order until all project funding has been obligated to the USGS by means of a Joint Funding Agreement (JFA) for non-federal partners or Interagency Agreement (IA) for federal partners. Immediately following notification of a BAA Award, successful applicants will be contacted by the USGS National Map Liaison for your state to begin the agreement process. The USGS National Map Liaison will also facilitate a meeting with a project officer representing the GPSC to help finalize the technical details and cost of your project. Partner participation is critical to assure the agreements to support the project are signed in time to meet the targeted acquisition dates.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Applicants requesting and receiving financial assistance by means of a cooperative agreement or cost-share contract will be notified by a Contracting Officer to complete the award process. Additional paperwork may be required. Partner participation is critical to assure the award to support the project is completed in time to meet the targeted acquisition dates.

 

2.15  Will the USGS include Tidal Coordination in their Independent Government Cost Estimates (IGCE)?

If an applicant has a requirement for tidal coordination, the requirement should be noted in Attachment A under Additional Collection Conditions and/or Products and Services and associated costs should be included in the project estimate. For those utilizing Attachment C to secure a government IGCE, the form provides an opportunity for you to note a requirement for tidal coordination. Please keep in mind that coastal tidal coordination requires preplanning and will increase project costs depending upon degree of coordination, size of project, number of tidal stations to be referenced, water level to be attained, and other considerations. Tidal coordination requirements should be noted as early in the project planning phase as possible.  

 

2.16  Does a small county have a chance at being selected for a BAA award?

The goal of the BAA is to help achieve the 3DEP goal of nationwide coverage of high-resolution elevation, beginning in 2016. To accomplish this goal, the USGS prefers to fund lidar surveys over a relatively large area to achieve economies of scale. Currently, the minimum preferred project size is 1,500 square miles, but smaller projects are considered on a case-by-case basis:

 

• To fill in gaps in coverage
  
   
• Where the project AOI defines a complete physical (such as a watershed) or political (such as a county) unit
  
   
• For projects that represent significant cost share by the applicant
  
   
• When the proposed acquisition covers an area over which significant changes to the landscape have occurred

 

We encourage you to work with surrounding counties to gauge interest in a regional acquisition to achieve economies of scale but also encourage you to submit an application. The BAA has, in the past, supported several projects under 500 square miles.

 

2.17  Some of my funding may be from a non-profit foundation. Can the USGS implement an agreement directly with that funding entity as part of the funding for a BAA project?  

Yes, funding agreements with private and non-profit institutions are done through a Collaborative Agreement (CA) or, less commonly, a Technical Assistance Agreement (TAA).

 

2.18  What are the agreements called between the USGS and local and federal partners for a GPSC contract?

For those choosing to use the Geospatial Products and Services Contracts (GPSC), non-federal and local partners provide their portion of the project funding to the USGS through a Joint Funding Agreement (JFA). Federal funding is managed through Interagency Agreements (IA).

 

2.19  With regards to a recent geologic hazard, for example an earthquake, is there a process to get emergency status to acquire lidar over the area?

3DEP is not designed for immediate operational or disaster response and so emergency data collection is not available.  The program is designed to provide complete baseline national coverage of high-resolution data and so is focused on larger project areas, particularly in areas that lack lidar coverage. The 3DEP data project lifecycle can be 18-24 months, or longer, from project formulation to product delivery. Data acquisition requiring fast response and data delivery may need to be contracted directly through a lidar acquisition vendor or, if the project size is appropriate, acquired using alternate modalities like UAS. The National Geospatial Program User Engagement Hazards Focus Area may be able to connect you with additional resources.

 

2.20  What is eligible for in-kind contribution and is there a difference for GPSC and COOP projects?

Proposed in-kind contributions will be assessed on an individual basis to determine how well the proposed resource enables or benefits a project and if the contribution represents a good value to the government. There are two primary forms of in-kind contribution commonly offered in BAA proposals: services and data.

Services like surveying or data validation, will not be accepted as in-kind contributions to the BAA. As a rule, if the government would not ordinarily pay for a proposed service, the service won’t be accepted as an in-kind contribution.

Data that is not already in or expected to be in the public domain may be considered for in-kind, within limits. Care must be taken when offering data collected under a grant from another federal agency where the terms of the grant include a requirement to put the data in the public domain. These types of data may be considered for an in-kind contribution if the grant data collection is scheduled to occur during or very close to the same year as the proposed BAA data collection. Data that should be in the public domain should not be held back to use it as in-kind contributions to future planned BAA applications. 

In short, organizations should carefully consider the value of the prospective in-kind contribution to the project and specifically outline how the contribution will benefit the project in the BAA application. Questions about the applicability of a specific in-kind contribution can be sent to gs_baa@usgs.gov for review and discussion.

 

2.21  Does the USGS cost share on additional derivative products (contours, hydroenforced DEM)?

No. Additional derivative products requested as part of the proposal can be identified in the BAA Attachment A: Proposal Submission Tool and in BAA Attachment C: Request for a *PRELIMINARY Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE) to be considered as part of project cost estimation. However, costs of these products are the sole responsibility of the applicant(s). 

 

2.22  Do contributions from partner Federal agencies (like USFS) count towards the applicant's cost share? 

Federal funding that comes from state or regional federal agency offices should be included in the BAA application and should be counted towards the applicant’s cost share. Generally federal funding that comes from a federal headquarters organization will be counted towards the 3DEP cost share. See question 2.5 for more information.  

 

2.23  Is it possible to get awarded for a project that does not have a non-federal match component, for example a high-priority area with no current lidar coverage? 

Non-federal funding is not required for applications applying to use the GPSC suite of contracts. If the applicant is applying for a financial assistance award, state and/or local funds must make up at least 25% of the applicant’s cost share. The BAA Solicitation Section IV.B.2 states "State and local applicants requesting an award in the form of a cooperative agreement must contribute a minimum of 25% State and/or local funds to the collective applicant cost share. Federal partners are welcome participants in State / local applications, but their contributions may not represent more than 75% of the applicant’s cost share.” Please see Question 2.4 for more information.  

Please note that applicant cost share is evaluated when reviewing BAA proposals with preference given to proposals with a larger applicant cost share. Over the past few years, partners offered up between 25% and 95% of the project costs. As noted in section VI. Proposal Review Information of the solicitation:   

“Each proposal will be evaluated based on the overall value and benefit to the government based on project location and areal extent of proposed data acquisition, cost realism (cost per square mile for defined geographic area), cost share (funds contributed by applicant), maturity of applicant’s proposal and designated funding, technical approach and past performance as applicable and related to the subject of this BAA. The most important factors are project location, geographic overlap with areas identified by federal agencies as areas of interest for lidar acquisition, project cost and cost share (funds contributed by applicants) and technical approach. These factors are equally valued. Secondary factors include areal extent and maturity of applicant’s proposal and (maturity of) designated funding sources. Past performance is the factor with the least weight." 

 

2.24  For Financial Assistance 3DEP projects funded through in-kind contributions, can part of the USGS contribution fund QL1 specification processing of the in-kind data? 

Each project is considered on a case-by-case basis, but 3DEP prefers to match for QL2 data including in-kind contributions. The BAA evaluation team will review the proposal and determine if the data and the processing cost of QL1 represent a good value to the government.  

 

2.25  For acquisition windows in Spring, getting the funding agreement in order 60 days before acquisition may limit collection opportunities for spring leaf-off. Would allowances or exceptions be made in this case? 

We will prioritize those projects that indicate a spring collection and will do everything we can meet the desired collection season. It is dependent on when spring occurs in your state and how quickly agreements can be put in place.  

 

2.26  Is there a minimum cost-share threshold for GPSC applications? Or is this a requirement only for Financial Agreements? 

There is no minimum State and local cost share for GPSC applications. If the applicant is applying for a financial assistance award, State and local funds must make up at least 25% of the applicant’s cost share. The BAA Solicitation Section IV.B.2 states "State and local applicants requesting an award in the form of a cooperative agreement must contribute a minimum of 25% State and/or local funds to the collective applicant cost share. Federal partners are welcome participants in State / local applications, but their contributions may not represent more than 75% of the applicant’s cost share.” Please see Question 2.4 for more information.   

Please note that applicant cost share is evaluated when reviewing BAA proposals with preference given to proposals with a larger applicant cost share. Over the past few years, partners offered up between 25% and 95% of the project costs. As noted in section VI. Proposal Review Information of the solicitation:    

“Each proposal will be evaluated based on the overall value and benefit to the government based on project location and areal extent of proposed data acquisition, cost realism (cost per square mile for defined geographic area), cost share (funds contributed by applicant), maturity of applicant’s proposal and designated funding, technical approach and past performance as applicable and related to the subject of this BAA. The most important factors are project location, geographic overlap with areas identified by federal agencies as areas of interest for lidar acquisition, project cost and cost share (funds contributed by applicants) and technical approach. These factors are equally valued. Secondary factors include areal extent and maturity of applicant’s proposal and (maturity of) designated funding sources. Past performance is the factor with the least weight." 

 

2.27  For funding contributions, when would we have to have the money available?

Funding timelines depend on the date of acquisition. We ask that partners have their funding agreements in place 60 days in advance of acquisition and no later than mid-July of the coming calendar year (actual date TBD).  The score your application receives could be affected if your application includes a lot of pending funding sources and USGS could hold the submission until more certainty is provided around the available funding. 

 

2.28  If our agency collected lidar identified in Attachment E as “other lidar data” can we use that data as in-kind matching? 

The areas identified as “other lidar data” in Attachment E are data that do not meet 3DEP specification. If your agency can bring that data up to 3DEP specifications (including the deliverables) as defined in the Lidar Base Specification v1.3 or later versions, it can be used as in-kind matching. Applicants can also apply for funding to bring that acquisition up to 3DEP specification (see question 2.13) but it then cannot be used as in-kind matching.  

 

2.29 For a cooperative contract, can we request funding from the current/upcoming BAA to collect data for the following winter leaf-off season.  

If feasible you should consider postponing your submission until the next BAA cycle. If not feasible, please move forward with the submission and include details and a justification in the “Additional Project Details or Clarifications” box in the BAA Submission Tool. If necessary, the USGS evaluation team will ask clarifying questions through the Contracting Officer during proposal evaluation. 

 

2.30 Can you apply for a project that is occurring in the area of another project that has already received funding?  

The goal of the 3D Elevation Program is to complete acquisition of nationwide lidar (IfSAR in AK) to provide the first-ever national baseline of consistent high-resolution topographic elevation data. The 3DEP BAA program funding is designed to support this goal.  To accomplish this, the USGS prefers to fund projects where 3DEP lidar does not already exist or is currently being collected/funded. The USGS evaluation team considers projects on a case-by-case basis and will consider funding projects that have existing 3DEP data in the following cases: 

• When the proposed acquisition covers an area over which significant changes to the landscape have occurred  

• If the proposed acquisition will provide critical information to support a significant scientific or societal concern 

 

2.31 Will the FY23 3DEP BAA consider cost share opportunities for USGS's 3DHP? 

3DHP will not be included in the initial release of the FY23 3DEP BAA. USGS will publish an amended BAA that includes cost share opportunities for 3DHP if funding is appropriated for the program in FY23.  

 

2.32 What does funding for 3DEP look like past 2023? Will funding still be available for projects or is the focus moving towards funding for NHD?   

As we move closer to completing nationwide coverage of 3DEP-quality data, we are looking towards our future vision for topographic mapping and science at the USGS.  USGS is developing the 3D National Topography Model (3DNTM), the terrestrial component of the 3D Nation vision that we share with NOAA for delivering a continuous information surface from the depths of our oceans to the peaks of our mountains.  The 3DNTM includes the next generations of the 3D Elevation Program and National Hydrography Datasets including inland bathymetry, hydrography derived from lidar, and connections to groundwater and engineered hydrologic systems. Nationwide 3DEP coverage is currently estimated to be complete in 2026.   It is anticipated that demands for new quality levels and refresh rates will increase and the 3DEP budget will remain focused on elevation data acquisition and distribution, while the 3DHP budget will be focused on deriving hydrography from elevation.  

 

 

SeaSketch, Geographic Areas of Interest (AOI) 

 

3.1  Are you required to submit your project in SeaSketch? 

No. The 3D Elevation Program and the Interagency Working Group on Ocean and Coastal Mapping (IWG-OCM) have established a system to share information about areas of interest and proposed and planned elevation projects.  Federal, State, and local requirements are available at the NOAA sponsored SeaSketch site: U.S. Federal Mapping Coordination, A Demonstration Site for Federal Mapping Data Acquisition. This mapping site is comprehensive and provides a look at Federal, State, and local requirements and provides an opportunity for you to find potential funding partners. The tool is useful for BAA project formulation; however, there is no requirement for an applicant to enter their project in SeaSketch. Registration of your project AOI in SeaSketch is not used as part of the BAA evaluation process. 

 

3.2  If the project information associated with an Area of Interest (AOI) in SeaSketch has generic Point of Contact (POC) information, such as "USACE", how can we find out more about who to contact regarding potential collaboration opportunities? 

The USGS encourages all submissions to SeaSketch to include specific POC information. For federal projects that do not have this level of detail, the USGS will provide you with the contact information for the Federal agency representative to the 3DEP Working Group (WG). These representatives work at the national level; if they are not in a position to provide direct assistance, they may direct you to the appropriate regional POC. Inquiries on specific project AOIs can be submitted to gs_baa@usgs.gov for resolution and follow-up.

 

3.3  Do partners get an alert when there is an overlapping AOI in SeaSketch?­

The SeaSketch application is not currently set up to provide alerts when AOIs overlap. You are encouraged to check back regularly to check for opportunities to collaborate on lidar acquisition. You are also encouraged to contact your USGS National Map Liaison. The USGS National Map Liaisons are available to all potential applicants to help facilitate meetings between partners.

 

3.4  Areas shown in SeaSketch cross our proposed AOI - can those entities be brought in as partners?

We encourage applicants to reach out to all Points of Contact (POCs) listed for Areas of Interest (AOIs) that intersect with their proposed project area to develop funding packages. If a POC isn’t listed for an AOI send a note to gs_baa@usgs.gov. The USGS, working through the 3DEP WG member agency POCs and the network of USGS National Map Liaisons will help you to connect with federal and non-federal partners.

 

3.5  Attachment E: 3D Elevation Program: FY Status of 3DEP Quality Data includes reference to “Other lidar data”. Can you please elaborate on what is included in this category?

Lidar and derived products for 3DEP projects must adhere to the 3DEP Lidar Base Specifications and must meet the current definition of Quality Level 2 (QL2) or greater as follows: “Classified lidar point cloud data, with a minimum point density of 2 points per square meter, a nominal lidar pulse spacing of no greater than 0.7 meter, and a relative vertical accuracy of no greater than 10-cm root mean squared error (RMSEz)” 

The US Interagency Elevation Inventory (USIEI) is a comprehensive, nationwide listing of all known high-accuracy topographic and bathymetric data for the United States and its territories. Data included in the inventory that meet 3DEP requirements show up on Attachment E as dark green and are noted in the Explanation as “In-Progress and Existing Data that meet 3DEP Specifications”. Data included in the inventory that DO NOT meet 3DEP Standards and Specifications are depicted in the grey and noted as “Other lidar data”.

 

3.6  For those areas of the country identified on Attachments E-H as In-Progress or Existing Lidar Data, what is the best way to identify the 3DEP QL of the lidar point cloud? Is default coverage QL2? 

Default coverage for 3DEP projects is QL2, however a number of partners have chosen to pay to upgrade their project and secure the higher density QL1 to satisfy specific requirements and applications. All 3DEP data is included in the United States Interagency Elevation Inventory (USIEI) and the quality level is included as illustrated below.  The quality of the data is also available through The National Map (TNM) Viewer.