The Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) announces a Request for Proposals (RFP) for services to increase agricultural engineering capacity for project implementation in the Lake Champlain Basin. Up to $48,900 is available for this project. The successful applicant will create a curriculum that instructs private firms about current USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) agricultural engineering standards. Once completed, certified firms will be registered on a public list so farms may directly access their services.
The NRCS has additional funding to work on agricultural water quality projects in the Vermont portion of the Lake Champlain Basin. Currently the Agency of Agriculture, Farms and Markets in Vermont (VAAFM) and VT-NRCS have backlogs on farm requests that require engineering designs that meet NRCS standards. Each agency is working on increasing internal capacity, but currently the workload far outweighs the staffing potential.
This project will provide a training mechanism to involve private sector firms in agricultural engineering projects in a cost effective manner. A larger pool of qualified engineers will help reduce the agricultural project backlog and result in an increase in best management practices on the landscape. Ultimately, design oversight will be provided by VAAFM engineers to insure that projects are compliant with current NRCS-VT standards. VAAFM staff also will connect farms to private firms for construction of the approved designs.
This work will help to achieve the goals of LCBP’s long-term management plan – Opportunities for Action: An Evolving Plan for the Future of the Lake Champlain Basin. This project is supported by funds awarded to the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC) by the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) in support of the Lake Champlain Basin Program.
Request for Proposals (MS Word). To obtain a copy of the RFP via U. S. Postal Service contact Eric Howe, LCBP Technical Coordinator at (802) 372-3213 or (800) 468-5227.
Proposals are due in the LCBP office on December 10th at 4:30 p.m.