Student Conservation Association (SCA) Programs: Process for Participation under New Assistance Agreement; SCA Costs for Fiscal_Year (FY) 2007 DD: 05/07/2007; 10/31/2007

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20240
http://www.blm.gov

April 19, 2007

In Reply Refer To:
1114 (650) P

EMS TRANSMISSION 04/24/2007
Information Bulletin No. 2007-072

To: AFOs
Attn: State/Center Volunteer Coordinators
State/Center Chiefs of Contracting Offices

From: Assistant Director, Communications

Subject: Student Conservation Association (SCA) Programs: Process for Participation under New Assistance Agreement; SCA Costs for Fiscal_Year (FY) 2007 DD: 05/07/2007; 10/31/2007

This Information Bulletin transmits cost and related information for the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) participation in Student Conservation Association (SCA) programs during FY 2007.

Detailed information about BLM’s participation is described in a new, national-level Assistance Agreement between BLM and the SCA, a copy of which is included here as Attachment 1. Attachment 2 provides cost information for participation in FY 2007 SCA programs; Volunteer Coordinators and Assistance Officers should file this attachment with a copy of the agreement. For your reference, contact information for BLM State/Center Volunteer Coordinators is included as Attachment 3.

Please note the following with respect to the new SCA Agreement:
No BLM central funding is provided with this agreement. All costs for SCA services are the responsibility of BLM Field Offices engaging SCA students or crews.
The agreement and all amendments will expire on September 30, 2007. All funds must be obligated and expended, and all work completed, by that date.

Engaging the Services of SCA Interns/Crews
Field Offices may request, through their State Procurement Analyst, SCA services under the attached FY 2007 agreement by submitting an agreement amendment/modification (previously known as a task order) to Vieda Hubbard, Assistance Officer, Division of Property, Acquisition, and Headquarters Services (WO-850). Amendments must include the following information:

Field Office requesting SCA intern(s)/crew
Description and location of work/project to be performed
Dates intern(s)/crew(s) will be needed
Name, position, and contact information for BLM person who will oversee the work/project
Total funding to be obligated

Each submission should be accompanied by a completed BLM Form 1511-2, “Amendment of Request for Application/Modification of Assistance Agreement.”

SCA interns and crews may begin work once the Washington Office Assistance Officer has signed and issued the amendment and distributed it to all parties. After the work/project has been completed, a copy of the SCA invoice should be sent to Ms. Hubbard with a statement that work was performed and payment should be made.

Please note that SCA interns and crew members are considered to be BLM hosted (donated) workers. As such, they must be covered by a completed BLM Individual Volunteer Services Agreement (BLM Form 1114-4) or BLM Group Volunteer Services Agreement before beginning service. Minors must also submit a signed Parental Approval form (BLM Form 1114-5a).

End-of-Fiscal-Year Reporting Requirements
In order to enhance Washington Office oversight of this new SCA agreement, we request Field Offices that engage SCA interns or crews in FY 2007 to track the following information for all projects:

Field Office in which the SCA intern(s)/crew(s) worked
Name(s) of intern(s)/crew members
Dates of service
Description of work performed
Cost of services
Name and position of BLM person overseeing work

State/Center Volunteer Coordinators and Chiefs of Contracting Offices should mutually decide who will track and report the required information listed above, and should provide that person’s contact information, including position title, to Mary Tisdale, Chief, Division of Education & Volunteers, at Mary_Tisdale@blm.gov by May 7, 2007. Then, consolidated FY 2007 information for each State/Center should be reported to Mary Tisdale by October 31, 2007. No particular format is required for the report, but all requested information must be included.

For more information on SCA, please refer to the SCA website at http://www.thesca.org, which provides descriptions of SCA placement categories as well as telephone, e‑mail, and website contact information for SCA.

Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact: Mary Tisdale, Chief, Division of Education & Volunteers, at (202) 452-0365 or Mary_Tisdale@blm.gov; or Ruth Welch, Chief, Division of Property Acquisition and Headquarters Services, at (202) 452‑7773 or Ruth_Welch@blm.gov.

Signed by:
Authenticated by:
Bob Johns
Robert M. Williams
Acting, Assistant Director
Division of IRM Governance,WO-560
Communications

3 Attachments
1 – SCA Agreement (14 pp)
2 - SCA Cost Information for Program Year FY 2007 (2 pp)
3 - BLM State/Center Volunteer Coordinators (1 p)