MARAD Ships Documentation | P17AS00560

Opportunity Information: Apply for P17AS00560

The MARAD Ships Documentation opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number P17AS00560) is a discretionary funding action from the Department of the Interior, National Park Service, focused on documenting the architecture and engineering of historically significant vessels located across the United States. The work is to be carried out under a cooperative agreement structure, meaning it is framed as a partnership-style arrangement rather than a typical competitive grant where multiple applicants submit proposals and one is selected. In practice, this kind of setup usually involves substantial coordination with the federal program office and shared responsibilities in planning, execution, review, and delivery of the final documentation products.

The core purpose of the project is preservation-oriented documentation through the Heritage Documentation Programs based in Washington, DC, working jointly with the designated recipient. Heritage Documentation Programs is best known for creating formal, archival-quality records of significant historic resources, and in this case the emphasis is on ships and other historic vessels. The deliverables implied by the description would generally include detailed measured drawings, high-quality large-format photography, and written historical and technical reports that capture both the vessel's significance and its physical characteristics, particularly the design, construction methods, and engineering features. This kind of documentation serves multiple public purposes: it provides a permanent record for historians and preservationists, supports interpretation and education, and can be critical when vessels are altered, restored, relocated, or at risk of deterioration.

From an administrative standpoint, the posting makes clear that it is not open for applications. The original closing date is effectively replaced by a notice of intent to partner under an existing cooperative agreement, specifically identifying The Council of American Maritime Museums as the intended partner under cooperative agreement P13AC00081. As a result, there is no competitive process and no opportunity for outside organizations to apply through this announcement. The expected number of awards is one, reinforcing that the federal agency is making a single partner selection tied to that existing agreement.

Financially, the award ceiling is listed as $99,998, which indicates the maximum anticipated federal funding level for the task agreement associated with this notice. The opportunity is categorized under CFDA 15.946 and uses a funding activity category labeled "Other," signaling that it does not fall neatly into a standard program box like construction, research, or formula funding and instead aligns with specialized preservation documentation work.

Eligibility is broadly labeled as "Others," but the accompanying text clarifies the practical reality: since this is a notice of intent to partner and not an open solicitation, eligibility is effectively limited to the named partner operating under the cited cooperative agreement. The creation date of the opportunity listing is July 27, 2017, placing it in a specific administrative cycle and indicating that the intent was to document multiple historic vessels nationally through an established preservation documentation framework rather than launch a new, open competition.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "MARAD Ships Documentation" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.946.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jul 27, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Notice of intent to partner with The Council of American Maritime Museums under existing cooperative agreement P13AC00081. No applications will be accepted.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $99,998.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for P17AS00560

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