Soil & Water - Master Agreements
Local soil and water conservation districts enter into Master Agreement contracts with the Division to receive technical assistance payments, matching funds, and more. Once each district's contract amendment has been fully executed, the district can submit its matching funds request, and quarterly technical assistance billing in Formsite.
New for 2025; districts are eligible to claim up to $10,000 in technical assistance reimbursement for support of Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) program implementation. Funds are awarded for activities supported between October 1, 2024, and January 20, 2025, according to deliverable rates for activities outlined as follows:
| Deliverable Component | Unit Cost | Description |
| Field Visits | $150.00 | NRCS JAA not required. Participate in field visit for IRA related application; district employee to conduct initial resource inventory and complete NC-CPA-10 form. District employee is responsible to compile NRCS-CPA-6 notes related to activity. NRCS employee may accompany SWCD staff on site for training purposes. |
| Application Processing | $200.00 | NRCS JAA not required. District employee to collect all information required to enter an application in ProTracts on NRCS-CPA-1200 (printed and signed). District employee to gather basic maps related to site (GIS mapping acceptable). Where FSA records are not yet on file, district employee to provide guidance template to producer on how to obtain USDA records. District employee is responsible to compile NRCS-CPA-6 notes related to activity. |
| Application Cost Estimates | $200.00 | NRCS JAA not required; only eligible for this component if district employee completed "Field Visits" and "Application Processing" deliverables. Prepare cost estimate using NRCS cost calculator. District employee is responsible to compile NRCS-CPA-6 notes related to activity. |
| Survey & Design | $1,000.00 | NRCS JAA required. Conduct site visit(s) to compile data, including laser-level survey and on-site soils investigation. Design IRA practice. Prepare CPA-52 Form. Fill out appropriate job sheets. Prepare plan and map in Conservation Desktop (CD). District employee is responsible to compile NRCS-CPA-6 notes related to activity. Provide photo documentation where applicable for justification purposes. |
| Contract Development/Management Assistance | $250.00 | NRCS JAA required. Prepare IRA contract and enter in CD. District employee is responsible to compile NRCS-CPA-6 notes related to activity. Pertains to contract management as well. SWCD staff may grab hard copy of file folder and call the participant for contract management follow up, updating CPA-6 notes, and obtaining enough information to complete a CPA-13 (Contract Status Review form) for contract review status purposes. |
| Practice Implementation Oversight | $500.00 | NRCS JAA required. Conduct site visit during construction and provide instruction to participant, referencing engineering design or appropriate job sheets to ensure participant is completing practice to NRCS standards and specifications. District employee is responsible to compile NRCS-CPA-6 notes related to activity. Provide photo documentation where applicable for justification purposes. |
| Practice Check out and Certification | $750.00 | NRCS JAA preferred, or working relationship with NRCS employee with JAA. Conduct site visit(s) to certify IRA practice as complete and complete NRCS-CPA-09. Take measurements and photographs to certify payment. District employee is responsible to compile NRCS-CPA-6 notes related to activity. |
Invoices for IRA TA should be submitted online through FormSite - and NRCS-CPA-6 notes should be uploaded in SharePoint for each requested deliverable.
Document Submission
The Master Agreements require districts to submit required forms and paperwork in SharePoint:
- Financial Audit for 2023-2024 for any accounts where state funds are deposited
- Each district will need to have meeting minutes uploaded to their SharePoint page through December of 2024 to apply for matching funds
- Compete or confirm uploads of District Supervisor Term of Office paperwork.
Secondary Employment Certification Forms are required by October 15, each year, for every district staffer who supports Commission cost share programs; these forms must be signed by district staff as well as the board chair - In an effort to support districts as they adopt local secondary employment policies, several examples are provided below:
- The Commission has adopted a policy on the use of matching funds
Resources
- Webinar Recording: Master Agreements Training and IRA Technical Assistance Deliverables Discussion, February 19, 2025
- The webinar presentation materials.
- Master Agreement Checklist Resource: SharePoint & Agreement Tips
- Master Agreement Process Flow Chart
If you have questions about the Master Agreement process, please contact your Regional Coordinator.