Request for Proposals
Predictive Ecology Program of the
Prince William Sound
Oil Spill Recovery Institute
Deadline for receipt of applications: January 31, 2000
Request for Proposals – Biological Monitoring (Intertidal
Resources at Risk to Oil Spills)
The Oil Spill Recovery Institute (OSRI) is seeking proposals to conduct surveys of unique, dominant and/or previously undescribed, intertidal resources at risk to oil spills in Prince William Sound (PWS) and the Copper River Delta (CRD). OSRI anticipates surveys staging out of Cordova, Alaska.
Professional services sought through this RFP include the survey prelogistics (design, equipment preparation, etc.), data acquisition, data analysis (including preparing a GIS of the data), and reporting of results. Data acquisition and analysis will require coordination with the OSRI personnel who are responsible for maintaining the database. The maximum amount of funding for this contract is $75,000. The selected contractor will provide and operate all scientific equipment. All sampling shall be conducted synoptic with GPS measurements, ensuring the acquisition of data that is both temporally and geographically encoded. Contractor will provide and operate all necessary computer equipment and software to acquire and process data. Contractor will cooperate with other teams of researchers and technologists that OSRI might employ to advance the ability to monitor intertidal or adjacent areas that are at risk to oil spills.
The selected contractor shall prepare a preliminary report detailing the survey methods, the analysis of measurements and the anticipated results one month after the end of the field season. The contractor is responsible for providing an electronic copy of the 2d survey in ARCINFO file format with the final report. The final report and data file is due on December 31, 2000.
The survey design will utilize all available aerial, vessel and historical information on the distribution of resource or its habitat to reduce size of the survey to a reasonable area. Where large patches of organisms are found, repeated surveys will be conducted to estimate precision. On each survey as many samples will be conducted as possible to satisfy statistical requirements. Quasi-continuous sampling with optical measurement is preferred over discrete sampling and non-quantitative sampling is discouraged. Prospective contractors interested in submitting proposals should direct technical questions and project proposals to the OSRI staff (Gary Thomas, Walter Cox or Nancy Bird) at P.O. Box 705, Cordova AK 99574, (907) 424-5800. Proposals should contain the name and address of the firm; name, address, phone and fax numbers of the contact person for the proposal; a comprehensive description of the equipment and procedures to be used; as well as a brief description of the qualification of the firm and key personnel. Experience of key personnel is critical. The deadline for proposals is January 31, 2000 and proposals must be received by the deadline to be considered. Contractors wishing to submit a proposal are advised that qualification and capabilities will be considered in the evaluation process. Specific criteria that will be used to evaluate proposals include:
Intertidal survey schedule:
December 28, 1999 Solicitations issued
January 31, 2000 Final Day for Submission of Proposals
February 15, 2000 Award Contract
Preliminary report due one month after end of field season
November 1, 2000 Draft final report and data file due
January 31, 2000 Final report as a manuscript submitted for publication
Application Process
Interested candidates must submit an OSRI grant application package. This application may be obtained as a downloadable file from the OSRI web page (http://www.pwssc.gen.ak.us/~osri) or from the OSRI by calling (907) 424-5800.
The original and three copies of the proposal, including the copy bearing the signed cover page, should be mailed to:
Prince William Sound Oil Spill Recovery Institute
P.O. Box 705
Cordova, AK 99574
Proposals must be submitted in hard copy form. Proposals will not be accepted by FAX or electronically and must be postmarked by the due date.
Proposal Evaluation
The OSRI director, OSRI technology coordinator, individual peer reviewers and/or a review panel will evaluate proposals. The Scientific and Technical Committee will also review all large proposals. The evaluation criteria differ based on the type of project. In general, the proposals will be evaluated by how well they meet the needs of the RFP, and fill existing research or technology gaps. Experience of the team members will also be looked at. For more information, refer to the OSRI Grant Policy Manual, Section 4.4.1, which can be found on the OSRI web page.
Awards
Proposals, due by January 31, 2000, will be evaluated by the method described above, and the awards will be made by February 15, 2000. Awards made as a result of this competition will be administered in accordance with the terms and conditions of the OSRI Grant Policy Manual.
Additional Information
OSRI provides awards for research in the sciences, engineering and technology as well as educational programs. The awardee is wholly responsible for the conduct of such programs, research and preparation of the results for publication. OSRI, therefore, does not assume responsibility for the research findings, their interpretation or implementation of programs.
OSRI welcomes proposals from all qualified scientists, engineers and educators and strongly encourages women, minorities, and persons with disabilities to compete fully in any of the research related programs described here. In accordance with federal statutes, regulations, and OSRI policies, no person on grounds of race, color, age, sex, national origin, or disability shall be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any program or activity receiving financial assistance from the OSRI.
Further administrative questions may be addressed to OSRI by e-mail (frontdes@pwssc.gen.ak.us) or by contacting Nancy Bird at (907) 424-5800.
Date this BAA was posted: December 28, 1999