Vessel and Crew to Support the Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), Maritimes Region, Ocean Monitoring Program – Spring 2017

TITLE

Vessel and Crew to Support the Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), Maritimes Region, Ocean Monitoring Program – Spring 2017

CONTRACTING PERIOD

Upon contract award through to May 15, 2017. The Contracted Work will consist of 20 working days, including 16 working days at sea.

OBJECTIVE

The Department is seeking availability of a capable non-Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) Oceanographic Research Vessel to conduct its Atlantic Zonal Monitoring Program (AZMP) Spring 2017 ocean monitoring program. Specifically, an Oceanographic Research Vessel is required for 20 days in April 1, 2017, through to May 15, 2017, as per the following time requirements:

• Mobilization at Port of Halifax, Nova Scotia, CANADA – 2 days
• Monitoring Survey on the Scotian Shelf, including Cabot Strait, located in the offshore of Nova Scotia, CANADA – 16 days at sea
• Demobilization at Halifax, Nova Scotia, CANADA – 2 days

The AZMP Spring 2017 ocean monitoring program needs to be conducted during this time period to allow for comparability of data and results with previous annual surveys conducted at this time and location.

BACKGROUND

The Science Branch, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Maritimes Region, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, CANADA, requires the complete services of an Oceanographic Research Vessel charter (vessel and crew) to deliver its AZMP in the Spring of 2017, to operate within the offshore waters of Nova Scotia, CANADA. The monitoring program was implemented with the aim of increasing DFO’s capacity to understand, describe, and forecast the state of the marine ecosystem, and to quantify the changes in the ocean’s physical, chemical, and biological properties.

The AZMP Spring 2017 ocean monitoring program will consist of up to 55 water sampling stations (e.g., Conductivity, Temperature, Depth (CTD), nets, and water bottle samples). This sampling will consist of the core AZMP with sampling up to 160 nm offshore and to depths of 2000 m. The area of operation is the offshore waters of the Scotian Shelf, inclusive of the Cabot Strait in the northeast to Browns Bank in the southwest. This annual Spring monitoring program typically is carried out using CCG Oceanographic Research Vessels. In Spring 2017, however, CCG Oceanographic Research Vessels are not available for this program due to lifecycle maintenance.

REQUIREMENTS

The Statement of Work outlines all mandatory and asset requirements that an Offshore Research Vessel considered to be capable of completing during the AZMP Spring 2017 ocean monitoring program will include. The Bidder must provide proof of Contractor capability and vessel’s capacity to meet all mandatory requirements. Copies of all relevant certificates must be included in a Bidder’s submission. Should a Bidder not provide this information, the Contracting Authority may follow-up with the Bidder to get the information for verification purposes.