Identification of Aquatic Macroinvertebrates Collected from Lower Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands

Background

Environment and Climate Change Canada – Canadian Wildlife Service (ECCC-CWS) is the primary federal body with responsibilities under the Migratory Birds Convention Act, Species at Risk Act and Canada Wildlife Act, and plays a key role in implementing habitat monitoring required under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA). Part of these responsibilities involve assessing and reporting on the condition of wildlife habitat in lower Great Lakes coastal wetlands.
Water quality is the cornerstone of habitat condition in Great Lakes coastal wetlands. Annual collection of physical and chemical water quality parameters provide a snapshot of water quality at sites; however, the condition of the aquatic macroinvertebrate community in wetlands provides an indicator of seasonal water quality.
The first step in determining the condition of the aquatic macroinvertebrate community is to collect individuals through standardized sweep net sampling. Individuals are then identified to the lowest taxonomic unit possible. The data collected are summarized into standardized metrics and combined into indices of biotic integrity (multi-metric indices of community condition that reflect site-level disturbance). Reporting the condition of aquatic macroinvertebrate communities is an integral part of multiple ECCC-CWS projects and programs. ECCC-CWS has the capacity to perform all of these tasks except taxonomic identification.

Objective

To engage the services of a contractor with the expertise and resources to identify nektonic and epiphytic aquatic macroinvertebrates (to the taxonomic unit specified in Appendix 1.) collected in coastal wetlands of Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, and the Huron-Erie Corridor (St. Clair River, Lake St. Clair, Detroit River), and to enter those data into an existing Microsoft Access database.

Tasks

The Contractor must:
- Identify, to the taxonomic unit specified in Appendix 1, the contents of samples containing approximately 150 aquatic macroinvertebrate individuals (size  500 m). Samples will be provided to the Contractor by October and the final, quality-assured/controlled database must be delivered by March of the following year.
Note: A list of past observations has been provided for reference (PastIdentifications_2011-2022.xlxs). This is for information purposes only and may not reflect future requirements.
ECCC-CWS requires the Contractor to process 175 samples for the initial contract period.
The number of samples will be determined annually for each option period, however the Contractor must have the capacity to process a minimum of 175 samples over a five-month period from November to March.
- Enter the data into the Microsoft Access database supplied by ECCC-CWS (.accdb file format; requires Access 2007 or more recent version).
- Review database to ensure that there are no data-entry errors.
- Submit the complete, checked database to the Technical Authority for review.
- If requested, complete revisions to the database and re-submit the final database to the Technical Authority.
- Return the samples to ECCC-CWS (4905 Dufferin Street, North York, Ontario) in-person or via courier following necessary requirements for transporting hazardous and fragile materials. Any costs associated with returning samples will be at the expense of the Contractor.

Term of Contract

Period of the Contract

The period of the Contract is from date of Contract to March 31, 2025 inclusive.

Option to Extend the Contract

The Contractor grants to Canada the irrevocable option to extend the term of the Contract by up to three (3) additional one (1)-year periods under the same conditions. The Contractor agrees that, during the extended period of the Contract, it will be paid in accordance with the applicable provisions as set out in the Basis of Payment.

Canada may exercise this option at any time by sending a written notice to the Contractor at least fifteen (15) calendar days before the expiry date of the Contract. The option may only be exercised by the Contracting Authority, and will be evidenced for administrative purposes only, through a contract amendment.