Stikine River Salmon Studies

This procurement has been set-aside under the federal government's Procurement Strategy for Indigenous Business (PSIB). Only Indigenous businesses as defined under PSIB are eligible to challenge the proposed procurement strategy to award the contract to the named Indigenous business.

TITLE: Stikine River Salmon Studies

1. Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN)
An ACAN is a public notice indicating to the supplier community that a department or agency intends to award a contract for goods, services or construction to a pre-identified supplier, thereby allowing other suppliers to signal their interest in bidding, by submitting a statement of capabilities. If no supplier submits a statement of capabilities that meets the requirements set out in the ACAN, on or before the closing date stated in the ACAN, the contracting officer may then proceed with the award to the pre-identified supplier.

2. Definition of the requirement
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada has a requirement to enumerate, collect and report on biological information on adult and juvenile chinook, sockeye, and coho salmon at various locations on the Stikine River, British Columbia throughout the migration period. The data collected is used for both short-term and long-term evaluation and decision making. In-season, DFO biologists use the data to determine run status and provide information to fishery managers to assist them in their management of sustainable Commercial, Recreational and First Nation fisheries. Data collected may be used for post-season run reconstructions and may form part of long standing data sets used for future analysis.

2.1 Scope
The project involves collection of stock assessment data for 3 species of pacific salmon including biological samples and catch/effort data. The contract involves 8 projects that occur in various locations within the Stikine River drainage from April/May through until the end of October.

2.2 Tasks and Requirements
The contractor is required to provide technical support services for the following activities:

1. Construct, operate and maintain adult and juvenile salmon collection and enumeration devices, including weirs, video and sonar systems, gee-traps, beach seines and gill-nets.
2. Collect biological information and samples such as size, scales, otoliths, DNA in a manner prescribed by the Project Authority.
3. Record, maintain, store and transmit computerized data.
4. Apply tags to adult and juvenile salmon.
5. Support camp workers with the preparation and cooking of meals from time to time via a camp cook.

2.3 Deliverables

a. Reporting
1. Data reports shall be submitted to the Fisheries and Ocean Canada representative on site, or the Project Authority (as determined by the Project Authority) via phone or computer on a daily basis.
2. Biological samples shall be provided to the Project Authority as determined by the Project Authority.

b. Contractors Obligations
1. The contractor will have available up to 12 individuals to be deployed on various projects at any one time and may be required to work independently or with DFO employees.
2. The contractor shall have available resources of varying levels of technical experience in enumeration and sampling of adult Pacific Salmon, or in the collection and tagging of juvenile Pacific Salmon, and or in the tagging of adult Pacific Salmon (Fish/Fisheries Sampling):

a. Lead technician (>4 years): 390 person days (approx.)
b. Technician (<4 years): 800 person days (approx.)
c. Cook: 122 person days (approx.)
c. Project Schedule

Various field projects are conducted from April 12 through to October 28 each year (approximate dates):
Chinook/Coho CWT Tagging: April 12 – May 28
Lower Stikine Chinook Mark Recapture: May 1 – July 10
Fishery Sampling (sockeye/coho): June 18 – August 26
Tahltan Lake Sockeye Smolt Estimation: May 2 – June 26
Tahltan Lake Adult Sockeye Enumeration: July 7 – September 15
Tahltan River Chinook Assessment: May 15 – August 14
Stikine Coho Assessment: August 13 – October 28

2.4 Constraints

I. Supplies and provisions of a personal nature having a life-expectancy beyond the project, unless agreed to by the Project Authority, are the responsibility of the contractor.

II. Health and Safety:
The Contractor is responsible for maintaining a work environment that is both safe and healthy. It is the responsibility of the Contractor to ensure that the work environment is free of known hazards and proper safe work procedures are used when conducting tasks (i.e. boat use, working near water) and staff are trained appropriately. All safety and health issues/incidents are to be reported to the Project Authority by the Contractor immediately. Bears are present at some work sites and firearms will be supplied by the Contractor for the protection from problem wildlife. Firearm use at a DFO facility must be in accordance with the DFO Pacific Region Firearms Policy for Non-enforcement Staff. Contractor staff utilizing firearms are to be capable of safely handling, storing and using firearms. Policies are available from the Project Authority upon request.

III. All correspondence, reports and communications must be in Fluent English. Fluent is defined as Written, Verbal, and Comprehension at an Intermediate or advanced level.

3. Criteria for assessment of the Statement of Capabilities (Minimum Essential Requirements)

Any interested supplier must demonstrate by way of a statement of capabilities that it meets the following requirements:

a. The supplier must have a minimum of five (5) years of experience in enumeration, collection and reporting on biological information on adult and juvenile chinook, sockeye, and coho salmon at various locations on the Stikine River, British Columbia.
b. The supplier must have staff with a minimum of five (5) years of experience in the enumeration and sampling of adult Pacific Salmon ;
c. The supplier must have staff with a minimum of five (5) years of experience in the collection and tagging of juvenile Pacific Salmon;
d. The supplier must have staff with a minimum of five (5) years of experience in the tagging of adult Pacific Salmon.

4. Applicability of the trade agreement(s) to the procurement
This procurement is set aside under the federal government Procurement Strategy for Indigenous Business. For more information on Indigenous business requirements of the Set-aside Program for Indigenous Business see Annex 9.4 of the Supply Manual.
This procurement is set aside from the international trade agreements under the provision each has for measures with respect to Aboriginal peoples or for set-asides for small and minority businesses.
Further to Article 800 of the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA), CFTA does not apply to this procurement.

5. Set-aside under the Procurement Strategy for Indigenous Business
This procurement is set-aside for an Indigenous supplier in accordance with the government Procurement Strategy for Indigenous Business (PSIB). Therefore, only suppliers who meet the definition of an Indigenous business, as defined in the PSIB, may submit a statement of capabilities.

6. Government Contracts Regulations Exception(s) or Limited Tendering Reasons
The following exception(s) to the Government Contracts Regulations is invoked for this procurement under subsection 6(d) - only one person is capable of performing the work.

7. Period of the proposed contract or delivery date
The proposed contract is for a period of 1 years, from contract award to March 31, 2024 with the option to extend for two (2) additional one (1) year periods.

8. Cost estimate of the proposed contract
The estimated value of the contract, including option(s), is $ 1,495,175.20 (GST/HST extra).

9. Name and address of the pre-identified supplier

Tahltan Central Government
Box 69, Tatl'ah (Dease Lake)
BC, Canada V0C 1L0

10. Suppliers' right to submit a statement of capabilities
Suppliers who consider themselves fully qualified and available to provide the goods, services or construction services described in the ACAN may submit a statement of capabilities in writing to the contact person identified in this notice on or before the closing date of this notice. The statement of capabilities must clearly demonstrate how the supplier meets the advertised requirements.

11. Closing date for a submission of a statement of capabilities
The closing date and time for accepting statements of capabilities is July 13, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. EDT.

12. Inquiries and submission of statements of capabilities

Inquiries and statements of capabilities are to be directed to:

Stephanie Patry
Senior Contracting Officer – Contracting Services/ Procurement Hub – Ottawa
Email: DFOtenders-soumissionsMPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca