PollutionTracker Data Collection for the Vancouver and Prince Rupert Port Areas as part of the Ocean Protection Plan - Coastal Environmental Baseline Program

INTRODUCTION:

The purpose of this Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN) is to signal the government’s intention to award a contract for these services to Ocean Wise Conservation Association, P.O. Box 3232, Vancouver, BC, V6B 3X8. Before awarding a contract, however, the government would like to provide other suppliers with the opportunity to demonstrate that they are capable of satisfying the requirements set out in this Notice, by submitting a statement of capabilities during the ACAN posting period.

If other potential suppliers submit a statement of capabilities during this ACAN posting period that meets the requirements set out in the ACAN, the government will proceed to a full tendering process on either GETS or through traditional means, in order to award the contract.

If no other supplier submits, on or before the closing date, a statement of capabilities meeting the requirements set out in the ACAN, a contract will be awarded to the pre-selected supplier.

BACKGROUND:

As part of the Ocean Protection Plan (OPP) Program, DFO has been asked to develop a Coastal Environmental Baseline Program in two Pilot Areas (Port of Prince Rupert and Port of Vancouver) to support evidence-based decision making and Transport Canada’s Framework to Assess the Cumulative Impacts of Marine Shipping (which is currently under development).

Ocean Wise Conservation Association (Ocean Wise) is a Vancouver-based not-for-profit organization whose “vision is a world in which oceans are healthy and flourishing”. Ocean Wise is home to researchers at the forefront of a number of conservation science and ocean health initiatives, including research on ocean pollution. One of the key initiatives is PollutionTracker, a partner-supported pollution monitoring network for coastal British Columbia. PollutionTracker is the first coast-wide pollution monitoring program in Canada, launched in British Columbia (BC) in 2015 to help answer the question: How polluted is our ocean?

PollutionTracker is using high resolution analysis to report the levels and trends of over 450 potential contaminants of concern in mussels and nearshore subtidal sediment along the entire coast of BC. Additional shellfish species (e.g., clams, crabs) are being sampled at the request of partners in response to First Nations concerns. The long-term dataset will further our understanding of ecosystem health and to help inform contaminant source identification, pollution priorities, best practices, and natural resource management in BC. 

To date, PollutionTracker has established over 60 sites coast-wide. PollutionTracker operates on a 3-year cycle, with collection of samples in years 1 and 2, and data analysis and reporting in year 3. The program is currently in year 2 of its second 3-year phase. A dedicated interactive website has been established to provide and disseminate summarized results and contaminant information to program partners, natural resource managers, and the public (http://pollutiontracker.org/).

Sampling of sediment and mussels in Indian Arm was completed by Ocean Wise in collaboration with the Tsleil-Waututh Nation in December 2016 and January 2019. Sampling in and around the Port of Prince Rupert was conducted in collaboration with the Port Authority, the Metlakatla First Nation, and the Lax Kw’alaams Band in April 2016 and March 2019. This project will build on, and complement, previous work by filling in spatial and temporal data gaps in the Vancouver and Prince Rupert port areas.

OBJECTIVES

This project will help build a baseline contaminant database for the coast of BC, specifically for sites within an area surrounding the Port of Prince Rupert area and Port of Vancouver area, as part of the OPP Coastal Environmental Baseline Program. This project will build on previous work completed by Ocean Wise, First Nations and coastal organizations and will help fill spatial and temporal data gaps in these areas.

REQUIREMENTS - TASKS AND ACTIVITIES

Description of work

Contract requirements include PollutionTracker field sampling, laboratory analyses, data analysis, reporting, and the public dissemination of summarized results through the interactive PollutionTracker website (http://pollutiontracker.org/). Field sampling will be conducted in the late fall/winter of 2019/2020, followed by laboratory analyses. Chemical contaminant analyses will be conducted by external specialist laboratories, while microplastics will be analyzed internally. Data analysis and reporting will be conducted in 2020/2021. Project costs are largely fees for laboratory analyses (approximately 75% of total project costs).

Details of requirements

The contractor is required to have substantial experience with field sampling, chemical and microplastics analyses, and data analysis and reporting of contaminant results though the PollutionTracker initiative (including the dissemination of summarized results through the interactive website - http://pollutiontracker.org/). The contractor is required to deliver the following final products at the completion of the contract: (1) raw and summarized contaminants data for the sites included in this contract; (2) summary reports for each port area; (3) updates to the PollutionTracker website to include summarized results for the sites included in this contract.