Environmental Consulting Services under PWGSC SA

Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Environmental Consulting Services – Regional Director General NWT Region
Request for Contract
Solicitation # A7221-13-0308
DIAND intends to award a Contract in Northwest Territories.
Environmental Consulting Services Supply Arrangement

List of pre-qualified invited suppliers
AMEC America Limited
MacDonald Environmental Science Ltd.
Water Matters
University of  New Brunswick
Golder Associates Ltd.
Zajdlik & Associates
Summit Environmental Consultants Inc.
Flat River Consulting
Nexus Coastal Resource Management
Morrison Hershfield Ltd.
SENES Consulting Ltd.
MWH Canada, Inc.
LVM Inc.
Dillon Consulting Ltd.
AECOM Canada Ltd.
Cordillera Consulting Inc.
Bowfin Environmental Consulting Inc.
Rescan Environmental Services Ltd.
JASCO Research Limited
Stantec Consulting Ltd.
DPRA Canada Incorporated
Arctic Biological Consultants
EBA Engineering Consultants Ltd.
Ecometrix Incorporated
Pottinger Gaherty Environmental Consultants Ltd.
Hutchinson Environmental Sciences Ltd.
Biogenie a division of Englobe Corp.
Polster Environmental Services Ltd.
ESSA Technologies
IMG-Golder Corporation
Nunavik Geomatics Inc.
Sila Remediation Inc.
KGS Group
Levelton Consultants Ltd.
EDI Environmental Dynamics Inc.
North/South Consultants Inc.
ARKTIS Solutions Inc.
ARKTIS Piusitippaa Inc.
WESA Inc.
Stantec Consulting Limited
KMB Resources Group
McElhanney Consulting Services LTD
SNC Lavalin Inc.
Genivar Inc.
Loyalteam Inc.

PART I
SW1.0	BACKGROUND
A healthy Great Slave Lake ecosystem is of high importance to NWT residents.  Great Slave Lake provides habitat for numerous wildlife species and migratory birds.  It supports commercial, subsistence, and sport fisheries.  The lake provides recreational opportunities for residents and visitors, and acts as a hub of transportation.  Great Slave Lake is the headwater for the Mackenzie River, which flows through the Dehcho Region, Sahtu Settlement Area, Gwich’in Settlement Area and Inuvialuit Settlement Region, before draining into the Arctic Ocean.   

This report focuses on the contribution of tributaries and point sources to the nutrient balance of Great Slave Lake, as an initial investigation into the health of the lake.  Nutrient levels in Great Slave Lake are affected by nutrient loads from influent rivers.  These rivers include, but are not limited to: the Slave, Hay, Buffalo, Little Buffalo, Marian, Yellowknife and Lockhart Rivers, as well as numerous smaller rivers that discharge directly to the lake.  All influent rivers transport nutrients originating from both point and diffuse sources within their catchment.  

Municipal inputs to the lake will also be examined including discharges from Yellowknife and Hay River and storm water inputs from the City of Yellowknife.  Baker Creek and the Meg-Keg-Peg stream system, which flow through Giant and Con mines, respectively, are additional sources of nutrients.  Given the large surface area of Great Slave Lake, atmospheric deposition is also an important source of nutrients to the lake. If possible, atmospheric deposition data will be examined.

This project will describe the concentrations of nutrients to Great Slave Lake using water quality and quantity data that have been collected by: 1) Environment Canada, 2) Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, 3) City of Yellowknife and,  4) Town of Hay River.  The focus will be to assess the status and trends (overall and by season) of nutrient levels (and basic parameters) in the tributaries and point-source discharges.  If possible, nutrient loads will be calculated.  Increasing trends may indicate the need for further research and monitoring to examine the implications of these trends on the health of the ecosystem.  

The successful Contractor will produce a report on nutrient levels/loadings into Great Slave Lake by examining the water quality and quantity data from nine long term monitoring stations located on some of the main influent rivers to Great Slave Lake (Appendix A), as well as point source discharge data from the City of Yellowknife and the Town of Hay River.  Data from AANDC’s Contaminated Sites Program (Baker Creek and Meg-Keg-Peg System) will also be examined.   
The information from this report will be used to further our understanding of the health of Great Slave Lake and contributing factors to change, by answering questions such as:
•	How do the nutrient contributions vary between the influent rivers?
•	How do the nutrient levels in the input streams vary with season/flow regime?
•	Are nutrient levels changing over time in the rivers flowing into Great Slave Lake?   
•	If significant trends are found, are the trends occurring in a particular season?
•	What are the relationships between nutrient levels and flow?
•	Are there trends in flow at the monitoring sites? 
•	Are the ionic characteristics of tributaries changing over time?
•	What is the contribution of point source discharges to total nutrient input in the west basin of Great Slave Lake and how has this contribution changed over time?
•	Do the results of the analyses suggest that there is a need for further monitoring on nutrient levels within Great Slave Lake?  If yes, what are the best options for monitoring locations and sampling design?  
•	Are there community concerns on record of nutrient changes in Great Slave Lake or the tributaries?   
The project output will be a concise report including an account of statistical methods used and results of analysis.  The output will also include a summary handout that highlights key findings of the report.  The handout must be written in plain language suitable for distribution to the public.
SW2.0	OBJECTIVE
To increase our knowledge of the status and trends of nutrients to Great Slave Lake from influent rivers and point-source discharges. 
 
PART II
SW3.0 BACKGROUND
The Water Resources Division has been collecting information on the depth, density and snow water equivalent of the snow pack within the NWT since 1965.  Data from a total of 70 snow survey sites has been collected and is currently housed in an Excel spreadsheet by CIMP and the Water Resources Division.  This is a remarkable data set in terms of duration and spatial coverage; however, analysis to date has been relatively minor and has been restricted in scale.  An analysis of existing data will yield important information on how the snow cover of the NWT varies between regions and how the snow cover in these regions has changed over the last 50 years.  A large, long-term data set such as this is rare for a relatively remote region such as the NWT.  Results from this study will help researchers, industry and community members understand natural variation in snow conditions within the NWT and will help to describe baseline snow conditions against which future changes can be measured. 

A preliminary report has been prepared by Water Resources describing the data quality and some basic statistical trends in the data set.  This report should provide a good introduction to the dataset for the awarded Contractor.  The report will be provided by the departmental representative.

The project output will be a concise technical report including an account of statistical methods used.  The report will be accompanied by a plain language, non-technical summary, highlighting key findings.  
SW4.0 OBJECTIVE
To increase knowledge and understanding of the state and long term trends of snow conditions in the NWT.  

1.	MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS:

Mandatory Requirement

M1 Proposed Resources

1.0 The Bidder MUST propose a resource team to perform the work described within the SOW, ensuring at a minimum the following criteria are met:
a) A team member is assigned to the project with five years experience in leadership and logistical coordination.  
b) A team member assigned to the project with a minimum of five years experience in project management (project planning and monitoring, managing deliverables and deadlines, managing a project team, providing timely updates to the Project Authority).

1.1 The Bidder MUST include detailed CVs for each proposed resource named within its Proposal.  CVs MUST include (a-e):
a) The name of the proposed resource and their assigned role to the Team
b) A list of qualifications directly relevant and similar to the requirements for the work described in the SOW;
c) Descriptions of project experience within the past ten (10) years (including years/months of engagement) related to hydrology, snow ecology, nutrient loading into lakes, and/or trend analysis; 
d) Chronological work experience (indicated in years/months); and
e) A detailed listing of academic and professional attainments related to hydrology, snow ecology, nutrient loading into lakes, and/or trend analysis.  All formal training should be listed by the title and duration (indicated in years/months) of the course and the name of the institution having provided it. 
M2 Schedule

2.0 The Bidder MUST propose a project schedule to perform the work described within the SOW, including key milestones.
M3   Proposed Approach and Methodology

3.0 The Bidder MUST submit a proposed Approach and Methodology that includes:
a) A detailed description of the approach to the work described in the SOW, including deliverables;
b) Details regarding how they propose to manage the work and delegate responsibility; and
c) Measures that will be taken to ensure cost control, reporting, and quality control.

 

Contract Period
Contract is upon contract award until March 31, 2014 inclusive.

BASIS OF SELECTION

Only compliant Proposals will be considered.

Only Proposals that have met all Mandatory Requirements, and have achieved or exceeded the required minimum score for the Point-Rated Criteria will be considered.  All Proposals will be rated on technical acceptability before price is considered.
The contract will be awarded based on a determination of Best Value taking into account both the technical merit of the Proposals and the Financial Evaluation. To arrive at an overall score achieved by a Bidder, technical merit will be valued at 90% of the Proposal and price will be valued at 10% of the Proposal.
Best value is defined as the highest combined total score
This procurement is subject to the World Trade Organization – Agreement on Government Procurement the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).