Development of Statistical Methodology for Southern Resident Killer Whale Habitat Use Integrated Maps of Intensity

ADVANCED CONTRACT AWARD NOTICE

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has a requirement for Development of Statistical Methodology for Southern Resident Killer Whale Habitat Use Integrated Maps of Intensity.

The purpose of this Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN) is to signal the government’s intention to award a contract for these services to The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC. 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.

Statement of Requirement

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) requires data analysis and report writing services to develop a statistical methodology to better understand the habitat requirements of Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW). Analytical skills include modelling whale occurrence data in both space and time while accounting for challenging biases, production of high-resolution, species management-quality maps, and providing a summary report of analytical approaches employed.

Tasks:

The main objective of this contract is to provide a series of fully integrated regional maps of SRKW habitat use. This will require the development of new and robust statistical methods to analyse the disparate data from different regions into a single unifying framework. This new method will combine several advantageous features for species at risk management.

First, the method will generate maps in which high-use areas and whale presence will be comparable across all regions, even if the input data used for these regions varied substantially (detailed boat follow vs whale-watch sightings).

Second, the method will properly account for spatially varying sampling intensity ‒ correcting for the fact that certain areas have had greater survey effort than others. This statistical framework will then be used to produce maps that represent the level of uncertainty associated with habitat use. This is an important factor when developing mitigation actions for species at risk, as it shall demonstrate how reliable the information is in under-sampled areas.

Third, the models will be able to incorporate environmental and biological covariates. Incorporating covariates has the potential to provide a mechanistic understanding of SRKW habitat use and to better predict whale intensity in under-sampled areas.

The method developed will be a hierarchical model where distinct data layers inform the same underlying intensity field, represented as a Gaussian Random Field model.

Deliverables

Project stage

A

Deliverable

Maps of between-year differences in SRKW habitat use. Provision of new SRKW maps based on opportunistic sightings data comparing 2002-2011 versus 2012-2016

Due date

March 15, 2019

Project stage

B

Deliverable

Associated maps representing the uncertainty in the intensity field (habitat use). For each map produced in A, create a map that represents the spatial variation in the uncertainty associated with the results.

Due date

March 15, 2019

Project stage

C

Deliverable

Report explaining the results associated with the maps in A and B. Provide a report explaining map results in layman’s terms.

Due date

March 15, 2019

Project stage

D

Deliverable

Report explaining the method used to create the maps in A and B. Provide a technical report describing the model used to create the maps, including assumptions made and any sources of uncertainty not addressed.

Due date

March 15, 2019

Minimum Essential Requirements

• PhD candidate specialized in the modeling of challenging ecological data
• Capability of working under strict deadlines
• PhD level expertise in the field of analytical science 
• Expert knowledge of marine mammals and killer whale habitat use is required in order to develop statistical models that are ecologically informed and suited to this unique species.

Trade Agreements and Obligations

The requirement is not subject to Trade Agreements.

Government Contracts Regulations (GCRs) Exception and Limited Tendering Reasons

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

The advanced statistical modelling required for the development of the deliverable is being developed by researchers at the University of British Columbia. The successful development of the model will also require input from marine mammal experts and killer whale habitat use experts found at UBC.

Security Requirements

There is no Security Requirement for this contract.

Ownership of Intellectual Property (IP)

Fisheries and Oceans Canada has determined that any intellectual property rights arising from the performance of the Work under the resulting contract will belong to Canada, for the following reasons, as set out in the Policy on Title to Intellectual Property Arising Under Crown Procurement Contracts: the main purpose of the Contract, or of the deliverables contracted for, is to generate knowledge and information for public dissemination.

Period of the Proposed Contract

The period of the proposed contract is from date of award to March 15, 2019. There is an option to extend for an additional one year period to be exercised at the discretion of the Department.

Cost Estimate

The estimated limitation of the proposed contract is $40,000.00 plus tax.

Suppliers’ Right to Submit a Statement of Capabilities

Suppliers who consider themselves fully qualified and available to provide the services and/or goods described herein, 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.

Closing Date for Submission of a Statement of Capabilities 

Statement of Capabilities must be received no later than 2:00 PM Atlantic Standard Time, Monday, December 3, 2018. Submissions received after this date and time will not be accepted.

Inquiries and Submission of Statement of Capabilities 

Inquiries and submissions are to be submitted in writing to:

Cathi Harris

Senior Contracting Officer

301 Bishop Drive

Fredericton, NB E3C 2M6

Tel. 506-238-1317

Fax. 506-452-3676

Email: DFOtenders-soumissionsMPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Please note that the Department prefers to receive submissions electronically, however it will accept submissions in hard copy. Hard copy submissions must be received by the closing date and time. Email submissions should be less than 10MB; if the file(s) are larger please split them into more than one email. The Department is not responsible for misdirected or delayed submissions.

All submissions should note the contract file number: F5211-180577.