Development of Holistic Environmental Flows Framework for the Wood Buffalo National Park Action Plan – Environmental Flows and Hydrology Theme

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

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) intends on entering into a contract 

with Riverfutures Limited herein referred to as Riverfutures, for its requirement to

develop the preliminary environmental flows framework for the the Peace-Athabasca Delta (PAD) system that must be grounded in the meaningful involvement of all implementing partners (Indigenous, Federal, Provincial and Territorial governments).

The Work will involve the following:

I. Review project background material

1. Review of Wood Buffalo National Park (WBNP) Action Plan Environmental Flows and Hydrology (EFH) material and wider project progress to date.

II. Engage and participate in regular meetings with EFH Task Teams and

Indigenous government representatives and members

1. Engage and regularly meet with key members of the EFH Task Teams to understand Action Plan objectives, values, and project considerations; and
2. Prepare for and help facilitate (where necessary) multilateral and one-on-one meetings with the eleven Indigenous governments to support co-development of the holistic environmental flows framework.
3. Help prepare material and support in-person (preferred) and/or virtual EFH workshop(s) to support the development of the environmental flows framework. Preparatory workshops could be virtual (e.g., scenarios, baseline) but primary workshops would benefit from in-person structure.

III. Work with Government of Canada scientists to develop an internationally-recognized holistic Ecological Limits of Hydrologic

Alteration (ELOHA) framework for the PAD system

1. Help support the co-development of braided values and objectives for the environmental flows framework;
2. Help support the development of a Bayesian network model and linked Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response framework to support the environmental flows framework; and
3. Develop and pilot approaches to identify initial EFH recommendations to be led by Indigenous knowledge and science.

IV. Support the identification of potential EFH scenarios and ecological-cultural thresholds for assessment

1. Identify key ecological and social-cultural indicators linked to the holistic environmental flows framework for monitoring and assessment; and
2. Participate and help facilitate EFH workshops to develop EFH scenarios and indicator thresholds.

V. Present findings and recommendations to the EFH Working Group in both written and presentation formats, as needed.

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: 

Experience:

• A minimum 5 years’ experience within the last 10 years at date of Advance Contract Award Notice in developing holistic environmental flows using the Ecological Limits Of Hydrologic Alteration approach within freshwater ecosystems.
• A minimum 5 years’ experience within the last 10 years at date of Advance Contract Award Notice in working with Indigenous communities and/or ethnically-diverse communities to co-develop holistic environmental flows objectives and co-facilitate discussions.
• A minimum of 3 years’ experience within the last 10 years at date of Advance contract Award Notice working on river-wetland systems including applications of water management and ecosystem components.

Academic Qualifications:

• Project lead must possess a doctorate degree from a recognized university in ecology, social sciences or environmental sciences. Additional members of the research team (if any) must hold advanced degrees in the field of ecology, social sciences or environmental sciences.