Automated Recording Units

Trade Agreement: Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA)
Tendering Procedures: Generally only one firm has been invited to bid
Non-Competitive Procurement Strategy: Exclusive Rights
Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement: No
Vendor Name and Address: 
Wildlife Acoustics, Inc.
3 Clock Tower Place
Maynard Massachusetts
United States
01754
Nature of Requirements: 

ADVANCE CONTRACT AWARD NOTICE (ACAN)

The purpose of this Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN) is to signal the government's intention to award a National Individual Standing Offer (NISO) to the pre-selected supplier:

Wildlife Acoustics, Inc.
Maynard, MA  01745  USA

Before awarding a Standing Offer (SO), 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 15 calendar day posting period.

If other potential suppliers submit a statement of capabilities during the 15 calendar day posting period that meet the requirements set out in the ACAN, the government will proceed to a full tendering process on either the government's electronic tendering service or through traditional means, in order to award the SO. If no other supplier submits, on or before the closing date, a statement of capabilities meeting the requirements set out in the ACAN, a SO will be awarded to the pre-selected supplier, as referenced above.

BACKGROUND

Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Wildlife Services has a requirement for the supply and delivery of new automated recording units (ARU) as well as replacement microphones for existing ARUs on an as required basis (Standing Offer). ARUs are required to record wildlife sound activity as part of many different bird and wildlife monitoring programs throughout Canada, including temperate, boreal and arctic ecosystems and on coastal and offshore islands. The recorders must be able to be preprogrammed to turn on and off automatically, must have a long lasting functionality when exposed to harsh weather conditions (up to one year), and must be able to provide high quality recordings of wildlife over extended periods of time. Replacement microphones are also required because even well-constructed microphones are sometimes damaged during transport, or by severe weather events or wild animals when deployed in the field. Depending on the use and the field conditions, up to 20-30% of microphones (2 per ARU) may need to be replaced each year, both for units already owned by ECCC and for new units acquired through this SO. 

The monitoring of wildlife populations in the boreal forest and other remote areas of Canada is a difficult task. Many species of wildlife monitored by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) can be hard to detect. Effective monitoring of these species either requires having a field biologist present at the site for extended periods of time, which is costly and time consuming, or else using appropriate recording equipment. Also, many areas where ECCC is required to conduct the monitoring are remote with the potential for health and safety risks to employees during prolonged exposure. ARUs can be used to reduce health and safety risks by recording for extended periods in the absence of observers, thus expanding the areas and time periods when monitoring can be conducted. They can also lead to improved data quality, through creating a permanent acoustic record allowing later verification of identification. 

ARUs must be able to be deployed into remote areas of Canada such as on islands, in boreal forest and in the arctic. Deployment in these areas often requires carrying ARUs long distances via boats, helicopters, along winter roads or on foot. As a result, the recorders must be compact, relatively light weight, and robust. The recorders must also be programmable to operate at specific times of day or night, and specific days or times of year, when human observers are not present. ARUs must have good quality microphones with high signal to noise ratios. After the recording is complete, the recorders must be retrieved and the data within them downloaded for analysis. Files from automated recording units must also be of a standardized format to facilitate analysis using techniques that ECCC has developed over the year.

QUALIFICATIONS

To fulfill the requirements of the SO, the supplier must be able to provide a product which meets, at a minimum, the following features and specifications:

Automated Recording Units and replacement microphones with the following features:

- DIMENSIONS: Length (height) of less than 35 cm. Width of less than 25 cm. Depth of less than 10 cm.
- WEIGHT: less than 2 kg (including batteries).
- Capable of being powered by a choice of all of the following: lithium ion batteries, alkaline batteries, NiMH batteries, or external solar panels.
- Recording settings that allow programming multiple recording periods per day, with different schedules on different days, including flexibility to program in relation to time of day or time in relation to sunrise/sunset.
- Support at least 2 memory cards of various capacities, including all class 4 or faster SCXC or SDHC cards.
- Can operate at -20 ° C to 50 ° C for long periods of time.
- Offer the following recording format: 16-bit PCM stereo .wav at various sampling frequencies as well as compressed formats.
- Have two built-in microphones facing 180 degrees from each other that collectively capture sounds in a 360 degree pattern around the unit, in such a way that sounds on each side of the unit are picked up most strongly by the microphone on that side, thus creating stereo effect. 
- Microphones and units should be sensitive enough and with low internal noise (80 dB signal to noise ratio or better), to record wildlife sounds of similar amplitudes to those a typical human listener would detect.
- Offer the possibility for the user to replace broken microphones without technical assistance (i.e., user will not need to send units to supplier to replace microphones).
- Be capable of deployment for extended periods (up to 1 year with intermittent recording schedules) with standard D-cell batteries.
- Proven functionality in harsh environmental conditions such as those experienced in the boreal forests of northern Canada.  
- Demonstrated high and consistent recording quality across multiple units in field conditions.

PERIOD OF THE PROPOSED STANDING OFFER

The resulting Standing Offer will be valid for 3 years from date of award.

COST ESTIMATE

Up to $ 1.5M CAD.

GOVERNMENT OF CANADA REGULATIONS EXCEPTION
The Treasury Board’s Government Contract Regulations, Part 10.2.1 Section 6 states there are four exceptions that permit the contracting authority to set aside the requirement to solicit bids. This includes:
d."only one supplier person or firm is capable of performing the contract."

Delivery Date: Above-mentioned

You are hereby notified that the government intends to negotiate with one firm only as identified above. Should you have any questions concerning this requirement, contact the contracting officer identified above.

An Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN) allows departments and agencies to post a notice, for no less than fifteen (15) calendar days, indicating to the supplier community that it intends to award a good, service or construction contract to a pre-identified contractor. If no other supplier submits, on or before the closing date, a Statement of Capabilities that meets the requirements set out in the ACAN, the contracting authority may then proceed with the award.  However, should a Statement of Capabilities be found to meet the requirements set out in the ACAN, then the contracting authority will proceed to a full tendering process.

Suppliers who consider themselves fully qualified and available to provide the services/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.

The PWGSC file number, the contracting officer's name and the closing date of the ACAN must appear on the outside of the envelope in block letters or, in the case of a facsimile transmission, on the covering page.

The Crown retains the right to negotiate with suppliers on any procurement.

Documents may be submitted in either official language of Canada.