2022 Ventless SNE.pdf

Updated: February 21, 2017

ISSUE DATE: 3/29/2022

Purchasing Department Division of Marine Fisheries Address 836 South Rodney French BLVD City, State Zip Code New Bedford, MA 02744 Procurement Contact Person Tracy Pugh Telephone Number (508) 742-9740 Fax Number (508) 990-0449 E-Mail Address Tracy.Pugh@mass.gov RFR Name/Title SNE Ventless Trap Survey Vessel Services RFR Number DMF-22008 COMMBUYS Bid Number BD-22-1046-DMF-FW201-73271 Procurement Category Fishing industry and technology 70-10-17

1. Description or Purpose of Procurement:

The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries requires the services of one commercial lobsterman and their vessel to bait, set, haul, and maintain MADMF-owned lobster traps for lobster population monitoring. A maximum of one contract will be awarded in LCMA 2 (NMFS Area 538) (see Attachment

2. Applicable Procurement Law

Check Appropriate Box (“X”):

Type of Purchase Applicable Laws

Executive Branch Goods and Services

Goods and Services MGL c. 7, § 22; c. 30, § 51, § 52; 801

CMR 21.00

Human and Social Services MGL c. 7, § 22, § 22N; c. 30, § 51, § 52;

801 CMR 21.00; 808 CMR 1.00

Legal Services MGL c. 30, § 51, § 52 and § 65; c. 7, § 22;

and 801 CMR 21.01(2) (b)

Grants MGL c. 7A, § 7; St. 1986 c. 206, § 17; 815

CMR 2.00

REQUEST FOR RESPONSE

SNE Ventless Trap Survey Vessel Services

RFR # DMF-22008 / COMMBUYS Bid# ______

3. Acquisition Method:

Check All Applicable (“X”): Category

Fee-For-Service

Outright Purchase

Rental (not to exceed 6 months)

Term Lease

Tax Exempt Lease-Purchase (TELP)

License

Other:

4. Whether Single or Multiple Contractors are Required for Contract:

Check One (“X”):

Single Contractor

Multiple Contractors

a. Estimated Number of Awards

The target maximum number of Contractors is 1; the Purchasing Department may award more or fewer contracts, if it is in the best interests of the Commonwealth to do so.

b. Adding Contractors after initial Contract Award

If, over the life of the contract, the Purchasing Department determines that additional Contractors may be added, these may be drawn from qualified companies which responded to this Solicitation but were not awarded Contracts. If necessary to meet the requirements of the Commonwealth, the Solicitation may be reopened to obtain additional Bids.

5. Entities Eligible to Use the Resulting Contract

Check One (“X”):

Eligible Entities

Limited User Contract – Restricted to Use by Defined Entities Only. Any Contract(s) resulting from this Bid will be open for use by the issuing Purchasing Department and the following other entities:

The Purchasing Department reserves the right to add or remove additional authorized users during the contract term.

Limited User Contract – Restricted to Use by Issuing Entity Only.

6. Expected Duration of Contract (Initial Duration and any Options to Renew):

Contract Duration Number of

Options Number of

Years/Months Initial Duration 1 year Renewal Options 3 3 options to renew, for 1 year each Total Maximum Contract Duration

4 years

7. Anticipated Expenditures, Funding or Compensation:

Estimated Value of Procurement: $20,000.00

8. Contract Performance and Business Specifications:

Scope of Services: The vessel must be capable of hauling, re-baiting, and deploying experimental traps arranged in 6-pot trawls under the direction of MADMF staff. The duration of the study is 3 months (June – August), during which each contractor will be expected to complete a total of 2 sea-days a month in no more than a continuous four-day period. The contractor will also have one day at the beginning of the study period in order to initially set the gear on location, and one day at the end of the study to bring the gear back to the dock. MADMF staff will deliver gear to the contracted captains prior to the first sea days. The contractor is responsible for loading gear onto the vessel and rigging the 6-pot trawls according to the study specifications (this preparation is considered included in the initial set-out day, and is not to be billed as a separate sea or dock day). The contractor will provide the necessary personnel who will be responsible for operating the boat and assisting in the deployment, operation, and retrieval of equipment.

A MADMF employee or contracted agent will serve as Chief Scientist and will supervise sampling, or experimental operations onboard the vessel. For the duration of the Covid-19 pandemic captain and crew must adhere to the Governor’s safety guidelines on contracted days when Commonwealth staff are present. Please see Attachment A for more details.

and/or

Fiscal Terms:

Contracts will NOT have a maximum obligation amount (rate contract)

Performance Measures:

See Attachment A for description of requirements

9. Small Business Purchasing Program

This is a small procurement targeted to businesses participating in the Commonwealth’s Small Business Purchasing Program (“SBPP”). The Department intends to evaluate bid responses from and to award a contract to a SBPP-participating business(es) who submit a bid that meets or exceeds the solicitation criteria only. Subcontracting in these types of procurements is limited to no more than 20% of the value of the contract, unless it is with another SBPP registered participant. If determined that there is inadequate SBPP capacity, or no SBPP-participating vendors provide a responsive bid, the Department will evaluate and award bid responses received from non-SBPP businesses. To determine eligibility and to participate in the SBPP, please review the requirements and general program information at www.mass.gov/sbpp.

10. Environmentally Preferable Products

Products and services purchased by state agencies must be in compliance with Executive Order 515, issued October 27, 2009. Under this Executive Order, Executive Departments are required to reduce their impact on the environment and enhance public health by procuring environmentally preferable products and services (EPPs) whenever such products and services perform to satisfactory standards and represent best value, consistent with 801 CMR 21.00. In line with this directive, all Contracts, whether departmental or statewide, must comply with the specifications and guidelines established by OSD and the EPP Program. EPPs are considered to be products and services that help to conserve natural resources, reduce waste, protect public health and the environment, and promote the use of clean technologies, recycled materials, and less toxic products.

11. Evaluation Criteria

Contractors must submit responses that meet all the submission requirements of the RFR. Only responsive proposals that meet the submission requirements will be evaluated, scored and ranked by the evaluation team according to the evaluation criteria. Additional information may be requested for evaluation purposes.

Please see Attachment A for evaluation/selection criteria.

12. Instructions for Submission of Responses:

Responses must be sent via the “Create Quote” functionality contained in COMMBUYS. For instructions concerning how to submit a Quote, please see Appendix C.

Any submission which fails to meet the submission requirements of the RFR will be found non-responsive without further evaluation unless the evaluation team, at its discretion, determines that the non-compliance is insubstantial and can be corrected. In these cases, the evaluation team may allow the vendor to make minor corrections to the submission.

13. Estimated Procurement Calendar

Procurement Activity Date Time

Bid Release Date 3/29/2022 2:00 PM

Deadline for Quotes/Bid Responses (“Bid Opening Date/Time” in

COMMBUYS)

April 11, 2022 4:00 PM

Notification of Apparent Successful Bidder(s) (Estimated)

Late April - early May, 2022

Estimated Contract Start Date Mid-May 2022

Bidders are required to monitor COMMBUYS for changes to the procurement calendar for this Bid.

a. Bid Amendment Deadline

The Purchasing Department reserves the right to make amendments to the Bid after initial publication. It is each Bidder’s responsibility to check COMMBUYS for any amendments, addenda or modifications to this Bid, and any Bid Q&A records related to this Bid. The Purchasing Department and the Commonwealth accept no responsibility and will provide no accommodation to Bidders who submit a Quote based on an out-of-date Bid or on information received from a source other than COMMBUYS.

b. Quotes (Bid Responses) Deadline (Bid Opening Date/Time)

April 11, 2022 4:00 PM

c. Estimated Contract Start Date

Mid-May is the approximate start date. The actual start date will be the Contract Effective Date which is the date the Contract is executed by the parties.

14. Required Forms

Responses to this RFR must contain the following documents:

Check if applicable (“X”)

Form/Document Notes/Instructions (If any)

Request for Taxpayer Identification Number & Certification (Massachusetts Substitute W- 9 Form)

Standard Contract Form and Instructions

Contractor Authorized Signatory Listing

Authorization for Electronic Funds Transfer

Attachment B – Supplemental information

The above attachments are available as attachments as part of the Bid record on

WWW.COMMBUYS.COM.

15. RFR Attachments

Appendix A: Required Specifications and information

Appendix B: Required supplemental quote information (to be filled out and submitted with quote)

Appendix C: Electronic Quote Submission Instructions

DMF-22008 - ATTACHMENT A: MA SNE Ventless PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND SPECIFICATIONS

I. OVERVIEW

The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries requires the services of one commercial lobsterman and their vessel to bait, set, haul, and maintain MADMF-owned lobster traps for lobster population monitoring.

Vessel must be in the 28-48 ft range, be capable of cruising at a minimum of 10 knots, and have a covered area that will protect scientific equipment from weather and waves. The vessel must be equipped, at a minimum, with a compass, depth recorder, plotter, radar, GPS, VHF radio, hydraulic pot hauler, and davit. The vessel also must be capable of hauling, re-baiting, and deploying experimental traps arranged in 6-pot trawls under the direction of MADMF staff. The duration of the study is 3 months (June – August), during which each contractor will be expected to complete a total of 2 sea-days a month in no more than a continuous four-day period. The contractor will also have one day at the beginning of the study period in order to initially set the gear on location, and one day at the end of the study to bring the gear back to the dock. MADMF staff will deliver traps and groundlines to the contracted captains prior to the first sea days. The contractor is responsible for loading gear onto the vessel and rigging the 6-pot trawls according to the study specifications (this preparation is considered included in the initial set-out day, and is not to be billed as a separate sea or dock day). The contractor is responsible for providing buoys and vertical lines. Vertical lines and buoy attachments must conform to all Federal and MA protected species regulations at all times, including up to date NOAA Fisheries approved weak contrivances. For 2022 weak rope (1700lb breaking strength) will be provided to help comply with new vertical line regulations.

The bidder must possess a valid Massachusetts commercial lobster license. Vessels must possess sufficient room to accommodate a minimum of two sea samplers/scientists in addition to the normal crew.

The contractor will provide the necessary personnel who will be responsible for operating the boat and for the deployment, operation and retrieval of equipment. A MADMF employee or contracted agent will serve as Chief Scientist and will supervise sampling, or experimental operations onboard the vessel.

Procedures will be agreed upon between the Chief Scientist and the contractor in advance of any at-sea operation. The safety of the vessel and personnel on it will be the responsibility of the contractor at all times. For the duration of the Covid-19 pandemic captain and crew must adhere to the Governor’s safety guidelines on contracted days when Commonwealth staff are present. The contractor shall be responsible for all fuel, lubricants, dockage, bait, and other consumables necessary to conduct the operation.

The vessel shall be properly licensed by all pertinent state and federal agencies and carry safety equipment in conformance with all U.S. Coast Guard regulations. The vessel must possess an up-to-date Coast Guard Voluntary Safety Dockside Exam Certificate prior to the start of work. Additionally, vessels working in SNE must possess a U.S. Coast Guard approved life raft with an up-to-date inspection.

MADMF personnel will supply their own immersion suits. The contractor is responsible for obtaining any necessary insurance, including additional coverage for non-crew members (scientists or observers).

Prospective contractors must submit a bid for the cost per sea-day of operation. The costs of the vessel, fuel, use of gear, docking fees, bait, and any other related expenses should be included within the day rate. Acceptance of a bid is not a guarantee that MADMF will contract for services; it merely sets up a mechanism so that a vessel may be contracted if necessary. A maximum of one contract will be awarded for work in NMFS Areas 538 (LCMA 2). NO CATCH (INCLUDING BYCATCH SPECIES)

CAN BE LANDED FROM THE SURVEY GEAR.

II. BACKGROUND

The Coastwide Ventless Trap Survey employs a random stratified survey design, using depth as the strata classification. This survey design allows biologists to develop more precise estimates of lobster relative abundance and to adequately characterize the size distribution of lobsters in coastal waters. This survey is a cooperative effort between state fisheries agencies and commercial lobstermen, who are contracted to fish at pre-determined sampling locations along the New England coast from Maine to Rhode Island. The objectives of this work are to monitor the abundance and population characteristics of American lobster.

III. SCOPE OF WORK

The contractors will work in coordination with MADMF to implement a ventless lobster trap survey in Massachusetts coastal waters. MADMF will deliver all necessary traps and groundlines to the contractor prior to the beginning of the work. Contractors will supply the buoys and the vertical lines with appropriate and legal rigging, including up to date NOAA Fisheries approved weak contrivances.

For 2022 weak rope (1700lb breaking strength) will be provided to help comply with new vertical line regulations. Contractors should keep track of all buoys and personal vertical lines lost or destroyed throughout the season. An itemized invoice may be submitted with the August bill to replace the lost buoys at a rate of $10.00/buoy and replace personal rope loss at a rate of $12.50/100 feet. The maximum reimbursement amount is $800/year. Contractors should notify DMF immediately if gear loss has exceeded the annual cap of $800 during the season. Each contractor is responsible for loading gear onto their boats and rigging the 6-pot trawls according to the study specifications. Each contractor will set trawls in the zone for which they bid at the locations shown in Figure 1 (SNE; Table 1).

SNE 16 41.5

approximate miles from first to last station

# of StationsZone

Table 1. Number of stations and approximate mileage (nm) to steam through the stations within the SNE Zone in area 538 (LCMA 2).

Figure 1. 2022 station locations for the MADMF Coastwide Ventless Trap Survey in Area 538 (LCMA 2).

A. Tasks and Deliverables

Each contractor will be expected to complete no less than 6, and no more than 8 sea-days during the project duration. The duration of the project is 3 months (June – August). The gear for each zone will be hauled over 2 sea-days per month distributed in the following monthly haul cycle:

Haul Cycle

Day 1 = Haul, enable, and bait gear without observer.

Day 2 = Haul gear 3 days (weather-dependent) after the previous set. Re-set gear with disabling door open, DO NOT RE-BAIT.

Contracted fishermen will be assigned (after consultation) a week of the month during which they will typically be required to do the work. (1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th). They will then always haul the gear during that same time frame each month.

All trawls must be reset in the same assigned location each time. The contractor is responsible for ensuring that all traps in each trawl are present and functioning correctly. Fishermen are not allowed to conduct their routine fishing activities during the same trip as hauling and servicing of the MADMF survey traps. The contractor is not allowed to fish the MADMF survey traps at any time other than their assigned haul cycle. No catch (including bycatch species) will be landed from the survey gear. The contractor is responsible for ensuring the vertical lines are in compliance with Federal and MA protected species regulations AT ALL TIMES; failure to do so may result in termination of contract.

Contractors with Federal permits will be required to fish under a NMFS Experimental Fishing Permit, and to complete the requisite reporting forms/call-ins. MADMF will handle the permit application process, and provide each contractor with the forms and instructions for completion.

IV. TIME LINE

April/May 2022 - Award contracts

May 2022 - Deliver traps/gear to selected contractors. Begin to set gear on station.

June 2022 - Haul and sample survey gear

July 2022 - Haul and sample survey gear

August 2022 - Haul and sample survey gear, haul gear out of water

Aug/Sept 2022 - Gear will be picked up by MADMF.

V. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

All responses must be submitted online, via the COMMBUYS website WWW.COMMBUYS.COM.

Each Response must contain the following:

Completed quote indicating Zone-specific sea day rate.

Completed Attachment B: Supplemental Information - Vessel Fact Sheet (to be uploaded as an attachment with the quote).

A description of the bidder’s qualifications including fishing experience, any previous collaborative scientific work, or associated experience.

A photo of the bidder’s vessel (to be uploaded as an attachment with the quote, or inserted into the Attachment B document).

Bidding Considerations:

All bidders must meet the minimum criteria specified in the RFR.

Traps, and groundlines will be provided by MADMF.

Contractors are responsible for supplying the bait.

Contractors are responsible for supplying the buoys and all vertical lines. For 2022 weak rope

(1700lb breaking strength) will be provided to help comply with new vertical line regulations.

MADMF will reimburse for any buoys and personal vertical lines lost during the course of the survey as specified above. Vertical lines and buoy attachments must be in compliance with Federal and MA protected species regulations at all times.

Additional forms as indicated in Section 14 of the RFR are required.

Failure to submit these documents with a Response may result in disqualification of the Response. All forms must be complete prior to contract execution and commencement of service.

VI. QUESTIONS

Prospective contractors may submit questions to Tracy Pugh at Tracy.Pugh@mass.gov until 8 April 2022.

VII. SELECTION CRITERIA

Quotes will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

Bid amount.

The breadth and depth of qualifications of the contractor(s).

The breadth and depth of experience of the contractor(s).

Appropriateness of the contractor’s vessel, including port and proximity to zone, size, speed, work space, and safety features.

Past performance for any contractors who have worked previously under contract to MADMF.

The Selected Respondent may not be the lowest cost bidder as all the above criteria will be considered in the evaluation of Responses. Also note that MADMF reserves the option to interview some or all Respondents for the purpose of clarifying a Response prior to making a final award.

VIII. PROJECT TERMS

A final contract is subject to successful negotiation of a Final Scope of Services. It is anticipated that projects may commence within two weeks of MADMF’s decision.

DMF-22008 - ATTACHMENT B: SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

Power Vessel Description and Captain’s Experience

RFR# DMF 22008: VESSEL SERVICES FOR A VENTLESS LOBSTER TRAP SURVEY IN

MASSACHUSETTS COASTAL WATERS

Vessel Name: ___________________________ Captain’s Name: _____________________

Vessel Owner, Address and Contact Phone Number:

Usual Port: __________________ Other Ports: ________________________

Gear types vessel is rigged for:__________ _____________ _____________

Vessel Specifications

LOA: _________________

Beam width: .

Engine type & horsepower: _________________

Effective Cruising Speed:______________

Is 120 VAC power available on your vessel (choose one)? No____ Yes____

Is covered space available to protect scientific equipment? No____ Yes____

Does your vessel have a current U.S. Coast Guard inspection? No____ Yes____

Does your vessel have a USCG Certified life raft with updated inspection? No____ Yes____

What side of the vessel is your hauler on? Port/Starboard (circle one).

Have you, or any of your crew, been convicted of or assessed a fine for a fisheries violation? If yes, explain.

Other vessel characteristics or information or comments:

What is the experience of the captain? Please provide specific information relative to your experience in the zone(s) for which you are bidding. (This is for the captain that will be operating the vessel during any contracted time resulting from this RFR)

Appendix C: Electronic Quote Submission Instructions

Instructions for Vendors Responding to Bids

Introduction

COMMBUYS refers to all solicitations, including but not limited to Requests for Proposals (RFP), Invitations for Bid (IFB), Requests for Response (RFR), Requests for Quote (RFQ), as “Bids.” All responses to Bids are referred to as “Quotes.”

Steps for Bidders to Submit a Quote

1. Launch the COMMBUYS website by entering the URL (www.COMMBUYS.com) into the browser.

2. Enter Bidder login credentials and click the Login button on the COMMBUYS homepage.

Bidders must be registered in COMMBUYS in order to submit a Quote. Each Vendor has a COMMBUYs Seller Administrator, who is responsible for maintaining authorized user access to

COMMBUYS.

3. Upon successful login, the Vendor home page displays with the Navigation and Header Bar as well as the Control Center. The Control Center is where documents assigned to your role are easily accessed and viewed.

4. Click on the Bids tab

5. Clicking on the Bid tab opens four sections:

a. Request for Revision

b. Bids/Bid Amendments

c. Open Bids

d. Closed Bids

6. Click on the blue Open Bid hyperlinks to open and review an open bid

7. A new page opens with a message requesting you acknowledge receipt of the bid. Click Yes to acknowledge receipt of the bid. Bidders should acknowledge receipt to receive any amendments/updates concerning this bid.

8. After acknowledgement, the bid will open.

The top left half of the page contains the following information:

a. Purchaser

b. Department

c. Contact for this bid

d. Type of purchase

i. Open Market

ii. Blanket

e. Pre-Bid Conference details (if applicable)

f. Ship-to and Bill-to addresses

g. Any attachments to the bid, which may include essential bid terms, response forms, etc.

The top right half of the bid includes the following information:

h. Bid Date

i. Required Date

j. Bid Opening Date – date the bid closes and no further quotes will be accepted

k. Informal Bid Flag

l. Date goods/services are required

9. The lower half of the page provides information about the specific goods/services the bid is requesting.

10. Click Create Quote to begin.

11. The General tab for a new quote opens. This page is populated with some information from the bid. Fields available to update include:

a. Delivery days

b. Shipping terms

c. Ship via terms

d. Is “no” bid – select if you will not be submitting a quote for this bid

e. Promised Date

f. Info Contact

g. Comments

h. Discount Percent

i. Freight Terms

j. Payment Terms

It is important to note that the bid documents (RFR and attachments) may specify some or all of these terms and may prohibit you from altering these terms in your response. Read the bid documents carefully and fill in only those items that are applicable to the bid to which you are responding.

Update these fields as applicable to the bid and click Save & Continue to save any changes and create a Quote Number.

12. The page refreshes and messages display. Any message in Red is an error and must be resolved before the quote can be submitted. Any message in Yellow is only a warning and will allow processing to continue.

13. Click the Items tab. The Items tab displays information about the items requested in the bid. To view additional details about an item, click the item number (blue hyperlink) to open.

14. The item opens. Input all of your quote information and click Save & Exit.

15. Click on the Attachments Tab. Follow the prompts to upload and name all required attachments and forms and bid response documents in accordance with the instructions contained in the solicitation or bid documents. After uploading each individual file or form, click Save & Continue. After you have uploaded all required documents click Save & Exit. Be sure to review your attachments to make sure each required document has been submitted.

16. Click on the Terms & Conditions Tab. This tab refers to the terms and conditions that apply to this bid. The terms and conditions must be accepted before your quote can be submitted. If your acceptance is subject to any exceptions, those exceptions must be identified here. Exceptions cannot contradict the requirements of the RFR, or required Commonwealth standard forms and attachments for the bid. For instance, an RFR may specify that exceptions may or will result in disqualification of your bid.

17. Click the Summary tab. Review the information and update/correct, as needed. If the information is correct, click the Submit Quote button at the bottom of the page.

18. A popup window displays asking for verification that you wish to submit your quote. Click OK to submit the quote.

19. The Summary tab redisplays with an updated Status for the quote of Submitted.

20. Your quote submission is confirmed only when you receive a confirmation email from

COMMBUYS. If you have submitted a quote and have not received an email confirmation, please contact the COMMBUYS Help Desk at COMMBUYS@state.ma.us.

If you wish to revise or delete a quote after submission, you may do so in COMMBUYS: (1) for a formal bid, prior to the bid opening date, or (2) for an informal bid (which may be viewed upon receipt), prior to the opening of your quote by the issuing entity or the bid opening date, whichever is earlier.

Bidders may not submit Multiple Quotes in response to a Bid unless the Bid authorizes Multiple Quote submissions. If you submit multiple quotes in response to a bid that does not allow multiple quotes, only the latest submission prior to the bid opening date will be evaluated.