2024LoonSurveyor_quickcall_Area1_24April24.docx

State of Minnesota

MN DNR

QUICK CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Common Loon Breeding Surveys Area 1 Date Posted: April 15, 2024

· Responses must be received not later than 2:00PM, Central Time, May 1, 2024

· Late responses will not be considered.

Your response should include:

· Technical Proposal – fill out Section 3

· Cost Proposal – fill out Section 4

· Responder Certifications – fill out Section 5 and sign

Minnesota’s Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion The State of Minnesota is committed to diversity and inclusion in its public procurement process. The goal is to ensure that those providing goods and services to the State are representative of our Minnesota communities and include businesses owned by minorities, women, veterans, and those with substantial physical disabilities. Creating broader opportunities for historically under-represented groups provides for additional options and greater competition in the marketplace, creates stronger relationships and engagement within our communities, and fosters economic development and equality.

To further this commitment, the Department of Administration operates a program for Minnesota-based small businesses owned by minorities, women, veterans, and those with substantial physical disabilities. For additional information on this program, or to determine eligibility, please call 651-296-2600 or go to the Office of Equity in Procurement home page, at https://mn.gov/admin/business/vendor-info/oep/.

SPECIAL NOTICE: This is a request for proposal. It does not obligate the State of Minnesota to award a contract or complete the proposed program, and the State reserves the right to cancel this solicitation if it is considered in its best interest.

This Solicitation requires proposals to be submitted through the SWIFT Supplier Portal. Please note the security changes below that may impact responders from submitting a timely response.

SWIFT SUPPLIER PORTAL SECURITY CHANGES

There are new security measures that the Minnesota Management and Budget implemented on October 16, 2022. It is a new multi-factor authentication (MFA) to enhance the security of the State of Minnesota Supplier Portal. MFA is an authentication method that requires bidders and suppliers provide two verification factors to log into the SWIFT Supplier Portal. The goal of MFA is to create a layered defense that makes it more difficult for unauthorized system access to occur.

For information about these changes, please refer to the SWIFT Supplier Portal Multi-Factor Authentication FAQ document.

If you have not done so already, please make sure to log into the SWIFT Supplier Portal as soon as possible to get this authentication set up early so there are no issues when submitting a response to an RFP.

You are strongly encouraged to set your MFA during business hours of 8:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M., Central Time, Monday through Friday. You may experience delay setting your MFA after hours.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Solicitation Content

SECTION 1 – INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPONDERS

Step 1: Read the solicitation documents and ask questions, if any Step 2: Write your response Step 3: Sign and submit your response

STEP 1 – READ THE SOLICITATION DOCUMENT & ASK QUESTIONS, IF ANY

How to Ask Questions

The contact person for questions is:

Felicia Barnes, Accounting Officer Principal, MN Department of Natural Resources felicia.barnes@state.mn.us Questions should be emailed to the contact by 5 business days (by 4:30pm, Central Time) prior to the Event end date. Other personnel are not authorized to answer questions regarding this Quick Call.

STEP 2 – WRITE YOUR RESPONSE

The Quick Call starts in Section 3. Insert your response to the questions asked or provide content as requested.

By signing this response, your firm is making a legal, binding offer for a contract to provide services to the State of Minnesota.

STEP 3 –SIGN & SUBMIT YOUR RESPONSE

Where to Send Your Response

All responses to this solicitation (termed an “Event” within SWIFT) must be submitted through SWIFT using the Supplier portal (https://mn.gov/supplier). Training and documentation on how to submit your response is available through the Supplier portal link above. Fax, e-mail, and printed responses will not be accepted or considered. All costs incurred in responding to this solicitation will be borne by the responder.

Late responses will not be considered. Responses received after End Date above will not be considered, even if errors or delays were caused by issues outside of responders’ control. If you need assistance please contact the SWIFT Vendor Assistance Helpline at 651-201-8100, Option 1, and then Option 1.

By submitting a response, your company is making a binding legal offer for the period of time set forth below in Section 6, Conditions of Offer.

Your response should include:

· Technical Proposal – fill out Section 3

· Cost Proposal – fill out Section 4

· Responder Certifications – fill out Section 5 and sign

SECTION 2 – QUICK CALL PROJECT INFORMATION

Description of Project The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Division of Ecological and Water Resources requests proposals for conducting common loon breeding surveys in Itasca, Cass and Crow Wing counties. Project work includes conducting breeding surveys to assess territory occupancy, reproductive status, and chick survival of common loons.

· Project Goal The goal of this project is to assess common loon reproductive success in pre-identified territories. The contractor will conduct weekly surveys to identify territory presence/absence of loons within territories, locate nests of breeding pairs, track nesting outcomes, and document survival of loon chicks. Surveys will occur between May 13th and August 9th with a 2-week break from July 13th -July 28th in 2024. Survey lakes will be accessed via both public and private lands within the counties listed above.

· Project Information and Background This solicitation is part of the Restoration of Common Loons in Minnesota project in collaboration with U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as part of the Open Ocean Trustee Implementation Group. The overarching purpose of this project is to improve reproductive success for common loons in northcentral Minnesota. Survey lakes were selected for inclusion in this project based on previously collected breeding data that suggested below-average reproductive success. Focal study territories were identified based on field observations of loon breeding activities: territory establishment, courtship behavior, nesting, and rearing of chicks. Surveys completed under this solicitation will help the DNR assess the effectiveness of habitat protection and enhancement activities (i.e., shoreline protection and deployment of artificial nesting platforms) for increasing loon reproductive success.

The DNR will provide the contractor with a prioritized list of loon territories to survey. The number of territories surveyed by the contractor will depend on the funding available, the amount of time needed to survey each territory, and the number of suitable survey days, as influenced by weather and contractor availability. Ideally, the contractor will be able to survey up to 31 territories per week (approximately 403 surveys total) during the survey season (May 13 through August 9; excluding a two-week break from July 13th – July 28th). See Attachment B for selected survey lakes.

Sample Tasks Conduct breeding common loon surveys primarily between May 13, 2024, and August 9, 2024.

· Contractor will meet with the project manager (Nongame staff) before commencing surveys to become familiar with survey protocols, data sheets, and equipment needed to complete the surveys.

· Surveys will require the use of a motorboat, kayak/canoe/paddleboard, binoculars, spotting scope, and handheld GPS unit. Binoculars, spotting scope, and GPS unit will be supplied by the project manager. The State requires the contractor to return these units at the completion of the contract, undamaged, or the Contractor will be responsible for replacing the units. The contractor will need to supply their own watercraft(s). Project manager will provide instruction on the use of survey equipment as needed.

· Contractor will be responsible to provide their own transportation. Contractor will also provide their own watercraft(s), boat fuel, clothing, food, life jacket and other safety equipment on the watercraft. Additionally, the contractor will need to provide their own phone, tablet, or computer for data entry.

· Contractor must be able to identify common loons by sight and sound.

· A driver’s license, access to a boat and means of transport between survey locations are necessary to complete this work. Contractor must acknowledge they can fulfill these requirements in their response.

· Surveys will be conducted according to survey protocols. Survey protocols and datasheets will be provided by project manager. Survey territories will be provided on hard copy maps and accessed via FieldMaps app.

· Surveys can be completed between May 13th and August 9th with some flexibility that will be communicated by the project manager. Survey territories must be surveyed every 4 – 10 days throughout the duration of the survey season (with the exception of a two-week break in July). Surveys should occur during conditions that allow for sufficient viewing opportunities: daylight hours and minimal to moderate wave action and/or precipitation.

· Watercraft requirements and observational methods vary by lake. Larger lakes (>100 acres) with a boat access requires use of a motorboat, whereas smaller lakes with carry-in boat access requires a kayak, canoe, or paddleboard. Some small lakes where all portions of lake are in clear view can be surveyed from the shoreline with the use of a spotting scope. Some lake access will require coordination with private landowners.

· Territory surveys will be completed across selected survey lakes noted in Attachment B. Breeding surveys will document territory occupancy, common loon locations, nest location/status, potential disturbances affecting the nest, loon behavior, presence of black flies at the nest, nest type, approximate distance of the nest to shore, vegetative cover surrounding the nest (unobscured, partially obscured, or obscured), and number of eggs in the nest (when possible). Surveys must be conducted in a way to minimally interrupt a nesting attempt. Observation time near each nest will be situationally dependent, with consideration taken to conduct observations efficiently and allow loons to quickly resume normal nesting behavior.

· A nest will be considered successful if one or more eggs hatched. Successfully hatched eggs is determined if chicks are observed on or around the nest, accompanied by parents away from the nest or if egg membranes were present in the nest bowl.

· If a nest appears to have failed, the contractor should make efforts to determine cause of failure while minimally disturbing loons if in close proximity.

· Additional data collected during each territory survey includes number of observers, date and time of survey, equipment used, wind/water conditions, cloud cover, quality of visibility, number of other watercrafts on lake, and type of lake access.

· Complete data collection using the Survey123 and FieldMaps application. The contractor may also enter data into Survey123 and FieldMaps from paper datasheets used in the field.

· Submit original field forms (if used) and return equipment within a month of the field work completion and by the end of the contract period.

· Regular communication between the contractor and the project manager will be necessary throughout this project. The contractor will update project manager of progress every week (at a minimum). Project manager may make adjustments to the prioritized list of territories to survey as needed. If an issue is identified with a territory or lake, such as access limitations, the contractor will notify the project manager and the survey territory/lake may be changed.

The DNR requires active steps to prevent or limit the introduction, establishment, and spread of invasive species during contracted work. The contractor shall prevent invasive species from entering into or spreading within a project site by cleaning equipment prior to arriving at the project site.

The DNR shall be responsible for identifying the location of any known infestations of aquatic pests and sharing the information with the contractor. The DNR Infested Waters list is found online. The contractor shall prevent invasive species from entering into or spreading within a project site by cleaning equipment and clothing prior to arriving at the project site. The contractor shall use the following inspection and removal procedures for decontamination prior to entering and when leaving the water body:

a. Prior to leaving the waterbody, drain all water from equipment, boats, trailers, bilges, live wells, coolers, bait buckets, engine compartments and any other areas where water may be trapped or contained. Immediately after leaving the water body, drain water from transom wells onto dry land.

b. Inspect boat hulls, propellers, trailers and other surfaces, scrape off any attached mussels, remove any aquatic plant material (fragments, stems, leaves, or roots) and dispose of removed mussels and plants in a garbage can prior to transporting any equipment on public roads.

c. Flush boats (inside and outside) and all other equipment with hot water of 105 - 110 degrees F for a period of 30 minutes or 140 degrees F for a period of 5 minutes; or, instead of flushing equipment, leave the equipment in a location so that it dries completely for a minimum of at least 5 consecutive full days. A car wash can be used for cleaning.

d. If equipment or clothing arrives at the project site with soil, aggregate material, mulch, vegetation (including seeds) or animals, it shall be cleaned by contractor furnished tool or equipment (brush/broom, compressed air or pressure washer) at the staging area. The contractor shall dispose of material cleaned from equipment and clothing at a location determined by the DNR project manager or their representative. If the material cannot be disposed of onsite, secure material prior to transport (sealed container, covered truck, or wrap with tarp) and legally dispose of offsite.

e. Before reuse, aquatic equipment used in invertebrate infested waters shall be dried, rinsed with hot water or power washed to remove invertebrates. Aquatic equipment used in pathogen infested water(s) shall be disinfected immediately after exiting water.

Responders are encouraged to propose additional tasks or activities if they will improve the results of the project. These items should be separated from the required items on the Cost Proposal.

Minimum Qualifications Required

1. At least two years of previous experience surveying birds in Minnesota.

Desired Skills

1. A minimum of 3 months of previous experience conducting breeding surveys for waterbirds.

1. A minimum of 3 months of previous experience conducting breeding surveys for common loons.

1. Has coordinated work within a team consisting of at least 2 or more partners.

1. Has used a field collector app for at least one wildlife survey project.

Response Evaluation Responses will first be reviewed to confirm compliance with the Minimum Qualifications Required identified above. Responses that meet all the minimum qualifications will be further evaluated in accordance with the following:

The State reserves the right, based on the scores of the proposals, to create a short-listing of responders who have received the highest scores to interview or conduct demonstrations/presentations. The State reserves the right to seek best and final offers from one or more responders.

SECTION 3 – VENDOR RESPONSE

INSTRUCTIONS: Fill in the information requested below and submit this section as your Technical Proposal.

1. Vendor Contact Information Company’s Full Legal Name:

Business Address:

Contact Person’s Name:

Telephone Number:

Email Address:

Qualifications Describe the company background. Detail the experience and qualifications of all personnel proposed to work on the project. Detail how you meet the Minimum Qualifications Required and Desired Skills listed above. Provide details of jobs or projects to support this summary of experience, including supervisor name and contact info (at least email), start/finish dates, geographic areas, habitat, taxa, survey methods, and data recording methods. These supervisors may be contacted.

a) Total years’ experience following specific protocols bird surveys, including waterbird surveys. (at least 2 years’ experience required)

b) Total time spent working with Common Loons in any capacity (survey or otherwise).

c) Experience coordinating with a team involving at least 2 partners and/or private landowners.

d) Experience using a field collector app for at least one wildlife survey project.

e) Experience with boating, boaters’ safety training, trailering and transport.

Approach to Project Describe your overall approach to the work. How will you accomplish the sample tasks and goals of the project? Who will do the work? What are the timelines and final deliverables?

Alterations or Additions to the State’s Contract Terms & Conditions Check the appropriate box below.

I have read and am aware of the State’s contract terms and conditions in the sample contract at https://osp.admin.mn.gov/sites/osp/files/2023-07/ptsamplecontractandexhibits_0.pdf.

SECTION 4 – COST PROPOSAL

INSTRUCTIONS: Fill in the information requested below and submit this section as your Cost Proposal.

Responder must submit a cost proposal that details a list of all deliverables and a corresponding cost for the performance of each deliverable. Detail the number of hours estimated to complete each deliverable and all hourly rates utilized and calculate the total of each deliverable. The survey rate must include all costs, including but not limited to: travel, direct and indirect costs, fees, commissions, compensation, equipment, supplies and other charges. Can summarize cost by survey completed but need to show details in how you generate the cost per survey.

Cost per survey

Hourly cost for non-survey work*

TOTALS

*Non-survey work includes training, data management and coordination time

SECTION 5 – RESPONDER CERTIFICATIONS

INSTRUCTIONS: Responder must check each box to certify to the conditions required under this Quick Call. Please note that some certifications may require the submission of additional information. Sign below to finalize response. Submit this section with your Technical and Cost Proposals.

1. Required

1. If Applicable

By signing here, I warrant that the information provided in this proposal is true, correct, and reliable for purposes of evaluation for potential contract award. The submission of inaccurate or misleading information may be grounds for disqualification from contract award and may subject me/my company to suspension or debarment proceedings, as well as other remedies available to the State, by law.

Signature Title Date Rev. 8.08.2023 Rev. 8/2023 Page 17 of 18 image1.jpeg