Attachment 1 Statement of Work.pdf

RFQ #140P8321Q0036, Identify benthic macroinvertebrates Attachment 1: Statement of Work

Statement of Work This document describes the work to be accomplished in the identification and enumeration of benthic macroinvertebrate samples collected for the bioassessment and monitoring of mountain lake restoration and the long-term monitoring of lakes and streams in Ebey’s Landing National Historic Reserve (EBLA), Lewis and Clark National Historic Park (LEWI), North Cascades National Park (NOCA), Mount Rainier National Park (MORA) and Olympic National Park (OLYM). The work described below will begin in fiscal year 2021. The National Park Service (NPS) will have the unilateral right to exercise optional ordering periods for the analysis of samples to be collected in 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025.

During the base year, the contractor will be responsible for identifying and enumerating 64 benthic macroinvertebrate samples collected from mountain lakes and streams located in EBLA, LEWI, NOCA, MORA and OLYM. In optional ordering periods, the number of samples will range between 45 and 90 samples.

Each sample consists of wet organic material preserved with 95% ethanol and packaged in 500ml plastic Whirl-Pak bags; each sample will consist of no more than two bags. Due to restrictions on mailing hazardous materials, the contractor will be required to take possession of the samples in person from NPS staff in Sedro-Woolley, WA. Once NPS completes sampling each year (generally October), the parties will schedule a mutually-agreeable date (generally December) for the contractor to pick up the samples.

The contractor shall identify and enumerate 500 organisms from each sample. Sample processing must adhere to the methods detailed in the Benthic Macroinvertebrate Collection and Processing section of the Protocol for Long-Term Monitoring of Mountain Lakes in the North Coast and Cascades Network, which can be accessed at https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/DownloadFile/451167. The level of taxonomic effort must conform to the standards established as part of the North Coast and Cascades Long-Term Ecological Monitoring program, and the Northwest Standard Taxonomic Effort (NWSTE). The most current working draft of the NWSTE taxon list can be downloaded at https://www.pnamp.org/project/northwest-standard-taxonomic-effort. This level of effort equates to identifications made at the lowest taxonomic level possible for most taxa (including chironomidae) with oligochaeta, nematoda and acari only counted. New taxa, not found in NWSTE taxon list, should be identified to the lowest taxonomic level possible (consistent with the EPA’s Western Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program –EMAP Standard Taxonomic Effort) and specifically noted. To ensure continuity with existing long-term data sets the laboratory will need to provide records and consultation to assist in updating existing taxonomic records to current standards. The contractor shall ensure that specimen samples are properly labeled and that a record of specimen identifications and abundance, by their sample number, date and location are maintained.

Deliverables The contractor will email Excel spreadsheets to the NPS project coordinators containing count data for the taxa, life stage, and uniqueness of each taxa identified in each sample. Taxonomic identifications should follow the Taxonomic Serial Numbers (TSN) specified by the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (https://www.itis.gov/) and include the scientific name. For https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/DownloadFile/451167 https://www.pnamp.org/project/northwest-standard-taxonomic-effort

RFQ #140P8321Q0036, Identify benthic macroinvertebrates Attachment 1: Statement of Work those groups of taxa that do not have TSNs the closest scientific name will suffice. The contractor does not need to return the samples.

Schedule NPS staff will collect benthic invertebrate samples annually from July 1 through October 30 and will provide the contractor with samples by December 15 of the base year or ordering period.

The contractor will complete sample identification and delivery of the data by June 1 of the following year. NPS will determine the number of samples to be processed during the optional ordering periods each spring and, if FAR 17.207 requirements are met, the NPS will unilaterally modify the contract to place an order for a fixed number of samples in June. Once an order is placed for a specific number of samples, the number may be adjusted only by execution of a bilateral contract modification.

Ordering Period Number of samples

Sample collection dates by NPS

Samples from NPS to Contractor

Data from Contractor to NPS Base year

Award through 6/15/22 64 7/1/21 – 10/30/21 12/15/21 6/1/22

Optional Ordering Period 1 6/16/22 to 6/15/23 45-90 7/1/22 – 10/30/22 12/15/22 6/1/23

Optional Ordering Period 2 6/16/23 to 6/15/24 45-90 7/1/23 – 10/30/23 12/15/23 6/1/24

Optional Ordering Period 3 6/16/24 to 6/15/25 45-90 7/1/24 – 10/30/24 12/15/24 6/1/25

Optional Ordering Period 4 6/16/25 to 6/15/26 45-90 7/1/25 – 10/30/25 12/15/25 6/1/26

Deliverables