quickcall_Wood_Turtle_surveys_2025.docx

State of Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

QUICK CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Wood Turtle Surveys Date Posted: February 18, 2025

· Responses must be received not later than 2:00 PM, Central Time, February 25, 2025

· Late responses will not be considered

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 Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Division of Ecological and Water Resources felicia.barnes@state.mn.us Questions should be emailed to the contact four (4) 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 5, Responder Certifications.

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 wood turtle surveys in northern Minnesota. The goal of this project is to better understand the distribution of wood turtles in northern Minnesota. The contractor will survey river stretches with no or minimal previous survey effort to determine if the river is occupied by wood turtles. These surveys will occur in spring of 2025 and/or spring 2026. The contractor will provide information on habitat suitability of the river stretch, location of potential nest areas, and data on each wood turtle encountered.

The DNR will provide the contractor with a prioritized list of river stretches to survey. The number of river stretches surveyed by the Contractor will be determined by the funding available. Surveys will occur in St. Louis and Lake counties. Surveys in additional counties may be available depending on contractor interest and funding. The Contractor can begin surveys once turtles have emerged from hibernation in the spring and the DNR informs the Contractor that surveys may begin. Surveys will only occur on days with good survey conditions.

The contractor’s knowledge of wood turtles and wood turtle habitat is essential. The contractor needs to have previous experience conducting wood turtle surveys in Minnesota. The contractor should have experience handling wood turtles, looking for evidence of wood turtle presence based on sign, and identifying potential wood turtle habitat. The contractor will be required to apply for and receive a Minnesota Endangered Species Scientific Study Permit before field work can begin under the contract (https://files.dnr.state.mn.us/natural_resources/ets/endangered-species-permit-scientific.pdf).

The wood turtle is a Threatened Species in Minnesota. The locations where wood turtles are found are sensitive information that the DNR does not share with the public. The Contractor must agree to not share the location of wood turtles with the public. The Contractor must not post photos or information on social media that could be used to identify wood turtle locations or the rivers they are found in.

Sample Tasks

· Surveys will occur in spring of 2025 and/or spring of 2026. The contractor is given 2 years to complete the surveys to increase the probability that surveys can be timed to occur on ideal survey days (below). The contractor can choose to complete all surveys in one year or some surveys in 2025 and some surveys in 2026.

· The contractor will conduct surveys from late April through late May on warm and sunny or partially sunny days. Ideal survey conditions are 64 -80 degrees. Surveys will not be conducted under 50 degrees. Survey timing may need to be adjusted based on phenology so that surveys occur during the pre-leaf out and early-leaf out period.

· The contractor will use aerial photos, road maps, and other resources to become familiar with the river stretches to be surveyed.

· The contractor will provide field gear including canoe, GPS unit, wood turtle survey equipment, sanitation solution, and safety equipment.

· The contractor will canoe or kayak the river, stopping in areas with suitable habitat, and walking around searching for wood turtles or sign of wood turtles. If a river is not navigable by canoe/kayak, the contractor may walk the river’s edge instead.

· All wood turtles encountered will be captured, marked, measured, photographed, and GPS location taken. The DNR will provide information on sanitizing hands and equipment between turtle captures. The contractor will take notes on the habitat suitability of the river and GPS the location of potential nest sites.

· The contractor will write a report summarizing the results of the surveys including the time period spent surveying each river stretch, the start and end point of each river stretch surveyed, a description of habitat in each river stretch, the number of wood turtles found in each river stretch, and a recommendation on river stretches that should be surveyed again. The contractor will also include information about threats observed (i.e., ATV tracks on nesting sites).

· The contractor will provide an Excel file or shapefile with the GPS locations of river access points used during the surveys, the start and end points of each river stretch surveyed, potential nesting sites, and wood turtle captures.

· The contractor will provide an Excel file of all wood turtle captures using a template provided by the DNR which will include turtle ID number, age, sex, etc.

· The contractor will provide photos of each wood turtle captured as well as photos of representative areas of each river stretch surveyed. The turtle photos will be labeled using a naming convention provided by the DNR.

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

· Two field seasons conducting surveys and handling wood turtles in Minnesota.

· Two field seasons identifying potential wood turtle habitat in Minnesota.

Desired Qualifications and Skills

· At least five field seasons conducting surveys and handling wood turtles in Minnesota.

· At least five field seasons identifying potential wood turtle habitat in Minnesota.

· Experience conducting wood turtle surveys in various rivers and habitats in Minnesota.

· Experience marking, sexing, and aging wood turtles.

· Experience determining turtle presence based on evidence other than a direct observation of a turtle (i.e., tracks).

· The ability to canoe/kayak, hike, and navigate in remote areas using a GPS, under a variety of conditions with stinging and biting insects.

Response Evaluation Responses will be 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 Desired Qualifications and Skills listed above.

Each person will be evaluated on:

A. Describe the background, training, and work experience of all proposed project personnel. Resumes or other information about project personnel should not, if possible, contain personal telephone numbers, home addresses or home email addresses.

B. Describe previous experience of all proposed project personnel conducting surveys and handling wood turtles. Include the organization that requested the surveys, the state and county where work occurred, and the number of field seasons. Requirement is a minimum of 2 field seasons in Minnesota.

C. Describe previous experience of all proposed project personnel identifying potential wood turtle habitat. Include the organization that requested the surveys, the state and county where work occurred, and the number of field seasons. Requirement is a minimum of 2 field seasons in Minnesota.

D. Describe experience conducting wood turtle surveys in various rivers and habitats in Minnesota.

E. Describe experience marking, sexing, and aging wood turtles.

F. Describe experience determining turtle presence based on evidence other than a direct observation of a turtle (i.e., tracks).

G. Describe experience canoeing/kayaking, hiking, and navigating in remote areas using a GPS.

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 tasks and a corresponding cost for the performance of each task. Detail the number of hours estimated to complete each task, the hourly rates utilized, and the total of each task. The hourly rates must include all costs, including but not limited to: travel, direct and indirect costs, fees, commissions, compensation, equipment, supplies and other charges. Note that the Contractor is not paid an hourly rate while traveling in a vehicle to the field site. The Contractor will be required to have $500,000 in general liability insurance.

Budget Assumptions:

· Assume a mid-point in St. Louis County as a generic location for the study sites.

· Assume 9 days of field surveys.

TOTALS

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.

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