RFQ-FY27 Habitat Vegetation Monitoring Baseline Implementation.docx

Vegetation Monitoring and Analysis to Support Restoration Projects on Wildlife Management Areas

Request for Quote Vegetation Monitoring Baseline Plot Implementation on Wildlife Management Areas

Department of Fish and Game Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife)

1 Rabbit Hill Road Westborough, MA 01581

DESCRIPTION OR PURPOSE OF PROCUREMENT

MassWildlife is seeking vendors pre-qualified under the following category: Natural Community, Restoration, Natural Res. Mapping & Mgt. Planning within MassWildlife’s Biological Surveys, Research and Testing Master Agreement (DFW-2019-021 / BD-19-1046-DFW-FWE24-35039) to provide technical services related to completing vegetation monitoring surveys.

The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife (MassWildlife) is the agency responsible for the conservation – including restoration, protection, and management – of fish and wildlife resources for the benefit and enjoyment of the public. Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) contain important natural communities and wildlife habitats of regional and statewide conservation importance. A variety of restoration and habitat management activities are conducted on WMAs to maintain and enhance biodiversity across the Commonwealth. Vegetation monitoring helps document existing vegetation characteristics and significant changes to vegetation structure and composition over time. This information is important to determine the efficacy of management treatments for wildlife species and natural communities over time and provide for adaptive management as necessary.

MassWildlife is seeking qualified vendors to assist the agency in the implementation of vegetation monitoring protocols to capture significant changes to vegetation structure (e.g., distribution within the herb, shrub, and tree layers) and composition (e.g., plant species occurrence and abundance) across a range of grassland, shrubland, open canopy woodland, and successional forest communities on select WMAs. The work will serve as a baseline, establishing a total of 18 survey plots at two high-priority habitat restoration sites: Montague Plains WMA and Frances A. Crane WMA. The vendor will work closely with MassWildlife’s Habitat Team to select survey plot locations.

Scope of Work and Schedule of Activities

· The vendor will attend one virtual meeting with Habitat staff to walk through the protocol, methodology, and site details prior to any field data collection.

· Between 9/1/26 and 10/15/2026, the vendor will complete all plot establishment and surveys, collecting of all data metrics outlined in the existing vegetation monitoring protocols.

· Monitoring plots will be established with durable, permanent markers and high-accuracy location details collected.

· Each plot will have 4 survey transects; line-point intercept method will be used to collect vegetation data along transects.

· Photographs will be taken at all transects.

· Plant inventory metrics will be collected in circular plots.

· The vendor will contact the MassWildlife project lead at the conclusion of each field day to discuss progress and troubleshoot any issues.

· All rare plant data is propriety and must be documented and reported when species are encountered.

· All field data must be collected by September 30th at Montague Plains WMA and October 15th at Frances A. Crane WMA.

· All final deliverables will be completed by the vendor and sent to MassWildlife by 12/04/2026.

· Copies of all field data sheets and plot photographs.

· GIS Spatial data with plot and transect locations.

· Vegetation data will be digitized and sent in a spreadsheet format.

· A brief Final Report describing the vegetation monitoring process and results.

Deliverables and Deadlines

1. Complete datasets for all plot metadata, line-point intercept metrics, and plant inventory metrics. All field data must be collected before 9/30/26 at Montague Plains WMA and 10/15/2026 Frances A. Crane WMA.

2. Final Report outlining field data collection and summarization of results.

Vegetation Monitoring Data and Final Report sent to:

MassWildlife Field Headquarters c/o Caren Caljouw 1 Rabbit Hill Road Westborough, MA 01581

Email: caren.caljouw@mass.gov

Recommended Site Visit Bidders are encouraged to visit or research the two wildlife management areas included in the project:

· Frances A. Crane WMA- Falmouth/ Bourne, MA https://www.mass.gov/info-details/frances-a-crane-wma

· Monague Plains WMA- Montague, MA https://www.mass.gov/info-details/montague-plains-wma

OTHER TERMS

Sales Tax Exemption The MA Department of Fish and Game (DFG) is sales tax exempt. Quotes and invoices shall not include sales tax.

Bill Payment Bills are payable in accordance with the Comptroller’s Bill Paying Policy.

Bills are to be sent electronically by mail to masswildlife.paymentprocessing@mass.gov or by mail to:

MassWildlife Field HQ Attn: Cynthia Pratt 1 Rabbit Hill Road Westborough, MA 01581 Intellectual Property and Transfer of Engagement Products at Contract Termination The Commonwealth retains all rights, titles, and interest in and to the Commonwealth Property and all derivative works thereof. Commonwealth Property includes but is not limited to: (1) Property developed by the Commonwealth, (2) Property owned by the Commonwealth independent of this Agreement, and (3) Deliverables created under this Agreement by Contractor, subcontractor, or both, in exchange for State or Federal funds.

As of the Termination Date of the resulting contract of this RFQ and the SOW, Contractor shall make available all Commonwealth Data to MassWildlife in a format to be agreed upon by MassWildlife and Contractor. Contractor shall provide reasonable assistance at no charge to provide knowledge transfer to MassWildlife personnel, or MassWildlife’s designees. MassWildlife and Contractor may execute a Task Order or Change Order governing the transfer period if additional services are required by MassWildlife.

Contractor Commitment (Warranty) Contractor represents and warrants that (i) Contractor and its subcontractors are sufficiently staffed and equipped to fulfill Contractor’s obligations under this Agreement; (ii) Contractor’s services will be performed: by appropriately qualified and trained personnel; with due care and diligence and to a high standard of quality as is customary in the industry; in compliance with the Due Dates and the terms and conditions of this Agreement; and in accordance with all applicable professional standards for the field of expertise; (iii) Deliverables delivered under the RFQ/SOW will substantially conform with the Tasks and Deliverable descriptions set forth in the RFQ and resulting SOW and (vi) documentation provided by Contractor under the SOW shall be in sufficient detail so as to allow suitably skilled, trained, and educated MassWildlife personnel to understand the operation of the Deliverables and Contractor shall promptly, at no additional cost to MassWildlife, make corrections to any documentation that does not conform to this warranty.

Bidder Communication Bidders are prohibited from communicating directly with any employee of the procuring department or any member of the PMT regarding this RFQ except as specified in this RFQ, and no other individual Commonwealth employee or representative is authorized to provide any information or respond to any question or inquiry concerning this RFR. Bidders may contact the contact person for this RFQ in the event this RFQ is incomplete, or the bidder is having trouble obtaining any required attachments electronically through COMMBUYS.

Pending Litigation Bidder must affirm that there is no pending litigation involving the Bidder, Provider, or the services provided in the response that may impair or interfere with the Purchasing Entity’s right to use the services. Bidder must warrant that there are no actual or threatened actions arising from or alleged under any intellectual property rights of any third party.

Compliance with Laws and Regulations All activities agreed to and conducted under this RFQ and contract must comply with federal, state, and local laws. Nothing in this RFQ or its resulting contracts is intended to supersede or violate any laws. Vendors requesting MassWildlife to execute account establishment agreements or any other type of sub agreement resulting from this RFQ are subject to approval by MassWildlife, to the terms of the RFR and resulting contract(s) and may not include terms and conditions that would contradict the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Terms and Conditions or other applicable laws, regulations, and policies.

Public Records All responses and information submitted in response to this RFR are subject to the Massachusetts Public Records Law, M.G.L., c. 66, s. 10, and to c. 4, s. 7, ss. 26. Any statements in submitted responses that are inconsistent with these statutes shall be disregarded.

ANTICIPATED EXPENDITURES, FUNDING, OR COMPENSATION

Estimated Value of Total Procurement is up to a total of $30,000.00

EVALUATION CRITERIA

The basis of award for this contract will be predicated on the following criteria:

A. Quality and responsiveness of the written proposal - is it clear, concise, and complete?

B. Understanding of and ability of vendor to articulate the importance of vegetation sampling and analysis in habitat management.

C. Proven experience in conducting vegetation sampling studies.

D. Proven knowledge of Massachusetts flora and native vegetative communities of Massachusetts by principal investigator and all field staff.

E. Competitive fee proposal within the confines of the total project budget.

F. Managerial approach, including adequacy of procedures, use of resources and adequacy of budget and schedule to meet project deadlines.

G. Overall strength of the vendor in the relevant disciplines.

H. Small Business Purchasing Program (SBPP) participation (required for projects with an estimated value of $250,000/year). While all businesses, no matter the size or principal place of business, may submit responses to this solicitation, should an SBPP participant respond and meet the best value criteria as described in this solicitation, the SBPP participant shall be awarded the contract. See Appendix B for additional information.

QUOTE FORMAT

Acceptable format of quote shall be:

1) A completed Bid Response Form “Quote Page” (Appendix A).

2) A Proposal that includes information that clearly demonstrates vendors ability to provide the requested services, and all experience and qualification requirements defined above.

CONTRACT AWARD

The awarded Vendor will be required to complete a Massachusetts Standard Contract Form. This will be provided electronically by the Procurement Coordinator.

No work may begin until a Notice to Proceed has been issued.

ESTIMATED PROCUREMENT CALENDAR

Bid Amendment Deadline / Online Quote Submission Begins. Bid documents will not be amended after this date.

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

a. Online Questions (Bid Q&A) Written Questions must be entered using the “Bid Q&A” tab for the Bid in COMMBUYS no later than the “Online Questions Due” date and time indicated in the Estimated Procurement Calendar (above). The issuing department reserves the right to not respond to questions submitted after this date. It is the Bidder’s responsibility to verify receipt of questions.

It is the responsibility of the prospective Bidder and awarded Contractor to maintain an active registration in COMMBUYS and to keep current the email address of the Bidder’s contact person and prospective contract manager, if awarded a contract, and to monitor that email inbox for communications from the Purchasing Department, including requests for clarification. The Purchasing Department and the Commonwealth assume no responsibility if a prospective Bidder’s/awarded Contractor’s designated email address is not current, or if technical problems, including those with the prospective Bidder’s/awarded Contractor’s computer, network, or internet service provider (ISP) cause email communications sent to/from the prospective Bidder/Awarded contractor and the Purchasing Department to be lost or rejected by any means including email or spam filtering.

Written Responses to Questions will be released on or about the “Responses to Questions Posted Online” date indicated in the Estimated Procurement Calendar (above).

(Written questions and responses will be posted on the Bid Q&A Tab for this Bid in COMMBUYS.)

b. Quotes (Bid Responses) Deadline (Bid Opening Date/Time) See the Quotes (Bid Responses) Deadline (Bid Opening) Date and Time indicated in the Estimated Procurement Calendar (above).

c. Estimated Contract Start Date This 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.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMISSION OF RESPONSES

Only electronic quotes submitted via COMMBUYS will be accepted in response to this RFR. Responses must be sent via the “Create Quote” functionality in COMMBUYS. For instructions concerning how to submit a Quote, please visit mass.gov/osd-vendor-training

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

All responses must include the four documents listed below -

1) A written proposal describing work to be completed, timeline, and deliverables

2) Completed Mandatory Bid Sheet

3) Resume(s) of principal investigator(s) and all individuals involved in the project detailing Level of Expertise and Experience as outlined in evaluation criteria:

· Supervisor (and/or all individuals involved must be named in proposal) must have proven knowledge of Massachusetts flora and native vegetative communities

· Proven ability to conduct vegetation sampling studies.

· Knowledge of Massachusetts flora and native vegetative communities.

ATTACHMENTS

Appendix A: Mandatory Bid Response Form Appendix B: Small Business Purchasing Program (SBPP) Appendix C: Bid Evaluation Sheet Appendix D: Protocol and Background Materials for Vegetation Monitoring

Appendix A: Mandatory Bid Response Form DFW-2027-023: Vegetation Monitoring Baseline Plot Implementation on Wildlife Management Areas

Click or tap here to enter text. (vendor’s name) is proposing to complete baseline plot establishment and vegetation monitoring for select wildlife management areas as described by September 30, 2026, at Montague Plains WMA and October 15, 2026, at Frances A. Crane WMA and deliver all data and summaries by December 4, 2026.

Total Costs Base Bid: 18 total plots (9 Plots at Montague Plains WMA, 9 plots at Frances A. Crane WMA)

Alternate Number 1: 6 Additional plots (3 additional plots at Montague Plains WMA, 3 additional plots at Frances A. Crane WMA)

Costs not defined above will not be reimbursed under the resulting contract. Costs are not to exceed the Total Project Fee (Max Obligation Amount).

Reminder: Include with your response the resume(s) of principal investigator(s) and all individuals involved in project.

Appendix B: Small Business Purchasing Program (SBPP) Program Background The Massachusetts Small Business Purchasing Program (SBPP) was established pursuant to Executive Order 599to increase state contracting opportunities with small businesses having their principal place of business within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Pursuant to the SBPP, it is the intention of the issuing department to award this Small Procurement to one or more SBPP participating business(es) as described below.

SBPP Award Preference While all businesses, no matter the size or principal place of business, may submit responses to this solicitation, should an SBPP participant respond and meet the best value criteria as described in this solicitation, the SBPP participant shall be awarded the contract. The Strategic Sourcing Services Team (SSST) will not evaluate submissions from non-SBPP participants unless no SBPP Bidder meets the SSST’s best value evaluation criteria.

SBPP Participation Eligibility To be eligible to participate in this procurement as an SBPP participant, an entity must meet the following criteria, and be marked as an SBPP-registered business in COMMBUYS:

1. Have its principal place of business in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts;

2. Been in business for at least one year;

3. Employ a combined total of 50 or fewer full-time equivalent employees in all locations, or employees work less than a combined total of 26,000 hours per quarter; and

4. Have gross revenues, as reported on appropriate tax forms, of $15 million or less, based on a three-year average.

Non-profit firms also must be registered as a non-profit or charitable organization with the MA Attorney General’s Office and be up to date with all filings required by that office and be tax exempt under Section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code.

SBPP Compliance Requirements It is the responsibility of the Bidder to ensure that their SBPP status is current at the time of submitting a response and throughout the life of any resulting contract. Misrepresentation of SBPP status will result in disqualification from consideration, and may result in debarment, contract termination, and other actions. To learn more about the SBPP, including how to apply, visit the SBPP Webpage.

Program Resources and Assistance Bidders and Contractors seeking assistance regarding SBPP may visit the SBPP webpage, http://www.mass.gov/sbpp, or contact the SBPP Help Desk at sbpp@mass.gov.

Appendix C: Bid Evaluation Sheet See file attachments in COMMBUYS

APPENDIX D: Vegetation Monitoring Protocol See file attachments in COMMBUYS image1.png image2.png