T0838 BA1 8.27.26 1.docx

MIKIE SHERRILL

Governor State of New Jersey

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

DIVISION OF PURCHASE AND PROPERTY

PROCUREMENT BUREAU

33 WEST STATE STREET

P. O. BOX 230

TRENTON, NEW JERSEY 08625-0230

AARON BINDER

State Treasurer

DR. DALE G. CALDWELL

Lt. Governor

AMY F. DAVIS, ESQ.

Acting Director https://www.njstart.gov

August 27, 2026

To: All Interested Bidders

Re: Bid Solicitation # 26DPP01327 T0838 - Charter Services: Ocean Vessel Trawl Survey – NJDEP (Rebid)

Quote Submission Due Date: Tuesday, September 22, 2026 (2:00 p.m. Eastern Time)

Bid Amendment #1

The following constitutes Bid Amendment #1 to the above referenced Bid Solicitation:

· This Bid Amendment includes answers to questions.

· An optional Pre-Quote Conference was held via Teams Meeting on July 21, 2026, in accordance with Bid Solicitation Section 2.5, Optional Pre-Quote Conference. There was one (1) firm in attendance:

1. ABC Fisheries LLC

It is the sole responsibility of the Bidder to be knowledgeable of all of the additions, deletions, clarifications, and modifications to the Bid Solicitation and/or the New Jersey Standard Terms and Conditions relative to this Bid Solicitation as set forth in all Bid Amendments.

All other instructions, terms, and conditions of the Bid Solicitation shall remain the same.

Bid Solicitation #26DPP01327 T0838 - Charter Services: Ocean Vessel Trawl Survey – NJDEP (Rebid)

Answers to Questions

Where applicable, each question references the appropriate Bid Solicitation section.

Section Reference Question (Bolded) and Answer

A. Please be advised that all Quotes shall be submitted electronically through NJSTART.

A. Yes. Prior to the Quote Opening Deadline, a Bidder should review the documents comprising the submitted Quote to ensure that all of the required documents have been completed and attached. Oftentimes a Quote is deemed non-responsive because a Bidder fails to attach a required form or attaches a blank form. To review a submitted Quote, a Bidder should log into NJSTART and review each document attached to the Quote submission. Instructions on how to review a submitted Quote can be found in the Quick Reference Guide entitled How to Review a Submitted Quote, which is available on the NJSTART Vendor Support Page under Vendor Reference Guides.

A: Bidders are encouraged to begin preparing their bid weeks ahead of the due date. Bidders are also urged to check their NJSTART profile promptly to confirm that their account is accessible and that all forms are current. Access to the NJSTART profile is required to submit a Quote.

The Division anticipates that it may take up to two weeks to process a Bidder’s request for access to their NJSTART profile from the date the request is submitted. Vendors needing help to access their company’s NJSTART profile/account should use the following link: NJSTART Vendor Support Portal

A. It is recommended that users utilize Microsoft Edge to view PDFs. Certain PDF forms cannot be opened in the Chrome or Firefox built in PDF viewers that are enabled by default. If using Chrome or Firefox it is recommended that the file is downloaded instead by clicking the download button in the upper right-hand corner of the browser after an error message is received. An alternative option is to disable the built in PDF viewers in Chrome or Firefox.

A. As stated in Bid Solicitation Section 2.2, Exceptions to the State of NJ Standard Terms and Conditions (SSTC): “Questions regarding the State of New Jersey Standard Terms and Conditions and exceptions to mandatory requirements MUST be posed during the Electronic Question and Answer period and shall contain the Bidder’s suggested changes and the reason(s) for the suggested change(s).” Moreover, as stated in Bid Solicitation Section 3.11, Bidder proposed terms or conditions that conflict with those contained in the State of New Jersey Standard Terms and Conditions may render a Quote non-responsive.

Background Q. Where can we find the New Jersey trawl survey bids and award information from at least the past 10 years? We followed the instructions in the solicitation but were only able to find information from 2017-2019.

A. Information on the expiring T0838 Contract can be accessed at www.njstart.gov. The pricing information can be found under the Items Tab, and all other relevant documents can be found under the Attachments Tab. Please refer to the How to Search for State Contracts reference guide found on our Vendor Support page.

To obtain information regarding prior procurements of this Contract that are not available on NJSTART, Bidders are advised to submit an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request. More information can be found on The Division’s Website.

Please also refer to Section 1.2, Background of the Bid Solicitation for information on accessing the expiring Contract.

A. The State is unable to provide the exact timeline of Contract award. Once the Quotes are opened, the evaluation of the Quotes are completed, and the recommendation to award is made, the State will issue Notices of Intent to Award to all Bidders in reasonable promptness pursuant to Section 8.16, Contract Award, which states in pertinent part that, “Contract award(s) will be made with reasonable promptness by written notice to those responsible Bidder(s), whose Quote(s), conforming to this Bid Solicitation, are most advantageous to the State, price, and other factors considered.”

During the evaluation phase, if the State needs clarification of any information submitted by the Bidder, the State may reach out to the Bidder.

Pursuant to Section 8.4, Clarification of Quote, “After the Quotes are reviewed, one (1), some or all of the Bidders may be asked to clarify certain aspects of its Quote. A request for clarification may be made in order to resolve minor ambiguities, irregularities, informalities or clerical errors. Clarifications cannot correct any deficiencies, material omissions, or used to revise or modify a Quote.”

A. If there are changes to any of the documents or any requirements in the Bid Solicitation, those changes will be posted via Bid Amendments on NJSTART.

Pursuant to Section 2.3, Bid Amendments, “In the event that it becomes necessary to clarify or revise this Bid Solicitation, such clarification or revision will be by Bid Amendment. Any Bid Amendment will become part of this Bid Solicitation and part of any Contract awarded. Bid Amendments will be posted as a file attachment on the “Summary” page of the Bid Solicitation in NJSTART after the cut-off date.

There are no designated dates for release of Bid Amendments. Those Bidders who are on the bid holder list either through commodity code registration in NJSTART or by acknowledging the bid in NJSTART should receive notification of any Bid Amendment(s). If a Bidder is not on the bid holder list, Bid Amendments are still viewable on the “Summary” page of the Bid Solicitation in NJSTART.

It is the sole responsibility of the Bidder to be knowledgeable of all Bid Amendments related to this procurement. An interested Bidder should check the NJSTART “Open Bids” Tab on a daily basis to ensure review of the most updated information.”

If a Bidder submitted a Quote before a Bid Amendment was posted and would like to withdraw their original Quote and resubmit a revised Quote, they may do so prior to the Quote Opening date.

Pursuant to Section 3.5, Quote Withdrawal Prior to Quote Opening, which states that, “A Bidder may withdraw its Quote submission in NJSTART prior to the Quote opening; however, Bidders should note that while withdrawn NJSTART Quotes remain viewable by the Bidder on its Vendor Profile Homepage, they are removed from the Division’s view and cannot be considered for Contract award. The Bidder may submit a revised Quote as long as the Quote is received prior to the announced date and time for Quote submission. Bidders may refer to the QRG “Submit a Quote” for additional instructions.”

A. The State is unable to provide the exact timeline of Contract award.

Please also see the answer to Question 6.

Section 8.7, State’s Right to Inspect Bidder’s Facilities Q. What is the vessel inspection timeline? (Note: This question has been paraphrased in the interest of readability and clarity.)

A. Once the Quotes are opened, during the Quote evaluation phase, the State may decide to conduct an inspection of a Bidder’s vessel prior to the recommendation for a Contract award. The State is unable to provide the exact timeframe for such vessel inspection.

Please see Section 3.24, Proof of Vessel and Section 8.7, State’s Right to Inspect Bidder’s Facilities for more information.

(Note: This question has been paraphrased in the interest of readability and clarity.)

A. Pursuant to Section 3.24, Proof of Vessel, the Bidder should submit substantial information regarding the vessel it intends to use with its Quote. The information provided via this section, along with other information listed throughout Sections 3.14 - 3.25 of the Bid Solicitation, will be used to evaluate the Bidder’s Quote, pursuant to Section 8.9.1, Technical Evaluation Criteria.

If there arises a need for the State to conduct an inspection of a Bidder’s vessel during the evaluation phase prior to the recommendation for Contract award, then the State may do so pursuant to Section 3.24, Proof of Vessel.

A. The answers to questions submitted via Q&A will be posted publicly as a Bid Amendment on NJSTART. Please reference Section 2.1, Electronic Question and Answer Period. Bidders registered in NJSTART will be notified via email when a Bid Amendment is posted.

Please also refer to Section 2.3, Bid Amendments.

Background Q. Where can I find historical data on the pricing of the prior bids, especially the fuel costs? (Note: This question has been paraphrased in the interest of readability and clarity.)

A. The pricing information for the expiring T0838 Contract can be accessed under the Items Tab of the Contract #17-GNSV1-00206 at www.njstart.gov.

Please refer to Section 1.2, Background, of the Bid Solicitation for information on accessing the expiring Contract.

New Jersey Is an Equal Opportunity Employer • Printed on Recycled and Recyclable Paper image1.png