Bat Hibernacula Survey FY2019 - FY2020

The Commonwealth of Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources issued a Request for Proposal (RFP 660 1900000147) for Bat Hibernacula Survey services covering fiscal years 2019 and 2020 in Elliott County. The solicitation closed on November 14, 2018, at 3:30 PM Eastern Time and seeks qualified contractors to conduct winter hibernacula surveys for threatened and endangered bat species across Kentucky caves during the period January 1, 2019 through April 30, 2019, with an anticipated contract term from January 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020. The scope of work includes surveying up to 10 designated caves, conducting species identification, documenting signs of White-Nose Syndrome (WNS), photographing bat clusters, implementing decontamination protocols, obtaining landowner permissions, coordinating with state and federal wildlife personnel, and delivering comprehensive survey reports and data by April 15, 2019, with Indiana Bat hibernacula surveys prioritized for completion between January 15 and February 15, 2019. Mandatory qualifications require vendors to possess valid Federal and State permits for threatened and endangered bat surveys, maintain a minimum of three staff members trained in vertical caving with proof of certification, demonstrate minimum five years of experience with winter identification of Kentucky's cave bat species, maintain multiple sets of caging equipment designated solely for Kentucky cave use, and provide photography equipment suitable for documenting bat clusters. Evaluation criteria totals 500 points, comprising a Technical Proposal worth 300 points (Qualifications and Experience at 200 points and Professional References at 100 points) and a Cost Proposal worth 200 points, with the lowest-priced proposal receiving maximum scoring; vendors must submit at least three professional references and demonstrate past performance examples of White-Nose Syndrome field experience within the last 5-10 years.

Kentucky resident bidders and qualified bidders claiming status under KRS 45A.470 and 200 KAR 5:410 receive reciprocal or preferential scoring considerations. The contract is subject to Kentucky procurement law and Personal Service Contract Standard Terms and Conditions, with the Commonwealth reserving the right to renew the contract for two additional two-year terms at its discretion, subject to approval from the Secretary of the Finance and Administration Cabinet and the Legislative Research Commission Government Contract Review Committee. All proposals must be submitted on flash drives in Microsoft Word, Excel, or PDF format in three separate sealed packages for technical, cost, and proprietary information, with no cost information permitted in the technical proposal section. No specific budget range or award value is publicly listed in the solicitation documents; however, pricing evaluation will award maximum points to the bidder offering the lowest price. No incumbent vendors or current contractors are identified in the available documentation, and the contract remains subject to funding availability and appropriation. Work shall not commence until the contract is fully executed by the Finance and Administration Cabinet and filed with the Legislative Research Commission Government Contract Review Committee.