Cat Cove Pollinator Habitat Restoration and Enhancement Project

The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries is soliciting design/build proposals under Request for Responses DMF-27004 for the Cat Cove Pollinator Habitat Restoration and Enhancement Project at the Cat Cove Marine Laboratory in Salem, Massachusetts, with responses due November 20, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. EST. Award preference goes to Small Business Purchasing Program (SBPP) registered businesses that meet the best value criteria, and non-SBPP bidders are evaluated only if no SBPP bidder meets the minimum standards.

The scope covers site assessment and restoration planning, pollinator habitat design and documentation, environmental permitting and regulatory coordination, invasive species management, coastal meadow establishment, construction coordination, and initial establishment maintenance. Each proposed team member must have at least five years of experience on similar projects and at least two projects completed in the past three years for Massachusetts municipal or public sector landscape habitat work. Bidders and subcontractors must hold current licenses and registrations under Massachusetts law, and consultants must be licensed to provide professional services in the Commonwealth. Proposals must include a lump-sum Phase 1 design and construction fee and may include an annual Phase 2 maintenance cost.

The Phase 1 estimated value is $100,000 for a seven-month term ending June 30, 2027. Phase 2 provides two optional maintenance years from July 2027 through July 2029, subject to available funding, for a maximum duration of three years and seven months. Evaluation uses a 100-point matrix: technical approach and restoration methodology (30 points), price (25 points), environmental permitting and regulatory experience (20 points), experience and team qualifications (15 points), and project schedule (10 points). Site inspections are available by appointment beginning immediately upon release. The estimated contract start date is November 30, 2026.