Cultch Management

The Connecticut Department of Agriculture is seeking bids for a Cultch Management project to obtain dried/cured oyster shells for oyster enhancement purposes. The solicitation requires vendors to provide shell that has been land cured for a minimum of 6 months, with delivery options by land or water to specific locations including Bridgeport/Stratford Natural seed beds and 190 Rogers Avenue in Milford. Bidders must specify the maximum volume of shell they can provide and submit a price per bushel, with the Department reserving the right to select multiple vendors to meet their oyster enhancement goals. The bid period runs from October 18, 2024, at 7:00 AM EDT to October 26, 2024, at 2:00 PM EDT, with final bids due by November 1st. The delivery window is scheduled for May 20th to June 10th, with water delivery requiring 3-4 good weather days and land delivery beginning May 20th, with boat loading starting May 27th and continuing through June 6th. Delivery terms are Free On Board Destination, with vendors able to specify their own payment terms.

The solicitation appears to be open to all vendors without specific set-aside designations or restrictions on organizational types. No information is provided about incumbent vendors or existing infrastructure requirements. The Department of Agriculture contact for questions and bid submissions is David Carey, who can be reached at Agri.aquaculture@ct.gov or 203-874-0696 ext 103. While the documents do not specify a total contract value or budget range, the procurement is focused on acquiring oyster shells for environmental enhancement purposes. The competitive bidding process allows multiple vendors to potentially be selected, suggesting flexibility in meeting the Department's oyster restoration objectives. Vendors will be evaluated based on their ability to provide the required volume of shell, meet the 6-month land curing specification, and offer competitive pricing per bushel.