DNR - Lake Michigan Fish Stock Assessments

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) is procuring a contract for Lake Michigan Fish Stock Assessments through an Invitation for Bid (IFB) process. The resulting contract will have an initial three-year term with the option to renew for an additional three years. The selected vendor will be responsible for conducting various gill net assessments annually to evaluate the populations of Lake Trout, Lake Michigan forage fish, and Yellow Perch. The required services include rigging, setting, lifting, cleaning, drying, repairing, and boxing the gill nets at offshore locations in Lake Michigan out of the ports of Waukegan and Chicago, Illinois. The vendor must provide a commercial "gill net" vessel and meet specific equipment, staffing, and experience requirements. Bids are due on May 9, 2019, and the contract will be awarded to the responsive and responsible bidder with the lowest price.

The contract does not appear to have any small, minority, women, or veteran-owned business set-aside requirements. Only one bidder responded to the solicitation, Atkinson Fishery, Inc., and they were selected for the award with a total contract value of $285,768. The contract may be partially or totally funded with federal Sportfish Restoration Program funds. There is no indication of an incumbent contractor, and the solicitation does not provide any budget range or award value information beyond the awarded amount.