OHIO RIVER Asian Carp Removal Program

The Commonwealth of Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources issued a Request for Bids (RFB 758 1900000749) to establish a Master Agreement for the Ohio River Asian Carp Removal Program, seeking qualified commercial fishermen to net and remove Asian carp from three designated Ohio River pools: Newburg, Cannelton, and McAlpine. Applicants must possess a valid commercial fishing license from any state, valid boat registration, a minimum of three years of commercial fishing experience, and a minimum of three years of specific commercial Asian carp fishing experience. Contractors must provide a plate aluminum Jon Boat of at least 22 feet in length with a minimum 50 horsepower outboard motor, a minimum of 800 yards of trammel/gill nets with specified webbing sizes, and a towing vehicle for fish transportation. Fishermen must fish a minimum of two days weekly when conditions permit, with a goal of four days per week contingent on weather and grant funding availability, and must be prepared to harvest between 2,000 and 12,000 pounds of Asian carp daily, with compensation fixed at $1,000 per day of work. The solicitation was released May 30, 2019, with written questions due by June 4, 2019 at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time and sealed hard-copy bid responses due June 13, 2019 at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time to the Office of Procurement Services in Frankfort, Kentucky. The initial contract period is one year from the award date with optional renewal for four additional one-year periods, with the anticipated contract covering approximately 600 total fishing days and extending until available funding is exhausted. Award will be made on a best value basis to the vendor whose conforming offer is most advantageous, evaluated by committee on established measurable criteria including past vendor performance in the last 12 months.

The procurement includes set-aside preferences for resident bidders of Kentucky, who receive reciprocal preference equal to preference given by the bidder's home state, and qualified bidders including Kentucky Correctional Industries and nonprofit agencies for individuals with severe disabilities receive additional preference points. Bidders claiming resident bidder status must demonstrate authorization to transact business in Kentucky and compliance with three conditions for the one-year period prior to contract advertisement: filing Kentucky income taxes, making payments to the Kentucky unemployment insurance fund, and maintaining an active Kentucky workers' compensation policy. All bidders and offerors must complete and submit an Annual Affidavit certifying compliance with Kentucky campaign finance laws, proper disclosure of lobbying expenditures, sales and use tax registration, state tax payment obligations, and restrictions on boycotts of entities doing business with jurisdictions open to Kentucky trade. Successful applicants must submit a notarized Affidavit for Qualified Bidder Status, a Resident Bidder Affidavit, the Annual Affidavit, a completed short-form application, and a Kentucky Tax Registration Application. All Asian carp harvested must be removed from waters and disposed of by the contractor through sale to willing buyers or lawful disposal methods, with the KDFWR providing information on probable high-density Asian carp locations and contact information for known Kentucky carp buyers. The contract specifies a fixed compensation rate of $1,000.00 per day with weekly payment processing based on days worked from Sunday through Saturday, and contracts may be canceled at any time by either party.