T0838 - Charter Services: Ocean Vessel Trawl Survey - NJDEP (Rebid)

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Marine Fisheries, is requesting bids for ocean vessel charter services to conduct bottom trawl surveys of New Jersey's inshore fisheries resources under Solicitation T0838 (Rebid), with quotes due September 22, 2026 at 2:00 PM. This is a Small Business set-aside for subcontracting only, requiring bidders to make good faith efforts to solicit New Jersey Small Business Enterprises as subcontractors.

The scope encompasses five consecutive twelve-month contract periods with surveys scheduled for January, April, June, August, and October each year. Each survey requires approximately six consecutive days at sea with 30 to 39 random trawl samples collected from 15 designated sampling regions along the New Jersey coast. The vessel must have a maximum draft of 12 feet, maintain 3-knot trawling speed, be equipped with modern GPS and navigation systems, and provide accommodations for a scientific field party. All trawl equipment must comply with detailed technical specifications including a Three-in-One Trawl design with 3-inch mesh, Thyboron Type II steel trawl doors (58 inches × 48 inches, 792 pounds), and specified bridle and ground wire systems. The Master and First Mate must each have a minimum of ten years of commercial ocean trawling experience; all food handlers must hold current Food Service Training Certificates; and all vessel personnel must be fluent in English.

The State intends to award one Primary Contractor and one Alternate Contractor covering all five price lines (Years 1–5). Pricing must be all-inclusive per-survey costs for Price Lines 1–5 and firm-fixed throughout the contract term. Price Line 6 for reimbursable fuel and repair costs will be automatically added to the awarded contract and is not to be priced by bidders. The base contract term is five years with potential extensions up to two additional years by mutual written consent. Liquidated damages apply to the Primary Contractor at $368 per calendar day for schedule delays beginning seven days after the agreed start date, $368 per day for interruptions, and $5,152 per cancelled survey. No bid security, performance security, or retainage is required.

An optional pre-quote conference is scheduled for July 21, 2026 at 10:30 AM. The electronic question and answer period closes July 28, 2026 at 2:00 PM. All quotes must be submitted exclusively through NJSTART and cannot be emailed, faxed, or hand-delivered. Bidders must complete all required price lines on the State-Supplied Price Sheet without modifications, formatting changes, or blank entries.