Request for Proposals

Removal of Aquaculture Gear

from Abandoned Mussel Aquaculture Sites

Issued July 6, 2021

 DOCUMENT IDENTIFICATION & TERMS OF SUBMISSION

Issuing Agency:

Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association

29 – 31 Pippy Place, Suite 3007
St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador
A1B 3X2
Tel: (709) 754-2854

Incorporated in 1994, the Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association (NAIA) is a

member-based non-profit organization representing the interests of aquaculturists in
Newfoundland and Labrador. NAIA is a passionate advocate on behalf of our members,
facilitating and promoting the responsible development of the industry. With a vision to
promote excellence in the aquaculture industry in Newfoundland and Labrador, NAIA
strives to:

• assist the aquaculture industry to achieve its full wealth creation potential.
• be a strong voice on behalf of its members and take a leadership role in the
development of strategies and services that will match the industry needs.
• assist members to attain excellence in safety, quality, environmental
sustainability and profitability.

A Board of Directors, currently led by President Mr. Jason Card (Mowi Canada East),
provides overall direction. Mr. Mark Lane is Executive Director for the Association.
Mr. Darrell Green is Research and Development Coordinator for the Association.

Synopsis:

The Removal of Plastic Equipment (from Abandoned Mussel Aquaculture Sites) (ROPE)
Project was initiated by the Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association (NAIA), to
remove abandoned gear from the areas surrounding long-abandoned mussel
aquaculture sites in NL on which there remains significant amounts of mussel
aquaculture gear.

Experience from previous gear removal efforts tells us that this material is likely to be
entangled on or near the bottom of the ocean and likely requires large marine vessels /
equipment to recover.

The Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association is requesting the professional

services of a qualified marine services firm to carry out removal of mussel aquaculture
gear from seven (7) sites known to have abandoned gear (including surveys before and
after the removal) and to perform reconnaissance surveys on five (5) other sites where
gear is suspected, to inform on the location and condition of gear present, if any.

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Terms of Submission:

A copy of the Request for Proposals (RFP) may be obtained by contacting:

Darrell Green
Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association
29 – 31 Pippy Place, Suite 3007
St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador
A1B 3X2
Tel: (709) 728-1314
Email: dgreen@naia.ca

All questions and/or concerns will be received via email and responses/answers will be
made available to all bidders/contractors via email.

The bidders/contractors must provide 1 electronic copy (pdf format) of the response
(proposal) to this RFP by email or USB storage device (a.k.a. flash drive), to be
received by the Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association no later than 4:00
pm (NL time), July 21, 2021. All bidders submitting by email must confirm receipt of
electronic submissions at or before the deadline for submission.

Late, incomplete or partial proposals or submissions will not, without exception or

under any circumstances, be accepted. The Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry
Association will ensure that all proposals or submissions submitted before the deadline
will remain sealed until the evaluation process begins.

The Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association is not bound to accept the lowest
priced bid and may exercise the right not to select any of the bids submitted under the
RFP.

The primary bidder/contractor submitting a proposal under this RFP is considered to be

responsible, on behalf of it and all its partnered sub-contractors, for all undertakings and
deliverables related to the provision of services to the Newfoundland Aquaculture
Industry Association specified in this RFP.

The Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association requires knowing the identity of all
the sub-contractors, their experience, personnel and knowledge levels, and their
relationship and experience with the primary bidder/contractor. This information must be
explicitly stated in the proposal submitted by the primary bidder/contractor. Sub-
contractors will be evaluated as part of the selection process, and any changes in sub-
contractors other than those specified in the submission, must be approved by the
Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association.

This RFP is the primary document, and should a dispute arise between the RFP and the
bidder/contractor proposal then the RFP will supersede the bidder/contractor proposal in
any legal dispute.

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Award of Contract

Contracts will be awarded following an evaluation of proposals by the Newfoundland

Aquaculture Industry Association.

Evaluation

All proposals will be evaluated using specific criteria, attributes and characteristics which
have been generated by the Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association as part of a
comprehensive process in the preparation of this RFP and will be used to evaluate all
proposals. Criteria are based upon the detailed specifications of the scope of work, work
schedules, technical specifications, quality standards, contractor qualifications and other
desirable features and benefits contained in this RFP. (See Appendix 1 attached,
Contractor Team Evaluation Matrix)

Before the awarding of the bid, the Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association will
negotiate the final details of a contract to be signed by the Newfoundland Aquaculture
Industry Association and the successful bidder/contractor. The Newfoundland
Aquaculture Industry Association will enter into a contract with the primary bidder(s) /
contractor(s) only. There will be no contracts entered into between the Newfoundland
Aquaculture Industry Association and any sub-contractors.

This project is subject to funding approval from funding organizations. The

Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association will not be obligated to select any of the
bidders on this RFP as the contractor for this project. The Newfoundland Aquaculture
Industry Association may increase or reduce the scope of the project, based on total
costs, in consultation with the bidder(s) before a contract is put in place.

Administration

The Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association will be responsible for all stages of
the RFP and bidding process, selection of the successful bidder/contractor or contractor
team, the award of the contract and the successful completion of the contract, including
all deliverables.

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 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Implementation

Given the requirements of the overall implementation schedule, extension options are
not available.

All potential bidders/contractors who have requested or known to have obtained copies
of this RFP will be notified of any changes should they occur after its publication.

Communications

Notification of this RFP will be distributed to candidate companies known to the

Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association.

All inquiries will be received via email and all responses will be made available to all
bidders/contractors.

All bidders/contractors who have questions concerning the RFP and the proposed
project should contact:

Darrell Green
Tel: (709) 728-1314
Email: dgreen@naia.ca

The awarding of this contract will be made by the Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry
Association based upon the results of the evaluation of submitted proposals. The
Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association reserves the right not to explain why the
unsuccessful bidders/contractors were not selected.

If the successful bidder/contractor wishes to accept the contract and concludes final
negotiations with the Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association, the contract will
commence within 15 days of awarding of the contract.

All materials, equipment, gear or debris removed from the marine environment by the
contractors in completing this project shall be the property of the Newfoundland
Aquaculture Industry Association. The contractor will not use, sell, give away, or
dispose of, the said material without the expressed and prior approval of the
Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association.

All photos, video, sonar information, presentation materials, data and related information
produced by the contractors in completing this project shall be the property of the
Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association. The contractor will not publish or in
any way use said information without the expressed or prior approval of the
Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association.

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 STATEMENT OF WORK

Background

The Removal of Plastic Equipment (from Abandoned Mussel Aquaculture Sites) Project
was initiated by the Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association (NAIA), with the full
support of our Board of Directors and our shellfish aquaculture member companies. The
project aims to remove abandoned gear from the areas surrounding long-abandoned
mussel aquaculture sites in NL on which there remains significant amounts of mussel
aquaculture gear.

Mussel aquaculture in NL started in the late 1980s when numerous mom-and-pop

enterprises operated marine longline mussel farming sites around our coast. Inevitably
many of these farms ceased operations and unfortunately several of them lacked the
financial means to recover their culture gear.

Mussel longline aquaculture at these sites was done by anchoring rows of longlines
(polypropylene rope) across an expanse of water, supported by plastic floats, and
hanging mussel “socks” (interwoven square mesh of polyethylene or other plastics) filled
with mussels from these mainlines.

The areas around the abandoned sites in NL have submerged mainlines, anchor ropes,
seed collector ropes, mussel socking mesh, anchors and floats. Experience from
previous gear removal efforts tells us that this material is likely to be entangled on or
near the bottom of the ocean and likely requires large marine vessels / equipment to
recover.

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NAIA has a list of abandoned aquaculture sites showing sites that are either confirmed
or suspected to have abandoned gear and has developed 2 list of priority sites; one list
of sites for gear removal (7) and one list of sites for reconnaissance survey (5).

Objectives

The main goal of the R.O.P.E. project is to take determined effort to remove abandoned
gear from previous mussel aquaculture sites.

The Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association is requesting professional services

to carry out removal of mussel aquaculture gear from seven (7) sites known to have
abandoned gear (including surveys before and after the removal) and to perform
reconnaissance surveys on five (5) other sites where gear is suspected, to inform on the
location and condition of gear present, if any.

Scope of Work

In order to achieve the objectives outlined, the contractor(s) will have to:

• Survey the area around seven (7) previous aquaculture sites to be cleared of
gear and estimate the amount and locations of abandoned mussel aquaculture
gear at both the surface and sub-surface. This could make use of side scan
sonar, visual imagery (drone, camera, underwater camera / diver video, etc.) or
other appropriate technology as suggested by the contractor / bidder.

o Sites for survey and gear removal:

Site Name Area (Ha.) Lat Long

Great Chance Harbour 8 48.50333 -53.68666
Crawley Island 7 47.42194 -53.85528
St. Croix Bay 36 47.44167 -53.86667
Dublin cove, Bay Le Moine 4.5 47.63133 -58.65033
Cap Cove 38 48.38 -53.37555
Sam Hitchin's Harbour 17 47.64333 -56.04266
Wild Cove, Grand Bruit 15 47.6741 -58.2563

• Remove abandoned mussel aquaculture gear from the area around these sites.
Estimate and record the weight (tonnes) of all materials removed. Take photos of
all lots of material removed.
• Write, and follow, effective procedures for sorting, cleaning and disinfecting
(could consist of drying on land) all materials to remove the risk of transfer of
aquatic invasive species.
• Temporarily store the material, gear or equipment collected in a secure location.
As directed by the Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association allow access
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 to this material by authorized persons for salvage of usable gear, following
disinfection.
• Responsibly dispose of unusable material at provincially approved landfill sites
(evidence by receipt / invoice to be provided) or by other means proposed by the
contractor and approved by the Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association.
• Survey the area around the seven (7) cleaned sites following removal of gear, to
confirm the absence of abandoned mussel aquaculture gear at both the surface
and sub-surface using the same method as the previous recognizance survey.
• Survey the area (survey only, no other actions) around five (5) previous
aquaculture sites and estimate the amount and locations of abandoned mussel
aquaculture gear at both the surface and sub-surface. This could make use of
side scan sonar, visual imagery (drone, camera, underwater camera / diver
video, etc.) or other appropriate technology as suggested by the contractor /
bidder.

o Sites for survey only:

Site Name Area (Ha.) Lat Long

Miller’s Passage, Great Bay de l'Eau 110 47.53087 -55.6456
Goose Arm, Bay of Islands 49.15 -57.8833
Farewell Harbour 15 49.546666 -54.49
Trap Cove 16 50.84381 -56.13605
Inner Milan Arm, Pistolet Bay 20 51.480333 -55.65483

• Produce a report outlining, for all locations and over the duration of the project,
all activities, methodologies, equipment used, dates and timeframes, survey
findings, weights (tonnes) of material recovered, classification of removed
materials (floats, ropes, mooring blocks, etc.) and account of material reused and
disposed of.

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 CONTRACTOR QUALIFICATIONS AND METHODOLOGY

The contractor(s) is expected to demonstrate:

• sufficient qualifications, human resources, marine equipment and land-based

equipment appropriate to the Scope of Work
• experience in conducting similar projects involving marine retrieval
operations, knowledge and experience in relation to the Statement of Work
• an understanding of the scope and objectives of the proposal

Proposal Requirements

Proposals are expected to include:

• A covering letter briefly summarizing who the Project Manager and Team
Members are, the firms/sub-contractors involved and total budget including
professional fees and expenses.

• A brief description of the roles and qualifications of the Project Manager and the
Team Members.

• Description of all participating organizations including company profiles of the

primary Bidder/Contractor and Sub-Contractors.

• Proposed project methodology.

• References (names and contact information) from any applicable projects

involving similar work, for verification of competency and abilities of the bidder.

• A schedule of project activities in chronological order which shows each activity

and its duration.

• Itemized project costs including staff costs, overhead, equipment rental, tipping
fees and other related expenses, as well as a suggested payment schedule.

Work Schedule

The proposed schedule of work, including all reporting and invoicing, is expected to be
complete by December 17, 2021, with all work on sites concluded by November 19,
2021.

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Deliverables / Outputs

• Removal of abandoned mussel aquaculture gear from 7 sites

• Pre-and-post survey of cleaned sites
• Estimated weights of materials removed
• Photos of all materials removed
• Written procedures for sorting, cleaning and disinfecting
• Disposal of unusable material with invoices for tipping fees
• Survey of (5) other sites with existing gear with estimate of gear locations
• Final report outlining all activities, methodologies, and results

Project Meetings

During the assignment, the contractor team will be required to meet with the
Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association as follows:

• in the first week after award of contract. This meeting will clarify all objectives of
the project and review the work plan of the contractor.
• during the project at times as decided during the first meeting, anticipated before
the start of work on each site.
• at the conclusion of the project.
• both the start-up and the end meeting will take place via teleconference.
Teleconference meetings will be required throughout the contract timeframe.

The contractor will provide regular written progress reports to the Newfoundland
Aquaculture Industry Association as agreed to at the first meeting.

The Contractor Team will be required to supply the final report in Microsoft Word.

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Communications

The Contractor Team will provide a single contact name of the senior project manager,
address, telephone and fax numbers and the electronic mail address where the
contractor team can be contacted.

All communications by the Contractor Team should be via email and addressed to:

Darrell Green
Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association
29 – 31 Pippy Place, Suite 3007
St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador
A1B 3X2
Tel: (709) 728-1314
Email: dgreen@naia.ca

The Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association will provide direction to this

assignment through the Project Steering Committee of the Newfoundland Aquaculture
Industry Association.

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 EVALUATION CRITERIA AND CONTRACTOR SELECTION

The grading of the proposals is an integral part of the RFP process. The Newfoundland
Aquaculture Industry Association has decided to describe the selection criteria so that all
bidder/contractors can evaluate their chances of success within reason, given the
current competitive market conditions in the industry.

Appendix 1 (attached) forms the basis of what the evaluation sheet will look like, subject
to possible minor changes. There are 10 attributes that will be judged and graded. Each
attribute is weighed in terms of its importance to the objectives of the RFP.

The Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association reserves the right to request

meetings with any contractor to discuss their proposal in further detail. This will be done
without prejudice to final selection of a contractor.

Size and Format of Proposals

Contractors are expected to submit proposals of a size comparable to the intent of this
RFP, divided into sections that closely parallel the RFP. Contractors should strive to
provide clear responses to issues raised in the RFP in a language that is clear and not
subject to differing interpretations.

Appendices can be attached where appropriate; however, company profiles should be

succinct and concentrate on experience in similar projects.

Contract Control

A contractual agreement will be entered into between the Newfoundland Aquaculture

Industry Association and the contractor for the performance of work. The contractor will
report to the Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association.

All data, photos, presentation materials, technical reports, Intellectual Property, and
related information produced shall be the sole property of the Newfoundland Aquaculture
Industry Association and the contractor shall not publish, release or in any way use this
information, in whole or in part.

Fee Structure

The bids should consist of maximum prices for professional and anticipated expenses. It
should be noted that under no circumstances will any costs in excess of the stated total
costs be considered for payment during the project unless the contractor has been
granted prior approval in writing by the Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association.

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 Appendix 1

CONTRACTOR TEAM EVALUTATION SHEET

(To be used by NAIA and project Steering Committee)

Primary Contractor: Cost of Bid:

Scoring of the Proposal: For each of the components, please provide rating 1-5 where 5
represents the best.

Component Score Weight Total Comments on strengths and

(1-5) weaknesses, rationale for the
score and general notes
Experience of Consultant Team: key 1.5
personnel, experience, references,
qualifications, commitment to
assignment
Sufficient Equipment Resources 1.5

Sufficient Human Resources 1

Proven competence in similar work 1
Proposed liaison with client 1
Proof that the specifies of the RFP 1.5
are understood and addressed
including the proposed
methodology, approach,
receivables, schedule
Cost (Rank the lowest cost as 5 and 1
others ranking 4, 3, 2 in order)
Other (proposal 1.5
comprehensiveness, professional
approach, timelines, etc.)
Total Score 10

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 Appendix 2

Reference: Photos and diagrams of mussel farms and mussel farm gear

Typical mussel farm layouts in NL

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