Supporting Response to Dead and Distressed Marine Animals in Maritimes Provinces.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN) is to signal the government’s intention to award a contract for these services to Marine Animal Response Society, 1747 Summer Street, Halifax, NS B3H 3A6. Before awarding a contract, however, the government would like to provide other suppliers with the opportunity to demonstrate that they are capable of satisfying the requirements set out in this Notice, by submitting a statement of capabilities during the ACAN posting period. If other potential suppliers submit a statement of capabilities during this ACAN posting period that meets the requirements set out in the ACAN, the government will proceed to a full tendering process on either GETS or through traditional means, in order to award the contract. If no other supplier submits, on or before the closing date, a statement of capabilities meeting the requirements set out in the ACAN, a contract will be awarded to the pre-selected supplier. BACKGROUND: The purpose of the project entitled “Supporting Response to Dead and Distressed Marine Animals in Maritimes Provinces” is to provide support towards: the operation of a toll-free bilingual reporting call centre; the coordination of marine animal response efforts; the response to marine animal incidents, where possible and safe; the provision of response guidance to other authorized partners; and the collection of basic marine animal incident data and appropriate sharing with DFO to contribute to their Marine Mammal Response Program tracking. This project supports efforts to ensure incidents involving dead and distressed marine animals in the Maritimes Provinces are reported, particularly those involving species currently listed under the Species at Risk Act (SARA), entangled whales and other live and distressed marine animals, and to promote efficiency by reporting to a single hotline. OBJECTIVE The purpose of the project entitled “Supporting Response to Dead and Distressed Marine Animals in Maritimes Provinces” is to provide support for the operation of a toll-free bilingual reporting call centre to enable reporting; to support the coordination of, and response to, marine animal incidents, where possible and safe; to provide response guidance to other authorized partners; and when possible, to support the collection of basic marine animal incident data to inform conservation measures and improve understanding of marine animal species. BACKGROUND, ASSUMPTIONS AND SPECIFIC SCOPE OF THE REQUIREMENT The Marine Animal Response Society is a charitable organization dedicated to marine animal (whales, dolphins, porpoises, sea turtle, sharks and seals) conservation in the Maritimes through response, research and education. The society, formerly known as the Nova Scotia Stranding Network, was established by a group of volunteers in 1990 to monitor and respond to strandings and incidental catches of marine animals. The contractor is required to deliver the project in accordance with the Statement of Work ONLY in situations and conditions considered safe for such delivery. Under no circumstances should the contractor embark on a response effort if environmental/weather conditions or the logistical circumstances are not reasonable and safe given the circumstances of the response activity proposed. The Contractor shall monitor the environmental/weather conditions for changes that render the response operation no longer safe. The contractor must adhere to the Fisheries (General) Regulations Section 52 license issued, Marine Mammal Regulations Section 38 permit issued, SARA permit issued, the Protocol for Liaison with DFO and any other relevant and/or appropriate protocols that may be provided by the DFO.