SOURCES SOUGHT
C -- Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Support
- Notice Date
- 8/18/2009
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541620
— Environmental Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army Engineer District, Buffalo, 1776 Niagara St., Buffalo, New York, 14207-3199
- ZIP Code
- 14207-3199
- Solicitation Number
- W912P4-09-S-0024
- Point of Contact
- Jeffrey G. Ernest, Phone: 7168794173
- E-Mail Address
-
jeffrey.g.ernest@usace.army.mil
(jeffrey.g.ernest@usace.army.mil)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- The Buffalo District is currently soliciting potential sources to support the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). The focus areas of GLRI are outlined below. The Government anticipates awarding 2 - 4 A&E IDIQ contracts to support this requirement with an ordering period of 5 years and a maximum ordering amount under each contract of $12M. The majority of the work will be performed within the boundaries of the Buffalo, Detroit, and Chicago Districts. Request interested sources provide an overview of its qualifications/experience as it relates to the focus areas below. Please keep submissions under 15 pages if possible. A brief overview indicating why your company would be an appropriate source for these requirements would be appreciated within the 15 pages. As a reminder, this is a sources sought and not a solicitation. FOCUS AREAS I. Toxic Substances and Areas of Concern While certain persistent toxic substances have been significantly reduced in the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem over the past 30 years, they continue to be present at levels above those considered safe for humans and wildlife, warranting fish consumption advisories in all five Lakes. Indigenous communities that still live off the land in the basin are particularly vulnerable to fish contamination. Continuing sources of persistent toxic substances include releases from contaminated bottom sediments; industrial and municipal point sources; nonpoint sources including atmospheric deposition, agricultural and urban runoff, and contaminated groundwater; and cycling of the chemicals within the Lakes. Efforts to restore the degraded conditions in the 30 US Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AOCs) are underway, but much more needs to be done, including the remediation of an estimated 43 million cubic yards of legacy contaminated sediments which are a primary source of beneficial use impairments in virtually all the AOCs. In addition to the well-known persistent toxics like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), mercury and banned pesticides, there are chemicals of emerging concern that have been detected in the Great Lakes over the past several years which may pose threats to the health of the ecosystem, including many product related materials such as pharmaceuticals and personal care constituents for which there is very little environmental information. To protect human and ecosystem health against future threats, these substances must be better understood with respect to their potential hazards and routes of exposure, and effective regulatory and management responses must be deployed in a timely fashion. II. Invasive Species Progress toward restoring the Great Lakes has been significantly undermined by the effects of non-native invasive species. Over 180 non-native species now exist in the Great Lakes. The most invasive of these propagate and spread, ultimately degrading habitat, out-competing native species, and short-circuiting food webs. Prevention is the most cost-effective approach to dealing with organisms that have not arrived and could potentially threaten the lakes. New invasive species can be introduced into the Great Lakes region through various pathways, including: commercial shipping, canals and waterways, trade of live organisms, and activities of recreational and resource users. Once invasive species establish a foothold in the Great Lakes, they are virtually impossible to eradicate; however, invasive species still need to be controlled to maintain the health of the Great Lakes ecosystem. Advanced technology and innovative management practices can significantly reduce the cost of control. Prevention and control efforts must be accelerated in order to prevent new introductions and to minimize the further spread of the organisms to inland lakes, the Mississippi River watershed, and beyond. Federal Agencies will need to work with their partners in state, tribal, and local governments, academic institutions, industry, and non-governmental organizations to: 1. Stop the introduction of new non-native invasive species into the Great Lakes through enhanced prevention programs. 2. Control and reduce the spread of invasives species already here through innovative technology and enhanced on-the-ground efforts. 3. Establish early detection and rapid response capabilities to deal with accidental introductions. III. Nearshore Health and Nonpoint Source Pollution The nearshore waters of the Great Lakes are a primary source of drinking water, supplier of fish for both personal and commercial benefit, and a recreational outlet for millions of U.S. residents and visitors. Nearshore water quality has become degraded; however, as evidenced by eutrophication resulting from excessive nutrients; hazardous algal blooms; cladophora washing ashore to make unsightly, odiferous rotting mats on beaches; avian botulism; and beach closings. The environmental stressors causing these problems include excessive nutrient loadings from both point and nonpoint sources; bacteria and other pathogens responsible for outbreaks of botulism and beach closures; development and shoreline hardening which disrupt habitat and alter nutrient and contaminant runoff; and agricultural practices which increase nutrient and sediment loadings. Many of the point sources of pollution to the Great Lakes have been controlled. Nonpoint sources are now the primary contributors of many pollutants to the Lakes and their tributaries. The complexity of the pollutants and their presence in soil, water and air make pollution abatement for nonpoint sources particularly difficult to address. Control strategies to date have failed to deliver the degree of stream and lake restoration necessary for the protection and maintenance of the Great Lakes. IV. Habitat and Wildlife Protection and Restoration The health of Great Lakes habitats and wildlife depends upon the protection and restoration of ecosystems: the Great Lakes, the coastline, wetlands, rivers, and watersheds. Humans benefit from healthy ecosystems. Healthy Great Lakes, for example, provide us with clean drinking water; rare wildlife populate a variety of unique coastline habitats; wetlands help control floodwaters; rivers transport sediments, nutrients and organic materials throughout the watershed; forests provide oxygen while reducing erosion and sedimentation; and, upland habitats produce topsoil and habitats for pollinators and bio-control agents. Fully resilient ecosystems buffer the impacts of climate change. A multitude of threats affect the health of Great Lakes habitats and wildlife. Habitat destruction and degradation due to development; competition from invasive species; the alteration of natural lake level fluctuations and flow regimes from dams and other control structures; toxic compounds from urban development, poor land management practices and non-point sources; and, habitat fragmentation have impacted habitat and wildlife. This has led to an altered food web, a loss of biodiversity, and poorly functioning ecosystems. V. Accountability, Monitoring, Evaluation, Communication, and Partnerships The Great Lakes Restoration effort requires additional oversight and coordination to succeed. There are gaps in baselines and in efforts to measure and monitor key indicators of ecosystem function, to evaluate restoration progress, and to provide the information decision-makers need. This information needs to be based on best available science, and compiled and communicated consistently to decision-makers to allow them to assess ecosystem conditions and to track restoration progress. Outreach and education is also needed to educate the public on the role they can play in protecting and restoring the Great Lakes - and why it is crucial to do so. Information must also flow both ways - the governments need to hear from the stakeholders about priorities most critical to them and factor in these comments as appropriate. The Great Lakes span many different government jurisdictions along with their regulatory agencies and authorities: two countries, eight U.S. states, two Canadian provinces, 83 U.S. counties, thousands of cities and towns, 33 U.S. tribal governments and over 60 recognized First Nations in Canada. Through the 1909 Boundary Waters Treaty with Canada, the related Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, and a host of other institutional arrangements, this region has a long history of governments at all levels working in partnership to protect and restore the Great Lakes. Federal coordination efforts have been greatly improved through efforts of the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force and its Regional Working Group. Binational efforts continue through the Binational Executive Committee which oversees the U.S. and Canada's actions to implement the provisions of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. These partnerships must continue and be further strengthened in order to address the complex issues faced by the Great Lakes. Effective public outreach and education strategies must be developed and implemented.
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