B -- SPECIES DISTRIBUTION DATABASE FOR PARTS OF NC, NJ, AND NY

Notice Date

January 11, 2001

Contracting Office

U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, Contracts Management Division (MD-33), Attn: ORDSC, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711

ZIP Code

27711

Solicitation Number

RFQ-01-UJRR09

Response Due

January 26, 2001

Point of Contact

Barbara R. Nelson, Contract Specialist, (919)541-4474; McDonald Morrison, (919)541-4364

E-Mail Address

Contact the Contract Specialist at the above e-mail (nelson.barbarar@epa.gov)

Description

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) intends to negotiate a sole source procurement with the Association for Biodiversity Information, Arlington, VA 22209, to provide the EPA with a database of selected animal and plant species distribution information for use by multiple investigators in the Regional Vulnerability Assessment (ReVA) program within EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD). The status of native and non-indigenous species is of concern to EPA by virtue of legislative mandates (e.g., the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the National Environmental Policy Act) to maintain or restore native biodiversity. In its recent report to EPA ORD, the National Research Council (NRC) has identified species diversity as a critical indicator for estimating environmental condition at regional and national scales (NRC 2000). The ReVA program seeks to utilize information on species richness and diversity to help prioritize areas for risk reduction where exposure models indicate significant environmental vulnerability over the next ten to thirty years. The ReVA program is demonstrating this research concept in the U.S. mid-Atlantic region, which encompasses the five states (DE, MD, PA, VA and WV) of EPA Region III and portions of NC, NJ, and NY that share Region III's major watersheds. ReVA currently has access to a high-quality database of species distributions that was compiled for EPA by The Nature Conservancy through its unique associations with state Natural Heritage Programs. These data are extremely valuable for use in ReVA, as they are linked to the sampling hexagons of EPA's Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) and to information on global and state rarity rankings, among other attributes. However, the database covers only EPA Region III. With this contract, ReVA intends to fund the completion of this database for the portions of NC, NJ, and NY that constitute the remainder of the mid-Atlantic study area. Under this project, the contractor shall compile individual species occurrence information for the following taxa: Amphibians (native and exotic), Birds (native and exotic), Fish (native and exotic), Mammals (native and exotic), Reptiles (native and exotic), Butterflies and Skippers (native only), Freshwater Mussels (native only), and Trees (native only) stratified by the 648 km2 EMAP hexagons that lie fully or partially within the following geographic regions: North Carolina's portion of the Albemarle-Pamlico Sound watershed, New Jersey's portion of the Delaware Bay, and New York's portions of the Chesapeake Bay, Delaware Bay, and Allegheny watersheds. The EPA Project Officer will provide the contractor with the boundary of the mid-Atlantic study area as an ArcINFO export file. For each species in each hexagon, the contractor shall include the TNC element code, scientific and common names, origin (native, introduced, etc.), global and state conservation priority ranks, federal status, and other attributed information contained in the existing Region III database. In addition, the contractor shall update the existing database to include current information on federal status and global and state conservation priority ranks. The EPA Project Officer will ensure that the contractor has a copy of the existing Region III database. Also, the contractor shall draft a brief (2-3 pages) document geared to a non-technical audience that suggests appropriate usage and explains the limitations of the species richness database. In particular, the contractor shall address the time-sensitive nature of the ranking system, the coarse resolution of the 648 km2 analysis unit, and the hazards of inferring the existence of sensitive habitats or excellent ecological condition from high species richness counts. The contractor shall, within one year following award of contract, deliver species distribution files for all EMAP hexagons in the geographic regions specified above, revise names file with updated ranks for the EMAP hexagons in EPA Region III, and draft "users' guidelines" for a non-technical audience. Database files shall be submitted in an electronic format consistent with the existing Region III database. The "users' guidelines" shall be submitted in WordPerfect (preferred) or Word format. All interested parties who believe they can provide the required services should fully explain their capabilities in writing within 15 days of the date of this announcement. No Solicitation is available. The intent of this synopsis is to determine if any additional source(s) exist and, therefore, no Request For Proposal (RFP) is available. Consequently, any response(s) failing to provide the aforementioned data but instead choosing to merely submit a routine letter requesting a copy of the RFP will be ignored. Submit response to the U.S. EPA, Attn: Barbara R. Nelson (MD-33), Contracts Management Division, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711. No telephonic or faxed requests will be honored.

Record

Loren Data Corp. 20010116/BSOL001.HTM (W-011 SN50A759)