NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS; Bird population assessment at Boquerón wildlife refuge, cabo rojo.

1. Introduction: the Boquerón Wildlife Refuge (BWR) is home to many unique species of wildlife. The BWR is was part of the 2,000-acre of Boquerón State Forest, and it is managed by the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER). The BWR is located at the southwestern corner of Puerto Rico Island, was created in the 1960’s to compensate for the loss of natural open water areas that provided habitat to native and migratory waterfowl, and now serves the purpose of restoration, conservation, and enhancement of waterfowl and fishery resources. It is a 460-acre man-made water impoundment that discharges into the Rincón Lagoon bay, through a series of drainage canals and floodgates.

2. Justification: the BWR is considered the main waterfowl hunting ground in Puerto Rico. Which implies the management of the area for such purpose. Therefore it is vital to estimate the population of waterfowl and describe their condition. Otherwise the resource could be overexploited.

3. Approach: planning and design monthly monitoring (within a year) of the native and migratory aquatic bird population within the BWR impoundment to estimate species composition, abundance, and habitat preferences. For the purposes of this project bird census protocol will be Distance Sampling Method (Thomas et al., 1998). Environmental variables, such as salinity (ppt), dissolved oxygen (mg/1), and water levels should be monitored in-situ.

Reports: the contractor will be responsible for preparing a quarterly reports and one annual report. Quarterly report should include information about project progress and management recommendations. Results will be disseminated among hunters and user by short talk.

IV. Contractor Expectations

• Task descriptions: The contractor will be responsible to coordinate the scope of work with the refuge manager and stakeholders.

• Insurance: The contractor must formalize public liability insurance with a first endorsement in favor of DNER and a second endorsement in favor of the Government of Puerto Rico, which must be delivered to the DNER before the contract is granted. The contractor will be responsible, in addition, for any damage related to the rendering of its services, and will keep it free of risks and relieves the DNER of responsibility for damage to equipment, persons, employees or their representatives, resulting from the execution of the services covered in the contract.  

5. Format and Required Content of the proposal: the proposer must submit a

proposal that includes at least the following elements:

• Cover letter detailing the field experience in scientific methods.

• The contractor must provide evidence of all authorizations (i.e. licenses and

certifications) to operate its business in Puerto Rico.

• The proposal must be written on a computer, with a font size 12, Times New

Roman and 1.5 spaced.

VI. Other requirements:

• Proponents must comply with all contracting requirements with the

Government of Puerto Rico, in accordance with current and applicable

law.

• The proponents that were selected are committed to comply with the

provisions of Act No. 84 of June 18, 2002, through which it is established

the Code of Ethics for Contractors, Suppliers and Incentive Applicants

Economics of the Government Agencies of Puerto Rico.

VII. Evaluation Criteria for Proposals:

CRITERIA	EVALUATED ITEMS	SCORE
Working Plan	Ability to perform the required works, a comprehensive work plan, including detailed itinerary.	40
Compliance	Regarding compliance with state regulations (license or certifications to practice your profession in Puerto Rico) and applicable federal detailed content	10
Experience	Previous experience	20
Budget justification	Offer Amount proposed	30

VIII. Important dates:

DATES	OBLIGATION
2 June 2020	Proposal request announcement
16 June, 2020	Period of Questions and Answers
23 June, 2020	Final Date, Delivery of Proposals

IX. Delivery and Shipping Requirements:

• Proposals will not be accepted after the established delivery date (23 June,

2020). Please notify as soon as possible the intention to participate by writing an email addressed to: eortega@drna.pr.gov

• The proposal in original may be delivered to: Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales P. O. Box 366147 San Juan, Puerto Rico 00936. Also proposals will be accepted through mail electronic sent to: eortega@drna.pr.gov

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