Page 1 of 29 Narragansett Bay Estuary Program 2017
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Narragansett Bay Estuary Program 2017 Bay and Watershed Research Program REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS Research Projects for Narragansett Bay and Its Watershed September 2017 The New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC), in cooperation with the Narragansett Bay Estuary Program and its partners, is inviting proposals that support the Narragansett Bay Estuary Program through the execution of scientific research projects focused on the Narragansett Bay Watershed. The purpose of this program is to expand the research capabilities of the Estuary Program through the selection of scientific research projects targeting the data gaps and research needs specifically identified in the 2017 State of the Narragansett Bay and Its Watershed Technical Report. These research projects will help address scientific questions about the Narragansett Bay Watershed and inform future reports issued by the Estuary Program including the next version of the technical report, expected to be completed in 2022. Under this request for proposals (RFP), the Bay and Watershed Research Program will result in subawards with the selected applicants in the total amount of approximately $140,000. Key elements in brief: This RFP is open to research and educational institutions of higher learning, individuals, county, municipal, and local subdivisions of state government in both Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut, state and federal (non-EPA) agencies, interstate agencies, tribes, for-profit, and non-profit organizations. The deadline for a two-page pre-proposal is 12:00 (noon) EST on November 14, 2017. The deadline for invited full proposals is 12:00 (noon) EST on January 22, 2018. Projects are anticipated to end no later than June 30, 2019. This RFP includes information on: I. Overview II. Project Goal III. Scope of Work IV. General Guidelines for Applicants V. Proposal Requirements and Review Process VI. Submission Process VII. Proposal Evaluation Process VIII. Notification of Awards IX. Contacts Page 1 of 29 Appendix A. Title Page Format Appendix B. Overall Budget Table Format Appendix C. Task-Based Budget Format Appendix D. Project Evaluation and Scoring Criteria Appendix E. Compiled List of Data Gaps and Research Needs Appendix F. Map of Estuary Program Study Area I. Overview NEIWPCC NEIWPCC is a not-for-profit interstate organization, established by Congress in 1947 to serve and assist its member states individually and collectively by providing coordination, research, public education, training, and leadership in the management and protection of water quality in the New England states and New York. NEIWPCC strives to coordinate activities and forums that encourage cooperation among the states, educate the public about key water quality issues, support research projects, train environmental professionals, and provide overall leadership in the management and protection of water quality. Narragansett Bay Estuary Program Founded in 1985, the Narragansett Bay Estuary Program is one of 28 nationally designated programs operating under the National Estuary Program. This national program was established by the federal Clean Water Act and seeks collaborative solutions to protect and restore the water quality and ecological integrity of estuaries of national significance. NEIWPCC serves as the host entity for the Narragansett Bay Estuary Program. The Narragansett Bay Estuary Program’s mission is to protect and preserve Narragansett Bay and its watershed, in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts, through partnerships that conserve and restore natural resources, enhance water quality, and promote community involvement. II. Project Goal The Bay and Watershed Research Program is designed to support scientific research and monitoring projects that help fill in data gaps and research needs specifically identified in The State of the Narragansett Bay and Its Watershed Technical Report (Technical Report). Accordingly, successful projects will build upon the analysis and findings in the Technical Report and advance the scientific understanding of changes in Narragansett Bay (Bay) and the Narragansett Bay Watershed (Watershed). The Technical Report describes the status and trends for 24 indicators that help to track progress toward the goals to protect, restore, and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Bay and its Watershed. It also identifies the linkages between and among these indicators and describes how those linkages may have changed or could continue to change through time. The Estuary Program will select research projects in order to develop scientific reports for the Program that will augment the findings of the Technical Report, inform future updates to the Technical Report, and contribute to the Estuary Program’s long history of supporting scientific research. The selected projects will enter into subawards with NEIWPCC to complete the scientific research and develop a final report for the Estuary Program. III. Scope of Work The Technical Report includes 24 chapters organized by two groups of indicators: stressor indicators and condition indicators, the latter of which includes aspects of both ecosystem condition and public health. The Bay and Watershed Research Program seeks to support research projects for the benefit of the Narragansett Bay Estuary Program that advance the scientific understanding of the following 24 indicators: Page 2 of 29 Stressor Indicators Climate Change Stressor Indicators Chapter 1. Temperature, Chapter 2. Precipitation, Chapter 3. Sea Level Landscape Stressor Indicators Chapter 4. Population, Chapter 5. Land Use, Chapter 6. Impervious Cover, Chapter 7. Wastewater Infrastructure, Chapter 8. Nutrient Loading Chemical Stressor Indicators Chapter 9. Legacy Contaminants, Chapter 10. Emerging Contaminants Condition Indicators Bay Ecosystem Condition Indicators Chapter 11. Seagrasses, Chapter 12. Salt Marsh, Chapter 13. Benthic Habitat Chapter 14. Estuarine Fish Communities, Chapter 15. Dissolved Oxygen Chapter 16. Chlorophyll, Chapter 17. Water Clarity Watershed Ecosystem Condition Indicators Chapter 18. Water Quality Conditions for Aquatic Life, Chapter 19. Stream Invertebrates Chapter 20. Freshwater Fish Communities, Chapter 21. Open Space Condition Indicators of Public Health Chapter 22. Water Quality Conditions for Recreation, Chapter 23. Marine Beaches, Chapter 24. Shellfishing Areas Each of these 24 chapters includes a section that identifies data gaps and research needs (see the compiled list of these gaps and needs in Appendix E). The goal of the Bay and Watershed Research Program is to develop scientific research reports on behalf of the Estuary Program that specifically address the identified data gaps and research needs or develop reports for the Program that are substantially related to the scientific issues discussed in each chapter. Through this RFP, the selected scientific research projects will focus on the geographic scope of Narragansett Bay and the Narragansett Bay Watershed in the states of Rhode Island and Massachusetts (see the map in Appendix F). While the Technical Report is exclusively focused on this geographic scope, the Narragansett Bay Estuary Program’s study area also includes the Little Narragansett Bay Watershed (Wood-Pawcatuck Rivers) and the Southwest Coastal Ponds Watershed in the states of Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut (see the map in Appendix F). A project’s competitiveness will depend on how well it meets the scoring criteria outlined in Appendix D and priority scoring is provided for those research projects that take place within the geographic scope of Narragansett Bay or the Narragansett Bay Watershed. Accordingly, projects in the Little Narragansett Bay Watershed or the Southwest Coastal Ponds Watershed remain eligible but will receive a lower score under the criteria in Appendix D. IV. General Guidelines for Applicants Eligibility This RFP is open to research and educational institutions of higher learning, individuals, county, municipal, and local subdivisions of state government in both Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut, state and federal (non-EPA) agencies, interstate agencies, tribes, and for-profit and non-profit organizations. Although multiple partners may be involved with a project, a single subawardee will be the recipient of funds, and partners receiving funds through the subawardee will be considered subcontractors. The subawardee will be responsible for the completion of all tasks including those through subcontracted partners. Individuals and representatives from organizations that participated in the development or review of this RFP and its contents may be deemed ineligible to apply according to the Estuary Program’s conflict of interest policies. Page 3 of 29 Schedule The project should take no more than 12 months, with all final reports and paperwork received by March 2019 (short projects) or June 2019 (long projects). However, it is desirable for projects to be completed earlier. The schedule* for this RFP is as follows: Pre-Proposals Due to NEIWPCC November 14, 2017, 12:00 PM EST (noon) Applicants Invited to Submit Full Proposals December 15, 2017 Deadline for Submission of Full Proposals January 22, 2018 (noon) Announcement of Awards February 2018 Project Start Date April 2018 *Schedule is subject to change. Funding Approximately $140,000 in total funding is available for this project and it is anticipated that five to eight projects will be chosen. Should the amount of available funding change, we