NC27-123 Wilson's Phalarope Conservation Agreement and Strategy Development

The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) and the Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office of the Utah Department of Natural Resources (PLPCO) are seeking proposals from qualified professionals to lead the development of a Conservation Agreement and Strategy (CAS) for Wilson's Phalarope (Phalaropus tricolor).

The goal of the CAS is to develop a coordinated, science-based framework for conserving Wilson's Phalarope and the network of saline lake habitats on which the species depends. The CAS will identify conservation needs, threats, actions, monitoring priorities, and opportunities for collaboration among agencies, organizations, researchers, water managers, landowners, and other stakeholders.

It is anticipated that this RFP will result in a single contract award to the responsive and responsible vendor with the highest score justified by the procurement code.

The contractor will lead development of a Conservation Agreement and Strategy for Wilson's Phalarope.

The contractor will work with UDWR, PLPCO, and conservation partners to develop the CAS through a collaborative process. The contractor may need to lead or participate in stakeholder meetings, technical working groups, individual partner meetings, and other discussions necessary to develop the strategy.

The contractor will be responsible for project coordination, scientific information management, stakeholder engagement, and preparation of the CAS.

Major tasks will include:

• Develop and maintain a detailed project schedule for completion of the CAS.
• Coordinate meetings, conference calls, webinars, and other partner communications associated with CAS development.
• Compile, organize, and review existing scientific information, conservation plans, monitoring reports, datasets, and other relevant information concerning Wilson's Phalarope and the western saline-lake network.
• Identify important sites and habitat areas and evaluate their importance to Wilson's Phalarope during different portions of the annual cycle.
• Identify data gaps and priority research questions needed to improve conservation planning.
• Facilitate development of conservation goals, objectives, strategies, and actions for Wilson's Phalarope.
• Identify responsible parties, potential funding sources, implementation timelines, and measurable outcomes for proposed conservation actions.
• Obtain documented commitments and responsibilities agreed upon by participating agencies and partners.

Project Deliverables

• Project Schedule and Work Plan
• Stakeholder Coordination: current CAS stakeholder/contact list, meeting agendas and materials, meeting notes, summaries, and action-item tracking as appropriate, and stakeholder outreach and communication materials.
• Draft Wilson's Phalarope Conservation Agreement and Strategy.
• Revised draft incorporating technical and stakeholder review.
• Final Wilson's Phalarope Conservation Agreement and Strategy.
• Additional Species Assessment, Where Appropriate
• Electronic copies of all final documents, datasets, meeting materials, and other project products developed under the contract.

**Length of Contract:** Period of performance to complete the scope of work is **12 months**. All costs should reflect 12 months of work, but the contract will be issued for **18 months** to accommodate final invoicing, administrative closeout, and logistics.

Vendor must guarantee its pricing for entire contract.

The total budget for consultant services will be not to exceed **$75,000** for the 12-month contract period.

For ease of evaluation, all RFP responses must provide a point-by-point response, addressing in detail each area of the technical requirements. The vendor with the lowest total cost will receive 100% of the total cost points. The formula to compute the points is: Cost Points x (Lowest Proposed Price/Proposed Price).

Pursuant to UCA 63G-6a-707(7), the cost response will be evaluated independently from the technical response; and as such, must be submitted separately from the technical response.

All questions must be submitted through U3P during the question and answer period.