Marine Protected Areas (MPA’s) and Marine Refuges (MR’s) vessel charter

Marine Protected Areas (MPA’s) and Marine Refuges (MR’s) in Newfoundland and Labrador help protect important species and promote their survival and recovery (e.g. Greenland shark in Hopedale Saddle MR, Atlantic cod in Hawke Channel), their habitats and ecosystems, including unique and significant aggregations of corals. The list below identifies key areas where we would be interested in conducting research during the term of the contract. • Northeast Newfoundland Slope Closure (MR) • Funk Island Deep Closure (MR) • Hawke Channel Closure (MR) • Hopedale Saddle Closure (MR) • Hatton Basin (MR) • Nunatsiavut areas of conservation interest Other areas of conservation interest within the Newfoundland and Labrador NAFO zones and up to adjacent MPAs or MRs to Newfoundland and Labrador’s NAZO zones. Conditional Set-aside under the Federal Government Procurement Strategy for Indigenous Business (PSIB) This is an open tender. However, it will be conditionally set-aside under the Government of Canada’s Procurement Strategy for Indigenous Business (PSIB) if two or more bids have been received by Indigenous businesses who are certified under the Procurement Strategy for Indigenous Business (PSIB) criteria and who may be listed in the Government of Canada’s Indigenous Business Directory (https://www.sac-isc.gc.ca/eng/1100100033057/1610797769658). If your Indigenous business is not yet registered in the Indigenous Business Directory, please do so at the link provided above. If bids from two (2) or more Indigenous businesses are compliant with the terms of the Request for Proposal, the contracting authority will limit the competition to those Indigenous businesses and will not consider bids from any non-Indigenous businesses that may have been submitted. If the bids from the Indigenous businesses are found to be non-compliant or non-responsive or are withdrawn, such that fewer than two (2) compliant bids from Indigenous businesses remain, bids from all of the non-Indigenous businesses that had submitted bids will then be considered by the contracting authority.