ADVERTISEMENT FOR REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS The Tampa Bay Estuary

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                                           FOR

                            REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS



The Tampa Bay Estuary Program (TBEP) is requesting proposals from qualified

respondents to conduct the following project:



  Development of a Coordinated Watershed Approach for Linking Compensatory

                Mitigation and Tampa Bay Habitat Restoration Goals



Request for proposal instructions and associated proposal documents may be obtained by

contacting Ron Hosler at TBEP, 100 - 8th Avenue S.E., St. Petersburg, Florida 33701,

(727) 892-2765 or ron@tbep.org. Sealed proposals will be received at the above-stated

address until 2:00 p.m. EST, Thursday, January 29, 2009, at which time they will be

publicly opened.



TBEP encourages and promotes the utilization of organizations owned or controlled by

socially and economically disadvantaged, Minority Business Enterprises and Women's

Business Enterprises.



TBEP reserves the right to reject any and all proposals.
                TAMPA BAY ESTUARY PROGRAM
   DEVELOPMENT OF A COORDINATED WATERSHED APPROACH FOR
   LINKING COMPENSATORY MITIGATION AND TAMPA BAY HABITAT
                     RESTORATION GOALS
                    CALL FOR PROPOSALS

  Proposals are due to the TBEP office by 2:00 pm EST on Thursday, January 29, 2009

The Tampa Bay Estuary Program is seeking a broad range of services to assist with the
development of a coordinated watershed approach to compensatory mitigation in the
Tampa Bay watershed. The project will involve the development and pilot
implementation of a federal-state-local partnership to coordinate publicly-funded wetland
habitat restoration, and regulatory compensatory mitigation, activities in the Tampa Bay
watershed.


A summary of the scope of services anticipated includes, but is not limited to, the
following Tasks:

   1. Project Initiation (partners and contractor)
         a. Prepare and submit an EPA-approved Quality Assurance Project Plan
              (QAPP).
         b. Communicate project objectives and partnership commitments.
         c. Establish detailed project schedule, milestones and meeting dates.
         d. Prepare materials for meeting; develop meeting minutes.
   2. Freshwater Wetland Change Analysis (contractor)
         a. Use available aerial photographic and GIS resources to estimate
              freshwater wetland changes (losses and gains) in the Tampa Bay
              watershed from circa 1950 to current.
         b. Quantify wetland changes (losses and gains) by wetland type and by major
              drainage basins.
   3. Goal and Target Setting Workshops (partners and contractor)
         a. Establish freshwater restoration and protection goals at the watershed and
              major drainage basin levels.
         b. Identify and prioritize target freshwater wetland preservation and
              restoration sites within the watershed.
         c. Develop watershed-specific performance standards for compensatory
              mitigation.
   4. Agency Coordination Workshops (partners and contractor)
         a. Develop a coordinated, watershed-wide reporting mechanism and
              protocols for quantitatively documenting permitted wetland impacts and
              wetland gains through publicly-funded restoration and compensatory
              mitigation.
         b. Develop a coordinated, watershed-wide monitoring and assessment
             program for documenting the success of wetland habitat restoration and
             compensatory mitigation projects.
         c. Develop financial mechanisms for cooperative leveraging of public funds
             for habitat restoration.
         d. Develop incentives for private mitigation bank investments in freshwater
             wetland restoration for compensatory mitigation credits.
         e. Draft a Memorandum of Understand/Agreement among the partners.
   5. Final Report Preparation (contractor)
         a. Draft report preparation.
         b. Review of draft report by partners.
         c. Final report preparation.
   6. Contractor Project Management


The duration of the TBEP development of a coordination watershed approach is 21
months. Total cost is estimated at $80,000 – $100,000 with a required in-kind match of
$21,500 from the selected contractor.


Request for proposal instructions and associated proposal documents may be obtained by
contacting Ron Hosler at TBEP, 100 - 8th Avenue S.E., St. Petersburg, Florida 33701,
(727) 893-2765 or ron@tbep.org. Sealed proposals will be received at the above-stated
address until 2:00 p.m. EST, Thursday, January 29, 2009, at which time they will be
publicly opened.