26-422DNR-RESCO-B-51196 | DNR mussel surveys on Mississippi, Illinois and Rock rivers in Illinois

The State of Illinois Department of Natural Resources is soliciting bids under contract ORC51196 for qualitative mussel surveys across the Mississippi, Illinois, and Rock Rivers. The selected vendor will conduct a minimum of 100 surveys across six specific river reaches, utilizing visual and tactile methods primarily through diving. Each survey locale requires 20 person-minutes of search effort, with a requirement to collect all live mussels and representative dead shells. Deliverables include a comprehensive report and data file featuring species identification, photography, DNA swabs, and habitat assessments. The contract period runs from the date of final signature through January 31, 2028, with a maximum total term not to exceed ten years. The contract will be awarded to the lowest priced responsive and responsible bidder. Bidders must submit pricing through the BidBuy portal for the first 100 surveys and for each subsequent survey. Compliance requirements include maintaining general commercial liability of 1,000,000 dollars per occurrence and auto liability of 1,000,000 dollars, as well as adhering to the Illinois Procurement Code and prevailing wage laws. All work is considered work for hire, granting the State of Illinois sole and exclusive ownership of the resulting data and reports. Invoicing occurs upon contract completion unless otherwise tied to specific milestones, and all submissions must be handled electronically via the BidBuy system to be considered valid.