Request for Information - Hydrology and Methylmercury and Water Quality

The Request for Information seeks input on draft scopes of work related to hydrology, geomorphology, peatland river systems, and methylmercury contamination in aquatic ecosystems within the Ring of Fire Regional Assessment Area of Canada. This initiative, managed by the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada, aims to gather industry feedback to inform future procurement planning, with no contract expected to result directly from this RFI. The work is divided into two technical streams: one focused on ecohydrological thresholds and the impacts of ground ice and peatland drainage, and the other on methylmercury risk zones, bioaccumulation pathways, and climate change influences, both requiring integration of Western science and Indigenous knowledge under OCAP principles for data sovereignty. All deliverables—including methodology plans, draft and final reports, virtual community interviews, a summary video, and geospatial data in Shapefile, GDB, and CSV formats—must be bilingual, accessible per the Accessible Canada Act, and compliant with ISO 19115 metadata standards. Work will be conducted virtually, with up to two in-person meetings scheduled in Thunder Bay, Timmins, or Toronto, and no security clearance is required, though on-site access for personnel entails screening and ID protocols. Deliverables must be submitted electronically without physical packaging except where absolutely necessary, and any printing must use double-sided, Ecologo-certified recycled paper with no single-use plastics. Travel costs will be reimbursed per the National Joint Council Travel Directive, with no overhead or profit allowed. Responses are due by May 22, 2026, and should be emailed to the Contracting Authority. While no formal evaluation criteria, weights, or award basis are defined, the RFI emphasizes environmental sustainability aligned with Treasury Board Green Procurement Policy and requires full adherence to Indigenous data rights. No contract value is specified, nor are any socioeconomic, size, or entity identifiers requested, reinforcing that this is purely an information-gathering tool to guide future efforts, with all submissions treated as advisory and non-binding.