In November of 2017, BPA solicited competitive bids for the continued implementation of BPA's Programmatic Action Effectiveness Monitoring Program (AEM) to ensure the procurement of the best professional services at the best price.  BPA issued a formal Request for Offers (RFO) Number 4201 and several proposals were reviewed and evaluated by an interdisciplinary BPA Fish and Wildlife Program team.

Cramer Fish Sciences (CFS) was selected to continue implementation of the AEM Program in January of 2018 (formal award notification letter attached to the project and contract). In January of 2018 contract 78579 was awarded to CFS for FY 2018 as the base year with the potential to exercise option years for up to five years, if peformance is satisfactory, through FY 2023.  The initial contract and all potential option years are firm fixed price contracts which demonstrate predictable and stable spending each fiscal year.

The FY 2019 contract represented the first option year as described in the CFS business proposal that is attached to this project and contract.  The FY 2020 contract represents the second option year.  Option years must be exercised as contract amendments (CCRs) instead of new contracts (CRs) based on the structure established in the competitive contract bidding and award process.  The initial FY 2018 contract 78579 is the base contract that may be extended for up to five years without further competition if performance remains satisfactory.  

Contract Objectives
•Implement and adaptively manage BPA’s Programmatic Action Effectiveness Monitoring Program (AEM) to evaluate the effectiveness of habitat improvement actions implemented under the Northwest Power and Conservation Council (NPCC) Fish and Wildlife Program for the benefit of steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and Chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha) within the Upper Columbia, Middle Columbia, and Snake River Chinook Evolutionary Significant Units (ESU) and steelhead Distinct Population Segments (DPS)
•Serve as an independent third party to evaluate project level effectiveness in an efficient, standardized, and statistically valid manner instead of monitoring the hundreds of individual habitat improvement projects that are implemented throughout the Columbia Basin each year
•Quantify localized habitat and fish abundance and distribution changes that may result from the implementation of habitat improvement actions
•Cramer Fish Sciences will provide written answers to the following questions:
o What is the effect of different action types on habitat at the reach or project scale?
o What is the effect of different action types on fish and other aquatic organisms, such as macroinvertebrates, at the reach or project scale?
o For each action type, why do some projects result in greater habitat and biological changes than others?
o Are greater habitat and biological changes detected in some geographic areas (ESU or DPS)?
•Continuously inform habitat improvement action prioritization based on annual results


Under the initial 2018 contract Cramer Fish Sciences (CFS) completed the following:

1. Identify and conduct site visits to confirm MBACI and EPT sites to be monitored in the 2018 field season
2. Monitor and collect fish and habitat data, in summer and potentially winter, for up to 15 riparian planting, invasive plant removal, floodplain reconnection, and partial barrier projects funded by BPA
3. Summarize, analyze, and report on the effectiveness of the above projects evaluated in the 2018 field season
4. Begin site reconnaissance for riparian projects to be evaluated in 2019
5. Participate in meetings to coordinate AEM activities and assure consistency of monitoring protocols

Under the 2019 option year one contract extension Cramer Fish Sciences (CFS) completed the following:

1. Identify and conduct site visits to confirm MBACI and EPT sites to be monitored in the 2019 field season
2. Monitor and collect fish and habitat data, in summer and potentially winter, for up to 15 riparian planting, invasive plant removal, floodplain reconnection, and partial barrier projects funded by BPA
3. Summarize, analyze, and report on the effectiveness of the above projects evaluated in the 2019 field season
4. Begin site reconnaissance for floodplain reconnection projects to be evaluated in 2020
5. Participate in meetings to coordinate AEM activities and assure consistency of monitoring protocols

Under the 2020 option year two contract extension Cramer Fish Sciences (CFS) completed the following:

1. Identify and conduct site visits to confirm MBACI and EPT sites to be monitored in the 2020 field season
2. Monitor and collect fish and habitat data for floodplain reconnection, and partial barrier projects funded by BPA
3. Summarize, analyze, and report on the effectiveness of the above projects evaluated in the 2020 field season
4. Begin site reconnaissance for floodplain reconnection projects to be evaluated in 2021
5. Participate in meetings to coordinate AEM activities and assure consistency of monitoring protocols

Under the 2021 option year three contract extension Cramer Fish Sciences (CFS) completed the following:
1. Identify and conduct site visits to confirm MBACI and EPT sites to be monitored in the 2021 field season
2. Monitor and collect fish and habitat data for floodplain reconnection, and partial barrier projects funded by BPA
3. Summarize, analyze, and report on the effectiveness of the above projects evaluated in the 2021 field season
4. Begin site reconnaissance for floodplain reconnection projects to be evaluated in 2022
5. Participate in meetings to coordinate AEM activities and assure consistency of monitoring protocols

Under this 2022 option year four contract extension Cramer Fish Sciences (CFS) will:
1. Identify and conduct site visits to confirm MBACI and EPT sites to be monitored in the 2022 field season
2. Participate in meetings to coordinate AEM activities and assure consistency of monitoring protocols
3. Finish monitoring and the collection of fish and habitat data for floodplain reconnection, and partial barrier projects funded by BPA
4. Summarize, analyze, and report on the effectiveness of the above projects evaluated in the 2022 field season
5. Complete a final synthesis and lessons learned report to conclude Phase I of the AEM Program