Background:

In May of 2008, Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), along with the other action agencies (the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation) entered into Columbia Basin Fish Accord agreements with four tribes, including the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR).   The Accord Memoranda of Agreement (MOAs) represent a 10-year commitment for fish recovery, with an emphasis on actions for strengthening Columbia River Basin salmon and steelhead stocks but with attention to other species important to the tribes such as lamprey and freshwater mussels.  In October 2018, the CTUIR renewed the Accord agreement for four more years through the Accord Extensions MOA to continue CTUIR projects including this Accord Administration and Coordination Project.  In 2022, the Accord Agreement was again extended and this contract work falls under this latest agreement.

The additional actions in the MOAs will build on the hydro, habitat and hatchery actions in NOAA Fisheries' biological opinions for listed salmon and steelhead.  These agreements will promote a collaborative relationship between the parties.  It is hoped that enhanced overall fish restoration efforts in the region will make mitigation for the hydro system significantly more effective through a common approach as well as greatly assist the tribes in achieving their fisheries restoration goals.

The CTUIR is annually implementing 19+ Accord contracts for work related to habitat enhancement, fish passage improvement, hatchery supplementation and monitoring & evaluation.   In addition, numerous subcontract agreements are necessary to implement project work.  The CTUIR contract administration and management effort required to successfully implement all these efforts is significant and is the subject of this contract.

Purpose of this Contract:

This contract will pull funds from multiple Accord projects.  Administrative and program director staff time that once was separated between various projects will now be captured under this contract, allowing for better tracking of actual administrative and management duties associated with implementation of the Accord.  Specific Accord projects and staff duties associated with these projects are described within the SOW.