RFPS

For resource requirements, this means reasonably detailed requirements for needs including space, equipment, capacity, access that could be used to develop an RFP, a grant application or appropriations request.   

For financial requirements, this means whether it would require regulatory change (state, federal), what changes to fundamental organizations would be required, and reasonably accurate cost estimation (with some justification/information that could inform future revisions of those estimates).  Not a fully fleshed out budget, but a rough ballpark. 

The RFP mentions that SEA Maine participants will assist in the collection of relevant data, in making introductions to sector members, and in the identification of data sources. What level of effort and staff at SEA Maine is expected to support this project?  

Related: Is there any concern for “stakeholder fatigue” due to the past engagement activities within the purview of SEA Maine? Are first, second and third tier stakeholders still engaged? 

MDF, the project manager, will serve as a liaison to the SEA Maine participants, who may be able to respond directly with data or resources and/or have access to additional industry members and can facilitate connections to certain sectors in partnership with the successful respondent. MDF/SEA Maine participants are willing to facilitate the execution of the project, including making introductions, but beyond any basic assistance and liaising, we would need to see the specifics spelled out in the proposal before we could give any further details about level of involvement, and this could be addressed in the negotiation process on the cost of the project. We also don’t foresee that any one member of SEA Maine would be a key contributor to the study.  

Stakeholder fatigue is a factor. We assume that a lot of information for the needs assessment can be gleaned either from existing studies or from engagement with SEA Maine participants, industry associations (MAA, MCFA, MLA), or key industry partners, as outlined above. It also depends on the methodology of the study.  We would be able to facilitate and assist with whatever approach you are using, within reason and as negotiated during contracting (see above). 

What is the desired planning horizon for this study? Is it sufficient to plan for the industry’s needs 5, 10, 20 years (or some other number) into the future?

10 to 15 years is the broadly desired range, though there is some interest in a 5 to 10-year range that might surface smaller solutions to more pressing needs.

What recommendations from the Marine Living Resource Needs and Opportunities in Transportation and Logistics report have moved forward?  For example, according to the report “Our study shows that members of the seafood industry expressed a desire for a solution such as a trucking cooperative in Maine, especially one designed to serve smaller harvesters and dealers.”  Is this recommendation in progress?  Are others?

No recommendations have moved forward, not in any comprehensive way.

Has funding been secured for this project or could funding for this project be impacted by the current administration change in priorities?

We are not aware at this time of any changes to the funding or the project.

Is there interest in combining this study with the desire to explore the circular economy opportunities and gaps (waste stream residuals, non-biological residuals, etc.) as part of this study/report?

This needs to be very focused on providing concrete recommendations for infrastructure implementation. To the extent that there may be benefit for considering the circular economy opportunities that might impact the prioritization and value of those recommendations, you are welcome to include that in your proposal.

According to the RFP, “Maine Development Foundation will serve as the project manager for SEA Maine, will coordinate the RFP and selection process, and will serve as the primary contact for the winning consultant”. Will all communications regarding the project, data requests, stakeholder coordination, invoicing, and contract negotiations be handled by the Maine Development Foundation? 

Yes, MDF will be the facilitator for all communication, timeline, payment, and any other logistics.

Do the Cover, table of contents, or Cover Letter count towards page maximum?

No.

Will SEA Maine and the Maine Development Foundation be able to provide the GIS data and statistics available in the items listed in the SEA Maine Reports and Tools page at the start of the project, such as the information in the “Marine Living Resource Needs and Opportunities in Transportation and Logistics Report” and the “Maine Living Resources Dashboard” in a format that is ready to use (e.g., editable GIS files, Excel spreadsheets)? Or will the data need to be requested from partners? 

The data will need to be provided by the partners who performed that study and created the dashboard.