Request for Quotations: Sea Turtle Excluder Device (TED) Education and On-Site Translation Support Shrimp Trawl Bycatch Reduction

Application Deadline: November 17, 2025 11:59 PM Eastern Time

OVERVIEW

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), seeks qualified Contractors to assist with translation support during education and outreach efforts in the Gulf of America for a Deepwater Horizon Regionwide Trustee Implementation Group (RW TIG) Sea Turtle Restoration Project. The Deepwater Horizon Sea Turtle Early Restoration project is designed to restore sea turtle populations impacted by the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. The project addresses threats to sea turtles on land and in the marine environment and is focused on threat reduction for Kemp's ridley, green, and loggerhead sea turtles. The funding for this contract will provide personnel and translation/interpretation expertise to enhance education efforts related to turtle excluder device (TED) installation on skimmer and otter trawl vessels in and around the Plaquemines Parish area of Louisiana, specifically within Vietnamese and Cambodian communities.

The successful Contractor will be selected through a competitive process that assesses the Contractor's plan for achieving stated work items, technical qualifications, and cost considerations. The award level will be based on the Foundation's evaluation of the proposal and budget documentation and contingent upon
available funding.

The Contract Period of Performance is estimated to be 12 months (including final reporting), with NFWF's option to annually extend for up to an additional two years, for a total period of up to three years.

BACKGROUND

Since 2007, NFWF has partnered with NOAA's Damage Assessment, Remediation, and Restoration Program (DARRP) to implement restoration activities related to injuries from oil spills, vessel groundings and hazardous waste releases. These activities achieve our mutual priorities to further the conservation and management of fish, wildlife and other natural resources.

The comprehensive Deepwater Horizon Sea Turtle Early Restoration Project, as outlined in the Phase IV Early Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessments, contains four complementary components. NOAA is the lead implementation Trustee on the "Gulf of Mexico (now Gulf of America) Shrimp Trawl Bycatch Reduction" component. NOAA is partnering with NFWF to complete the administrative program management activities associated with Shrimp Trawl Bycatch Reduction.

Two geographic areas of interest in Louisiana have been identified by NOAA's Gear Monitoring Team as needing translation and interpretation services to support their ongoing TED outreach and training: 1) Venice, Louisiana, and 2) Empire, Louisiana.

The project goals to be addressed include:

• Targeted outreach to fishers in these communities to invite them to TED training workshops and help them understand the importance of attending
• Facilitated in-person TED training workshops at each location to include both Cambodian language (Khmer) and Vietnamese language interpretation services
• Provide Cambodian (Khmer) and Vietnamese language written translation services for four pages of existing outreach documents
  

SCOPE OF WORK

Activity 1: Written Document Translation
Contractor will provide written translation services for up to four pages of existing written text in both Vietnamese and Cambodian (Khmer) languages. NOAA will provide the written documents needing translation from English. Documents to be provided to both NOAA and NFWF for review and tracking.

Deliverables: Two electronic copies of fully translated documents, one in Vietnamese and one in Cambodian (Khmer) languages, to be used for outreach.

Activity 2: Targeted Outreach
The Contractor will work with NOAA's Gear Monitoring Team to understand the scope of the outreach needed and the targeted communities. The Contractor will develop, for review by NOAA and NFWF prior to implementation, a plan to directly communicate with members of the fishing communities to provide necessary information on this effort and the need for in-person attendance at a workshop. The primary purpose for this outreach is to notify individuals of the in-person TED training opportunities to maximize attendance.

Deliverables: A communications plan for engaging NOAA's priority fishing communities for TED outreach and education, including a summary of the completed outreach activities.

Activity 3: Two In-Person TED Training Workshops
The Contractor will plan and facilitate a minimum of two separate in-person TED training workshops, with at least one occurring in Venice, LA and one in Empire, LA. The Contractor will be responsible for arranging and procuring the location, and will work with NOAA's Gear Monitoring Team and NFWF to prepare and execute the workshops. NOAA's Gear Monitoring Team will lead the technical content of the workshop, relying on the Contractor for all verbal translations and workshop follow-up questions.

Deliverables: The Contractor will provide a Final Report for this work, including a list of participants and summaries of each Workshop conducted.

Schedule: Desired timelines for this contract includes:

Year 1: November 2025 - October 2026*

• November 2025 Contract begins (or as contracting process allows)
• Initial workshops are expected to occur in Louisiana between January and March 2026 (as feasible), additional workshops may be offered later in the year
• Workshop reports are due 60 days after the conclusion of each workshop
• October 31, 2026 - final report due to NFWF

*Timeline for review remains flexible to account for any unforeseen contracting delays or conflicts

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

The contractor must have existing knowledge of, and relationships with, the communities targeted for outreach in this request. The contractor must be fluent in Vietnamese and Cambodian (Khmer) and have the ability to translate written documents into both of those languages. The contractor must have experience coordinating in-person events for members of the commercial fishing industry.

CRITERIA FOR COMPETITIVE APPLICATIONS

Proposals will be evaluated and scored on the following criteria. Offerors should organize their Proposal Narrative based on these sections:

1. Understanding of the Scope of Work. The Scope of Work must demonstrate an understanding of the goals of the activities involved. This section should include a description of how you will communicate with NFWF and program stakeholders and report on progress, results, and deliverables.
   
2. Technical Approach. The proposed technical approach for conducting stranding surveys and stranding response and reporting should clearly describe the proposed methods necessary to conduct the project. The section must demonstrate that those methods are robust and appropriate for conducting the project and address any areas of complexity or uncertainty associated with conducting the project.
   
3. Qualifications of Proposed Personnel. This section should clearly describe which tasks each member of the team will conduct and how their training and experience provide the requisite experience to do so successfully.
   
4. Contractor's Past Performance. The proposal should include information on the primary investigator(s)'s past performance experience in conducting beach surveys and stranding response. List recent (last 2-5 years) accomplishments and previous services related to the technical expertise offered. If subcontractors are to be used, information should be provided that demonstrates their past performance as well. Describe how that past performance is applicable to this evaluation.
   
5. Budget. The proposed budget should itemize work in sufficient detail to enable reviewers to evaluate the appropriateness of the entire funding request. You must use the attached Contractor Budget Template. You may add columns to the template for additional tasks if needed, but should not make any other changes. If applicable, please include the proposed budget for equipment purchase in the proposal separate from the Contractor Budget Template.

ELIGIBLE OFFERORS & CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT

Eligible applicants include institutions of higher education, other nonprofits, commercial organizations, international organizations, and local, state and Indian tribal governments.

By submitting a proposal in response to this solicitation, the offeror warrants and represents that it does not currently have any apparent or actual conflict of interest, as described herein. In the event an offeror currently has, will have during the life of the contemplated contract, or becomes aware of an apparent or actual conflict of interest, in the event an award is made, the offeror must notify NFWF in writing in the Statement of Quotations, or in subsequent correspondence (if the issue becomes known after the submission of the Statement of Quotations) of such apparent or actual conflicts of interest, including organizational conflicts of interest. Conflicts of interest include any relationship or matter which might place the contractor, the contractor's employees, or the contractor's subcontractors in a position of conflict, real or apparent, between their responsibilities under the award and any other outside interests, or otherwise. Conflicts of interest may also include, but are not limited to, direct or indirect financial interests, close personal relationships, positions of trust in outside organizations, consideration of future employment arrangements with a different organization, or decision-making affecting the award that would cause a reasonable person with knowledge of the relevant facts to question the impartiality of the offeror, the offeror's employees, or the offeror's future subcontractors in the matter. Upon receipt of such a notice, the NFWF Contracting Officer will determine if a conflict of interest exists and, if so, if there are any possible actions to be taken by the offeror to reduce or resolve the conflict. Failure to resolve conflicts of interest in a manner that satisfies NFWF may result in the proposal not being selected for award.

By submitting a proposal in response to this solicitation, the Offeror warrants and represents that it is eligible for award of a Contract resulting from this solicitation and that it is not subject to any of the below circumstances:

• Has any unpaid Federal tax liability that has been assessed, for which all judicial and administrative remedies have been exhausted or have lapsed, and that is not being paid in a timely manner pursuant to a Contract with the authority responsible for collecting the tax liability, where the awarding agency is aware of the unpaid tax liability, unless the agency has considered suspension or debarment of the corporation and made a determination that this further action is not necessary to protect the interests of the Government; or
• Was convicted (or had an officer or agent of such corporation acting on behalf of the corporation convicted) of a felony criminal violation under any Federal or State law within the preceding 24 months, where the awarding agency is aware of the conviction, unless the agency has considered suspension or debarment of the corporation and made a determination that this further action is not necessary to protect the interests of the Government; or
• Is listed on the General Services Administration's, government-wide System for Award Management Exclusions (SAM Exclusions), in accordance with the OMB guidelines at 2 C.F.R Part 180 that implement E.O.s 12549 (3 C.F.R., 1986 Comp., p. 189) and 12689 (3 C.F.R., 1989 Comp., p. 235), "Debarment and Suspension, " or intends to enter into any subaward, contract or other Contract using funds provided by NFWF with any party listed on the SAM Exclusions in accordance with Executive Orders 12549 and 12689. The SAM Exclusions instructions can be found here: https://www.sam.gov/SAM/
  

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Proposals must be submitted under the same cover at the same time, in three distinctly labeled and separate documents: 1) Technical Proposal, 2) Budget, and 3) Evidence of Financial Stability. Interested parties should submit proposals electronically to NFWF (Siham Araye, [email protected]; Hannah Lam, [email protected]) using the requirements below:

1. Technical Proposal
   1. Format: Proposals must be provided in Word format or searchable PDF with a font size no smaller than 11 pt.
   2. Contact information: Primary contact person, company name, address, phone, email, website, DUNS number, and EIN/Taxpayer ID#.
   3. Narrative: Concise (10-page limit) description of the work plan and a summary of the applicant's expertise and experience, organized by the Criteria for Competitive Applications.
   4. Biographies: Resumes and/or Vitae of key staff and their role in the proposed work area.
   5. References: List two clients who have received services from the applicant that are similar in nature to the proposed work; include names, phone numbers, and email address.
2. Budget: The budget proposal must be submitted using the following NFWF budget template: https://www.nfwf.org/sites/default/files/2025-10/daarp-contractor-budget-template.xlsx
3. Evidence of Financial Stability: The applicant shall provide proof of financial stability in the form of financial statements, credit ratings, a line of credit, or other financial arrangements sufficient to demonstrate the applicant's capability to meet the requirements of this solicitation.
   

SELECTION PROCEDURE

A panel of NFWF and NOAA staff will review the proposals. Offerors may be asked to modify objectives, work plans, or budgets prior to final approval of the award. Specific funding amounts will be negotiated with NFWF and funding for optional elements will be considered based upon the expressed needs of the Project. As Offerors may apply for 1, 2, or 3 of the requested Areas of Interest, multiple awards may be selected under this RFQ. If multiple institutions are involved within a single application, they should be handled through subcontracts.

SUBMISSION DEADLINES

*Timeline for review remains flexible to account for any unforeseen contracting delays or conflicts