Gladstone Healthy Harbour Partnership (GHHP) Scope of Works for
Scope of Work: ISP014 Gladstone Healthy Harbour Partnership (GHHP) Scope of Works for Project ISP014: Developing the coral indicators for the Gladstone Harbour Report Card. Proposals due by COB 30 April 2015 Source of funds – Gladstone Healthy Harbour Partnership Project administrator – Fitzroy Basin Association Inc. Dated: 02 April 2015 1 Scope of Work: ISP014 1. PURPOSE This document outlines the scope of works for a project focused on the development of coral indicator data and report card scores for the Gladstone Healthy Harbour Partnership’s (GHHP) annual harbour report card. The requirements of this project are to: 1. Identify and establish long term coral monitoring sites within the Gladstone Harbour area. 2. Develop coral health indicators, baselines and a suitable scoring system for report card use. 3. Develop a program for ongoing annual coral monitoring and reporting. The project will be the first of two phases and will comprise project development and reporting for the 2015 Gladstone Harbour Report Card. A separately contracted second phase will consist of the ongoing annual monitoring and reporting. 2. INTRODUCTION The Gladstone Healthy Harbour Partnership (GHHP), advised by an Independent Science Panel (ISP), intends to define and track the health of Gladstone Harbour and enable effort prioritisation towards identified improvement activities by developing a whole-of system report card to expand on the 2014 Pilot Report Card. The GHHP is a forum to bring together parties (including community, industry, science, government, statutory bodies and management) with a vision to maintain, and where necessary, improve the health of Gladstone Harbour. The guiding principles of the partnership are open, honest and accountable management, annual reporting of the health of Gladstone Harbour and management recommendations and action to be based on rigorous science and strong stakeholder engagement. The role of the ISP is to provide independent scientific advice, and review and direct research to ensure that the environmental, social and economic challenges of policy, planning and action to achieve the GHHP vision and are supported by credible science. In 2014, the GHHP decided upon a framework for the Gladstone Harbour Report Card (Report Card Framework). This framework outlines the four components of the report card; environmental, cultural, economic and social aspects of harbour health. The report card was piloted in 2014 and the first Gladstone Harbour Report Card will be released in late 2015 and annually thereafter. During the pilot year some monitoring programs were developed for the report card. This included developing and trialling some report card indicators and indicator reference conditions, monitoring strategies for novel datasets and undertaking statistical assessment to refine the report card scoring methodology. In addition, the approach to communicating the report card was trialled during 2014, with the release of a pilot report card for consultation with Gladstone Harbour stakeholders on 4 December 2014. In parallel to the above activities, a Gladstone Harbour Model is under development and due to be completed in 2016. This project will deliver an end-to-end package of models comprised of bio-physical, ecological, economic, cultural and social parameters, to provide the GHHP with a scenario analysis tool to guide responses to the annual report card results. 2 Scope of Work: ISP014 Indicators developed through the present project will inform the coral health score of the report card under habitats sub-component (Figure 1). The coral indicator results will be made available to the public with the release of the report card. Figure 1: The four components of the Gladstone Harbour Report Card and the indicator groups associated with each. 3 Scope of Work: ISP014 3. DETAILED SCOPE OF WORK Establishment of long term coral monitoring sites The Gladstone Harbour report card area covers 13 reporting zones (Attachment 1) and will be the primary area of interest for the development of and reporting on coral indicators. A wide range of reef habitat types are present within the report card area (see BMT WBM Pty Ltd 2009, 2013, Sea Research 2012 and DHI 2013 for recent reviews and more detailed coral mapping). These reefs include fringing, platform, headland reefs and rubble fields comprised of both hard and soft corals (BMT WBM 2013). DHI (2013) recorded coral reefs in the intertidal zones surrounding Facing Island and Seal Rocks where suitable substrate was available and sufficient light penetration occurred. That study also indicated that coral communities were abundant within deeper channels (>5m) in The Narrows, and around Passage Island and North Passage. Regions of hard and soft coral have also been recorded along the northern edge of Hummock Hill Island and limited coral reef development has also been identified in Rodds Bay (DHI 2013). This report also suggested that there were likely to be additional unmapped coral communities within Port Curtis. However as described below the monitoring required for this project will be restricted to representative reefs that can demonstrate changes over time to corals in Gladstone Harbour The successful contractor will be required to identify and establish coral monitoring sites that will be suitable for long-term annual monitoring, yield sufficient data to identify change over time and that will be suitable for the coral indicators developed for this project. The proponent will be required to collaborate with the GHHP ISP (or delegates) and GHHP’s statistical consultant to determine appropriate indicator(s), scoring / grading methodologies and an interpretation scheme in relation to harbour health. Development of coral indicators Coral reef communities within the Gladstone Harbour report card zone may be impacted by natural processes including, floods, storms and biological interactions as well as historical and current human activity, including land use within the catchment area, dredging and other port related activities (BMT WBM 2013). Indicators of coral reef health are required to document changes over time in relation to these natural and anthropogenic pressures, or in response to management actions aimed at improving the health of Gladstone Harbour. The ISP has shortlisted the following indicators of coral health for consideration: • Percentage of live coral cover. • Macro algae cover (within coral monitoring sites / transects). • Taxonomic composition genus level or form. • Number of juvenile coral colonies. Additional data collected could include percentage of bleached and dead coral cover within monitored sites. 4 Scope of Work: ISP014 Comparisons with other inshore reefs outside of Gladstone Harbour may also provide valuable contextual information useful in the interpretation of trends in coral health within the Gladstone Harbour area. Consideration should be given to the use of coral monitoring and reporting methodologies that are compatible with current programs (e.g. AIMS Marine Monitoring Program) when preparing the project proposal. An important component of this project will be to consider the suitability of these indicators for assessing coral health and demonstrating change over time. Selection of long term monitoring sites The successful contractor will be required to identify survey sites within hard coral communities suitable for inclusion in a long term coral monitoring program. These should be suitable for assessing coral health and identifying change over time and be representative of coral reefs within Gladstone Harbour. Selection of survey sites should be confined to the following areas identified in BMT WBM (2013). Reefs in the North Entrance area (Curtis Island Reef Number 4, Facing Island Reefs numbers 1 and 2, Rat Island Reef, Farmers Reef) Reefs to the western side of Facing Island (Facing Island Reefs numbers 3 to 5 and Gatcombe Head Reef). Reefs at Seal Rocks (Seal Rocks reefs numbers 1 to 3). Other reefs, such as Turtle Island Reef, Manning Reef and East Bank reefs. The proposal should include a budget for monitoring a total of three survey sites selected from the areas indicated above. The proposal should also include an estimated per site cost for additional locations within the areas indicated above. Report card scores The key element of this project will be the provision of report card scores and grades for inclusion in the 2015 Gladstone Harbour Report Card to be publically released in late 2015. These scores and grades must be received with the final project report by 5 September 2015 to allow their inclusion in the 2015 report card. As the current state of coral reefs within the area of interest is likely to represent a shifted baseline (BMT WBM 2013), identification of suitable baselines will be required to enable the calculation of report card grades and scores. Other approaches such as expert opinion or existing coral health assessment methodologies could also be considered. The scoring methodology will be evaluated by the ISP and the statistical team before being finalised. The final scoring / grading methodology and all raw monitoring data will be included in the GHHP Data and Information Management System (Figure 2). Ongoing coral monitoring A detailed program design and budgeting for ongoing annual coral monitoring beyond 2015 will also be required with the final report. 5 Scope of Work: ISP014 Key References and information to be considered by the proponent AIMS (2014) Design and Architecture of the Data and Information Management System (DIMS) for the GHHP Report Card Monitoring Data. Project ISP009 Milestone Reports. Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville. BMT WBM Pty Ltd (2009) Port Curtis Reef Assessment. Report prepared for Gladstone Ports Corporation. BMT WBM Pty Ltd, Brisbane. BMT WBM Pty Ltd (2013) Central Queensland Corals and Associated Benthos: Monitoring Review and Gap Analysis. Report prepared for Gladstone Ports Corporation. BMT WBM Pty Ltd, Brisbane. DHI (2013) Gladstone Coral Desktop Study of the Distribution and Ecological Value of Corals and Coral Reef in the Gladstone Region and Wider Bioregion. Report prepared for Gladstone Ports Corporation Limited. DHI, Singapore. Sea Research (2012) The Impact of Dredge Spoil Dumping of Fringing Coral Reefs Around Facing Island: Report Prepared for Gladstone Ports Corporation Limited. Sea Research, Hideaway Bay Qld. Thompson A, Schaffelke B, Logan M, Costello P, Davidson J, Doyle J, Furnas M, Gunn K, Liddy M, Skuza M, Uthicke S, Wright M and Zagorskis I (2013) Reef Rescue Marine Monitoring Program. Annual Report of AIMS Activities 2012 to 2013– Inshore water quality and coral reef monitoring. Report for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville. 182 pp. 6 Scope of Work: ISP014 3D Hydrodynamic Model (ISP 007) Connectivity indicator (ISP 007) Environmental Indicators Water and sediment quality, fish & crabs and habitat indicators including mangroves, seagrass and corals Social, cultural and economic indicators (ISP 005) Cultural indicators (ISP 012) Statistical support project Data and Information Management System (ISP009) Gladstone Harbour Model Whole of system model (ISP 006) Gladstone Harbour Model Minimum realistic model (ISP 006) GLADSTONE HARBOUR REPORT CARD Including report card scores, trend analysis, and web-interface Scenario analysis Receiving Water Quality Model (ISP 006) Figure 2: Linkages amongst projects within the GHHP’s Science program are linked. Projects with an ISP number are conducted by contracted project teams. 7 Scope of Work: ISP014 High level project task breakdown Task Number Description 1 Inception meeting 2 Detailed program design and work plan 3 Milestone Report 1: Coral indicators for the Gladstone Harbour report card 4 Milestone Report 2: identification of long term coral monitoring sites 5 Coral monitoring for the 2015 Gladstone Harbour report card 6 Submission of draft scores/grades for review 7 Submission of a draft report for review 8 Presentation to the ISP (Gladstone) 9 Submission of final report including final report card grades 10 Submission of a paper to a peer reviewed journal Detailed task breakdown and deliverables TASK 1: Inception meeting. An inception meeting will be held between the GHHP Science Team, ISP representatives and the successful tender’s project team. This meeting will allow agreement on the interpretation of the scope of the work; specific project tasks, timelines objectives and identification of any additional project requirements. TASK ONE DELIVERABLES: Attendance at project inception meeting. Agreement on project tasks, timelines, objectives and integration with other GHHP projects. TASK 2: Submission of a detailed work plan This plan will include a detailed design proposal and work program which will be developed in discussions with GHHP Science Team. This plan should include a detailed description of the proposed methods for coral indicator selection, selection and establishment of long term coral monitoring sites, proposed methodology for the calculation of report card scores, any statistical consultation required, a detailed timeline and a publication plan. This will also include an integration strategy for the project team to work closely with the DIMS, statistics support and other GHHP project teams as required. The detailed work plan should be submitted two weeks after the inception meeting. TASK TWO DELIVERABLES: Detailed program design and work plan. Detailed timeline. 8 Scope of Work: ISP014 TASK 3: Development of coral indicators milestone report This milestone report should document the final indicators selected for the coral monitoring program and include a review the suitability of the following coral indicators shortlisted by the ISP; distribution (% cover), taxonomic composition, numbers of juvenile coral colonies (genus level or form) and cover of macro algae. The report should also consider whether other indicators are required and the compatibility of the chosen indicators with existing monitoring programs in the region including the Great Barrier Reef Marine Monitoring Program (MMP). The report should provide an explanation for the final indicator selection including their suitability for identifying changes over time. This report will be subject to ISP review before coral monitoring commences. TASK THREE DELIVERABLES: Coral indicators milestone report. TASK 4: Establishment of long term coral monitoring sites. Currently no long-term coral monitoring sites exist within the Gladstone Harbour area. The successful contractor will be required to identify sites suitable for inclusion in a long-term coral monitoring program. Potential sites for coral monitoring have been identified in Section 3 and see also BMT WBM Pty Ltd (2009, 2013) Sea Research (2012), DHI (2013) for further information. An additional desktop review of coral distribution is not required. This milestone report should also include: The proposed number, location, depth and size of sampling sites. Parameters monitored at each site and their contributions to the report card score. Frequency of sampling (noting that the report card will be produced annually). Identify most appropriate time of year for coral monitoring in the Gladstone Harbour area. Amended budget for ongoing monitoring. TASK FOUR DELIVERABLES: Long term coral monitoring site selection milestone report. 9 Scope of Work: ISP014 TASK 5: Coral monitoring for the 2015 Gladstone Harbour report card. This task involves completion of all required monitoring for the 2015 report card. TASK FIVE DELIVERABLES: Coral monitoring for the 2015 Gladstone Harbour report card completed. TASK 6: Report card scores. This task includes developing the methods for calculating the annual report card scores for the selected coral indicators. The report card indicators and metrics and scores will be presented in the draft project report (Task 7) and will be reviewed by the contracted statistical team who will assesses the statistical robustness of the statistical methods employed. The successful contractor will be required to work with the GHHP statistical team to achieve this. It is preferable that R scripts are developed for the calculation of report card scores. The successful contractor will be required to work closely with the DIMS team to incorporate the R scripts into the DIMS. Should the project team wish to use an alternative statistical package this must be identified in the project proposal, and the GHHP Science Team may negotiate a translation into R. The coral data sets will belong to the GHHP and will be stored in the DIMS, this data will be made publically available according to the GHHP Data Policy (available on request). Data and metadata files must be exportable in standard formats compatible with the DIMS. Any issues relating to data formats or compatibility with DIMS should be resolved with the DIMS team. The GHHP science staff can facilitate access to the relevant team members. The final report card grades and scores must be submitted with the final report by 5 September 2015. TASK SIX DELIVERABLES: Develop report card scoring methodology and calculate scores for the 2015 Gladstone Harbour report card. Integrate coral monitoring data and calculation scripts for scores and grades to the DIMS. TASK 7: Draft project report. This report should give a detailed description of all tasks completed during the project and a plain English summary suitable for a non-technical audience. This summary may be reproduced in full or in part in the GHHP Technical Report for the 2015 Gladstone Harbour report card and 10 Scope of Work: ISP014 in subsequent reports thereafter. The body of the report should include a detailed description of the selected long term coral monitoring sites, a detailed description of the selected coral health indicators and scoring system, suitable baselines for each indicator, coral health survey results, and report card scores for the 2015 Gladstone Harbour Report Card, discussion of result interpretation and limitations of the study and a program design for ongoing annual coral monitoring beyond 2015. The report is to include sufficient detail for the work to be replicated and will be reviewed by the ISP and the GHHP Science Team before being finalised. TASK SEVEN DELIVERABLES: Draft project report for review by the ISP and the GHHP Science Team. TASK 8: Presentation of project results to the ISP (Gladstone). A 30 minute presentation (including 10 minutes for questions) to the ISP in Gladstone. This presentation should outline the findings of the draft report and highlight any issues encountered. TASK EIGHT DELIVERABLES: A forty minute presentation for the ISP Gladstone (including 10 minutes for questions). TASK 9: Project final report and final report card scores. A final report which addresses all comments from the ISP and the GHHP Science Team. TASK NINE DELIVERABLES: Final project report TASK 10: An open access publication in a peer reviewed science journal. Depending on the level of involvement and contribution, members of the GHHP Science Team or ISP may request to contribute to the journal publication. TASK TEN DELIVERABLES: Submission of a manuscript to a peer reviewed journal. 11 Scope of Work: ISP014 Timeline Date Task 16/02/2015 ISP review completed of scope of works completed 02/04/2015 Tenders open 30/04/2015 Submission of tenders closes 15/05/2015 Proposals assessed by ISP and GHHP Science Team and assessments forwarded to Management Committee for approval. 25/05/2015 Successful contractor notified / Project Inception 01/06/2015 Task 1: Project inception meeting 29/06/2015 Task 2: Detailed program design and work plan *TBD Task 3: Development of coral indicators for the Gladstone Harbour report card milestone report TBD Task 4: Establishment of long term coral monitoring sites TBD Task 5: Coral monitoring for the 2015 Gladstone Harbour report card completed 18/08/2015 Task 6: Draft report submitted including report card scores submitted for review. By the ISP and GHHP Science Team 25/08/2015 Task 7: Presentation of findings to the ISP and other GHHP stakeholders (Gladstone) 01/09/2015 Task 8: Draft report reviewed by the ISP, statistical team and the science team 5/09/2015 Task 9: Final report and report card grades / scores 30/06/16 Task 10: Submit journal article for publication 30/06/2016 Project completion *TBD to be determined by the contractor. 4. Communications It is expected that the proponent will work closely with the GHHP Science Team and the ISP through approximately fortnightly teleconferences and other communication. As this is a new initiative, the ISP and the GHHP Science Team will expect to receive regular updates on the project progress and will review key stages of the project to ensure timely and relevant delivery. The GHHP Science Team will be available to provide information and assistance throughout the project, however all administrative requirements must be provided by the proponent. Communication with Project Manager 12 Scope of Work: ISP014 Any matters which arise that will materially affect the development of the project should be communicated with the project manager within 24 hours of the matter being known to the project team. Meeting Requirements The consultant will be required to attend fortnightly teleconferences with the project manager and other members of the GHHP Science Team. Relevant ISP members may be present at meetings if required. The following meetings are proposed. Meeting Number Date Purpose 1. 01/06/15 Project Inception Meeting. 2. 15/06/15 to 09/10/15 Fortnightly project update (brief meetings, normally via teleconference). 3. 25/08/15 Thirty minute PowerPoint presentation to the ISP followed by about 10 minutes for questions. ISP meetings are conducted in Gladstone. Reporting deliverables Detailed design proposal and work program (this will be revised following initial discussions with GHHP Science Staff). Attendance at the meetings outlined above. Presentation of findings to the ISP and potentially broader GHHP stakeholders in Gladstone Coral indicator raw data and calculation scripts to be uploaded to the Data and Information Management System (DIMS). The successful contractor will work with the DIMS team to coordinate the integration of raw data and calculation scripts (preferably in R) with this system. A draft technical report including scores for coral indicators for use in the GHHP 2015 report card and underlying data used to generate those scores. A final technical report which addresses all comments on the draft report. A plain English summary of the project findings (executive summary) which is suitable for a non-technical audience. A publication plan. An open access publication in a peer reviewed international science journal. 5. TERM OF CONTRACT Commencement date is from one week after advice of acceptance of the project proposal through to September 2015, with submission of scientific paper for publication no later than 30 June 2016. 13 Scope of Work: ISP014 Should this project be conducted satisfactorily, the desire is to contract the provider for a further term (subject to the availability of funding), to deliver the coral element of subsequent Gladstone Harbour report cards. 6. CONTRACT VALUE This project will be conducted on a fixed fee basis based on the value of the successful tender. The proponent must cover the costs of all expenses incurred during the execution of the project including, but not limited to: Tender preparation costs Operating costs, including field survey costs Salaries and on-costs Travel and accommodation (including to provide the presentation to the GHHP) Provision of data sets Publication costs The GHHP aims for co-investment from research partners (cash and in-kind, ideally 50:50). The Budget will include an itemised estimate of costs, time and rates to demonstrate value for money and a clear understanding of the scope of works. Include GST in the budget estimate. The payment schedule will be agreed to with the successful proponent but will be based on an upfront payment with subsequent payments subject to successful completion of agreed project milestones. 7. REQUIREMENTS FOR PROPOSAL PREPARATION Proposals to undertake the coral indicator project should include the following information: A clear statement of the methods and approach to be used to meet this scope of works/project. For each indicator methods should clearly identify any technology used its spatial resolution and level of accuracy. Details of the deliverables. Project timelines and milestones (including publication plan). Personnel (including brief resumes outlining skills and experience on similar projects). Budget (including co-investments). Quoted prices are to be valid until project end. Details of pubic liability, worker’s compensation and professional indemnity insurance. Proponent/project lead’s primary contact details. Page describing the contribution of each team member towards the project outcomes. 14 Scope of Work: ISP014 8. CONTRACTOR SELECTION The following criteria will be used by the GHHP ISP to assess proposals: a) Addresses all elements of the scope of works including milestones and timeline. b) The proponent/project team has demonstrable experience and knowledge relevant to the development of coral indicators for report card purposes. c) Value for money – proposals will be assessed on the basis of the proposed cost. d) Historical performance – the proponent/project team has a track record for delivering on time and budget, and publishing the results in peer reviewed journals. e) The proponent/project team has demonstrable experience in project development, contract management, on-ground delivery, monitoring and reporting and technical support. The ISP preferred approach to intellectual property arising from the review is an open access/creative commons arrangement surrounding data and products (GHHP Data Policy available on request). The ISP will select the recommended provider or consortium of providers and seek endorsement from the GHHP Management Committee. The GHHP ISP conflict of interest policy is available on request. 9. PROCESS SCHEDULE Proponents should submit proposals by close of business on Monday 30 March 2015 as an email attachment in a single Microsoft Word™ or .pdf document. Interested proponents are encouraged to contact the GHHP Science Project Officer early in the application process to discuss the project, prior to submitting a proposal. A decision on the successful application will be made within a month of the cut-off date. All applications will be notified of the outcome of the assessment of their application. 10. CONTACT All questions and submissions regarding this request for proposal should be submitted to: Mark Schultz Science Project Officer, Gladstone Healthy Harbour Partnership (GHHP) markschultz@ghhp.org.au (07) 4999 2814 15 Scope of Work: ISP014 Attachment 1: The 13 reporting zones for the Gladstone Harbour Report Card including known locations of coral reefs. 16
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