Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; Federal Funding Opportunity, 40494-40496 [2021-16012]

Download as PDF 40494 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 142 / Wednesday, July 28, 2021 / Notices National Environmental Policy Act To comply with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA; 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and NOAA Administrative Order (NAO) 216–6A, NMFS must evaluate our proposed action (i.e., the issuance of the incidental take authorization) and alternatives with respect to potential impacts on the human environment. This action is consistent with categories of activities identified in Categorical Exclusion B4 of the Companion Manual for NAO 216–6A, which do not individually or cumulatively have the potential for significant impacts on the quality of the human environment and for which we have not identified any extraordinary circumstances that would preclude this categorical exclusion. Accordingly, NMFS has determined that this action qualifies to be categorically excluded from further NEPA review. khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES Endangered Species Act Authorization NMFS has issued an IHA to Vineyard Wind 1 for the potential harassment of small numbers of 14 marine mammal species incidental to conducting marine site characterization surveys offshore of Massachusetts and Rhode Island in the 17:16 Jul 27, 2021 Dated: July 22, 2021. Angela Somma, Acting Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 2021–16025 Filed 7–27–21; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–22–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [RTID 0648–XB263] Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; Federal Funding Opportunity National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: Section 7(a)(2) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA: 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) requires that each Federal agency insure that any action it authorizes, funds, or carries out is not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of any endangered or threatened species or result in the destruction or adverse modification of designated critical habitat. To ensure ESA compliance for the issuance of IHAs, NMFS consults internally whenever we propose to authorize take for endangered or threatened species, in this case with NMFS GARFO. The NMFS OPR is authorizing the incidental take of fin whale, North Atlantic right whale, sei whale, and sperm whale, which are listed under the ESA. We requested initiation of consultation under section 7 of the ESA with NMFS GARFO for issuance of this IHA. On July 13, 2021, NMFS GARFO determined that OPR’s issuance of an IHA to Vineyard Wind 1 would be covered under the June 29, 2021 programmatic consultation, and that issuance of the IHA is not likely to adversely affect fin whale, North Atlantic right whale, sei whale, and sperm whale or the critical habitat of any ESA-listed species or result in the take of any marine mammals in violation of the ESA. VerDate Sep<11>2014 area of Commercial Lease of Submerged Lands for Renewable Energy Development on the Outer Continental Shelf Lease Area OCS–A 0501 and along the Offshore Export Cable Corridor provided the previously mentioned mitigation, monitoring and reporting requirements are followed. Jkt 253001 The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council is requesting proposals from highly-qualified contractors to organize and expand a vessel position monitoring system for the federally permitted Gulf of Mexico shrimp industry. DATES: This will be a 12–18 month project and a maximum $350,000 is available to fund the work. Proposal Submission Deadline: August 20, 2021 by 11:59 p.m. EST. ADDRESSES: Council address: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 4701 W Spruce Street, Suite 200, Tampa, FL 33607; telephone: (813) 348– 1630. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Carrie Simmons, Executive Director, Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; carrie.simmons@ gulfcouncil.org; telephone: (813) 348– 1630. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: SUMMARY: Proposal Submission Deadline Friday, August 20, 2021 by 11:59 p.m. EST The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) seeks a highly-qualified contractor to organize and expand a vessel position monitoring system for the federally permitted Gulf of Mexico shrimp industry. The current Gulf of Mexico electronic logbook (ELB) program that utilized a 3G cellular network to transmit data is no longer supported, and the server became PO 00000 Frm 00051 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 unviable for data storage in December 2020. Approximately 1⁄3 of the vessels in the shrimp industry have been selected by the Science and Research Director to participate in the ELB monitoring program.1 After transmission of the data from the shrimp vessels, vessel position monitoring data are securely housed by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Southeast Fisheries Science Center (Science Center) and used for assessment and monitoring efforts including bycatch of finfish and interactions with protected resources across the Gulf of Mexico. The Council, in coordination with NMFS, is seeking to develop a new program that will provide for continued collection, storage, and transmission of shrimp vessel position data that are used to estimate shrimping effort. This new program is intended to replace the recently discontinued shrimp ELB program. In the interim, the Council is developing a document to require the owner or operator of a vessel with a valid federal shrimp permit to install an approved vessel monitoring system that archives vessel location and automatically transmits this data to NMFS. In addition, the newly developed program will be required to meet NMFS hardware/software type approval.2 Thus, the intent and need for this study is to test the P-Sea WindPlot 3 software program with a portion of the shrimp fleet in the near term to determine if it meets the needs of industry, Council, and NMFS. Proposals should identify by region/ state the number of vessels that will volunteer to participate in the proposed pilot program for vessel position monitoring in the Gulf of Mexico. The proposed work should clearly define methodology and intent for meeting the NMFS software and hardware requirements while documenting the estimated costs to the industry. The proposal should detail the methodology proposed for archiving the vessel location, data retention, and automatic transmission of the data to NMFS when within cellular/satellite range of land. A team will establish selection criteria and review the proposals after the proposal submission deadline. The Council will develop an agreement with the selected contractor(s) with milestones and deliverables after the review and selection process. The selected contractor(s) will work with Council staff. 1 https://ecfr.io/Title-50/Section-622.51. 2 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/ retrieveECFR?gp=&SID=40795e9b 7e80ab071d63d0f076d60d 11&mc=true&r=SUBPART&n=sp50.12.600.q. 3 https://www.p-sea.com/. E:\FR\FM\28JYN1.SGM 28JYN1 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 142 / Wednesday, July 28, 2021 / Notices khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES Background During its January 2021 meeting, the Council identified unspent Council funds from the 2020 fiscal year. The Council is considering funding an expanded study that utilizes P-Sea WindPlot software as a replacement for the recently discontinued shrimp ELB program. Preliminary meetings with industry, such as the Shrimp Advisory Panel meeting 4 suggest that a majority of the shrimp fleet currently use the PSea WindPlot software program, which is installed on a desktop or laptop computer housed onboard the vessel; thus, the learning curve and potential annual cellular/satellite expenses are anticipated to be minimal. Further, leaders in the Gulf of Mexico shrimp industry support using this type of software program. Scope of Work The contractor will be responsible for all data products outlined below and is encouraged to contribute additional products and suggestions in the proposal for this work. The selected contractor will also be responsible for presenting the mid-term and final project summary report to the Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committees and to the Council. The proposed scope of work should include the following: • The proposal must consider the use of P-Sea WindPlot software to collect the vessel position data for shrimp vessels, as this is the preferred software by industry. However, the contractor may also propose testing other hardware/software options simultaneously that meet the needs of industry, Council, and NMFS. The proposal should include the rationale and viability of any other hardwaresoftware options proposed. • The proposal should detail the methodology proposed for archiving the vessel position location, data retention, security, and automatic transmission of the data to a secure server when within cellular/satellite range of land. • The proposal should identify, by state, the number of shrimp vessels actively participating in the fishery that will volunteer to participate in the proposed work in the Gulf of Mexico. This should be a representative subsample of the fleet using a random stratified approach. • The proposed work should clearly define methodology and intent for meeting the NMFS software and hardware requirements approval process. For example, outline the 4 https://gulfcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/D-8Shrimp-AP-Summary-March-2021_final_ revised.pdf. VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:16 Jul 27, 2021 Jkt 253001 methodology proposed to automatically transmit vessel position data, from the hardware/software device(s) onboard the shrimp vessel to a secure server when within cellular/satellite range. • The proposal should detail the estimated costs to the industry for hardware/software, vessel position data storage, and monthly cellular/satellite transmission fees. The proposal should outline details about analysis of data from individual position points per vessel in the program that will be synthesized into vessel effort monitoring on a monthly basis. Results and outcomes from this work will be provided to the Council and NMFS Southeast Fisheries Science Center. Application Process Contractor Qualifications: The successful applicant or applicant team will have demonstrable experience in fisheries, marine ecology, spatial management, or related field. How to Apply: Applicants should submit a proposal to Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council by email (rfp.shrimpmonitoring@gulfcouncil.org) by 11:59 p.m. EST on August 20, 2021. Requests for additional information can also be accepted at this email address. Proposals should include the following elements and should not exceed 25 pages, excluding the Qualifications of Applicant and Letters of Support: Executive Summary: A summary of the work proposed, including a brief summary of the applicant’s qualifications. Proposed Scope of Work: See bulleted list above. Qualifications of Applicant: A summary of the qualifications of the applicant and other team members, if applicable. A curriculum vitae should be included for each individual who is expected to work on the project. Proposed Budget: A detailed budget, including the basis for the charges (e.g., hourly rates, fixed fees, approved federally negotiated overhead rate and other costs consistent with federally allowable costs for sub-contractors). Travel costs for meeting with industry volunteers should be detailed. The proposal should also budget for traveling to SSC and Council meetings to present a mid-term and a final report, for an approximate total of four inperson meetings. Letters of Support: Letters demonstrating collaboration with shrimp industry leaders will be ranked higher. Proposed Timeline: A detailed timeline for working with industry representatives, testing of hardware/ PO 00000 Frm 00052 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 40495 software devices, data transmission testing, data analyses, and mid-term and final reports should be provided. Applicant References: Names, titles, full addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers for three clients for whom the applicant has provided similar services to those requested or are familiar with the applicant’s work and the quality of the applicant’s work products. Proposal Evaluation Criteria and Next Steps Proposals will be evaluated based on methodology and scope outlined in the proposed work plan including but not limited to the ability to deliver, in a timely manner a quality work product, references, timeline, and budget. The Council may request additional information as deemed necessary or negotiate modifications prior to providing support for a proposal. Once a proposal is selected for funding, a formal contract will be developed with the applicants. Disclaimer 1. This project is being funded by federal funding authorized under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act through NOAA Fisheries Service and the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council NOAA award number: NA20NMF4410011. Compliance with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Pub. L. 104–208 as amended), the current requirements of the Federal Office of Management and Budget, the Department of Commerce financial assistance standard terms and conditions, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric financial assistance administrative terms, all special award conditions specific to this award and all parts of the Uniform Guidance at Title 2 of the Code of Federal Regulations must be maintained. 2. The contractor is responsible for all costs conducting the work and presenting the mid-term and final results to the Scientific and Statistical Committees and Council. 3. Proposals and their accompanying documentation will not be returned, but retained as part of the Council’s administrative documents. 4. All applicants included in the proposal must disclose any conflicts of interest and/or pending civil/criminal/ fishery legal actions. 5. The Council reserves the right to accept or reject any or all applications received, negotiate with all qualified applicants, cancel or modify this request for proposals in part or in its entirety, E:\FR\FM\28JYN1.SGM 28JYN1 40496 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 142 / Wednesday, July 28, 2021 / Notices or change the application guidelines, when it is in the best interests of the Council. Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. Dated: July 22, 2021. Tracey L. Thompson, Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 2021–16012 Filed 7–27–21; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–22–P BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION Community Bank Advisory Council Meeting Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection. ACTION: Notice of public meeting. AGENCY: Under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), this notice sets forth the announcement of a public meeting of the Community Bank Advisory Council (CBAC or Council) of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (Bureau). The notice also describes the functions of the Council. DATES: The meeting date is Thursday, August 12, 2021, from approximately 1:00 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. eastern daylight time. This meeting will be held virtually and is open to the general public. Members of the public will receive the agenda and dial-in information when they RSVP. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kim George, Outreach and Engagement Associate, Consumer Advisory Board and Councils Office, External Affairs, at 202–450–8617, or email: CFPB_ CABandCouncilsEvents@cfpb.gov. If you require this document in an alternative electronic format, please contact CFPB_Accessibility@cfpb.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES SUMMARY: I. Background Section 2 of the CBAC Charter provides that pursuant to the executive and administrative powers conferred on the Bureau by section 1012 of the DoddFrank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the Director established the Community Bank Advisory Council under agency authority. Section 3 of the CBAC Charter states: ‘‘The purpose of the Advisory Council is to advise the Bureau in the exercise of its functions under the Federal consumer financial laws as they pertain to community banks with total assets of $10 billion or less.’’ II. Agenda The CBAC will discuss broad policy matters related to the Bureau’s Unified VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:16 Jul 27, 2021 Jkt 253001 Regulatory Agenda and general scope of authority. Discussions will include recent Bureau initiatives related to the COVID–19 recovery and trends and themes in the mortgage, and student lending marketplace. Persons who need a reasonable accommodation to participate should contact CFPB_504Request@cfpb.gov, 202–435–9EEO, 1–855–233–0362, or 202–435–9742 (TTY) at least ten (10) business days prior to the meeting or event to request assistance. The request must identify the date, time, location, and title of the meeting or event, the nature of the assistance requested, and contact information for the requester. The Bureau will strive to provide but cannot guarantee that accommodation will be provided for late requests. Written comments will be accepted from interested members of the public and should be sent to CFPB_ CABandCouncilsEvents@cfpb.gov, a minimum of seven (7) days in advance of the meeting. The comments will be provided to the CBAC members for consideration. Individuals who wish to join the Council must RSVP via this link https://surveys.consumerfinance.gov/ jfe/form/SV_b4unKaNdE2OQBvM by noon, August 11, 2021. Members of the public must RSVP by the due date. III. Availability The Council’s agenda will be made available to the public on Wednesday, August 11, 2021, via consumerfinance.gov. Individuals should express in their RSVP if they require a paper copy of the agenda. A recording and summary of this meeting will be available after the meeting on the Bureau’s website consumerfinance.gov. Dated: July 20, 2021. Jocelyn Sutton, Deputy Chief of Staff, Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection. [FR Doc. 2021–15751 Filed 7–27–21; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4810–AM–P BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION Academic Research Council Meeting Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection. ACTION: Notice of public meeting. AGENCY: Under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), this notice sets forth the announcement of a public meeting of the Academic Research Council (ARC or Council) of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00053 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 (Bureau). The notice also describes the functions of the Council. DATES: The meeting date is Friday, August 13, 2021, from approximately 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. eastern daylight time. This meeting will be held virtually and is open to the general public. Members of the public will receive the agenda and dial-in information when they RSVP. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kim George, Outreach and Engagement Associate, at 202–450–8617, or email: CFPB_CABandCouncilsEvents@ cfpb.gov. If you require this document in an alternative electronic format, please contact CFPB_Accessibility@ cfpb.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Background Section 2 of the of the ARC Charter provides that pursuant to the executive and administrative powers conferred on the Bureau by section 1012 of the DoddFrank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act), the Director established the Academic Research Council under agency authority. Section 3 of the ARC Charter states: The committee will (1) provide the Bureau with advice about its strategic research planning process and research agenda, including views on the research that the Bureau should conduct relating to consumer financial products or services, consumer behavior, costbenefit analysis, or other topics to enable the agency to further its statutory purposes and objectives; and (2) provide the Office of Research with technical advice and feedback on research methodologies, data collection strategies, and methods of analysis, including methodologies and strategies for quantifying the costs and benefits of regulatory actions. II. Agenda The ARC will discuss broad policy matters related to the Bureau’s Unified Regulatory Agenda and general scope of authority. The ARC will also discuss research methodologies and assist with providing direction for consumer finance research at the Bureau. Persons who need a reasonable accommodation to participate should contact CFPB_504Request@cfpb.gov, 202–435–9EEO, l–855–233–0362, or 202–435–9742 (TTY) at least ten (10) business days prior to the meeting or event to request assistance. The request must identify the date, time, location, and title of the meeting or event, the nature of the assistance requested, and contact information for the requester. The Bureau will strive to provide but E:\FR\FM\28JYN1.SGM 28JYN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 142 (Wednesday, July 28, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40494-40496]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-16012]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XB263]


Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; Federal Funding 
Opportunity

AGENCY:  National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council is requesting 
proposals from highly-qualified contractors to organize and expand a 
vessel position monitoring system for the federally permitted Gulf of 
Mexico shrimp industry.

DATES: This will be a 12-18 month project and a maximum $350,000 is 
available to fund the work. Proposal Submission Deadline: August 20, 
2021 by 11:59 p.m. EST.

ADDRESSES: Council address: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 
4701 W Spruce Street, Suite 200, Tampa, FL 33607; telephone: (813) 348-
1630.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Carrie Simmons, Executive 
Director, Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; 
[email protected]; telephone: (813) 348-1630.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Proposal Submission Deadline Friday, August 20, 2021 by 11:59 p.m. EST

    The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) seeks a 
highly-qualified contractor to organize and expand a vessel position 
monitoring system for the federally permitted Gulf of Mexico shrimp 
industry. The current Gulf of Mexico electronic logbook (ELB) program 
that utilized a 3G cellular network to transmit data is no longer 
supported, and the server became unviable for data storage in December 
2020. Approximately \1/3\ of the vessels in the shrimp industry have 
been selected by the Science and Research Director to participate in 
the ELB monitoring program.\1\ After transmission of the data from the 
shrimp vessels, vessel position monitoring data are securely housed by 
the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Southeast Fisheries 
Science Center (Science Center) and used for assessment and monitoring 
efforts including bycatch of finfish and interactions with protected 
resources across the Gulf of Mexico.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ https://ecfr.io/Title-50/Section-622.51.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Council, in coordination with NMFS, is seeking to develop a new 
program that will provide for continued collection, storage, and 
transmission of shrimp vessel position data that are used to estimate 
shrimping effort. This new program is intended to replace the recently 
discontinued shrimp ELB program. In the interim, the Council is 
developing a document to require the owner or operator of a vessel with 
a valid federal shrimp permit to install an approved vessel monitoring 
system that archives vessel location and automatically transmits this 
data to NMFS. In addition, the newly developed program will be required 
to meet NMFS hardware/software type approval.\2\ Thus, the intent and 
need for this study is to test the P-Sea WindPlot \3\ software program 
with a portion of the shrimp fleet in the near term to determine if it 
meets the needs of industry, Council, and NMFS.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \2\ https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/retrieveECFR?gp=&SID=40795e9b7e80ab071d63d0f076d60d11&mc=true&r=SUBPART&n=sp50.12.600.q.
    \3\ https://www.p-sea.com/.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Proposals should identify by region/state the number of vessels 
that will volunteer to participate in the proposed pilot program for 
vessel position monitoring in the Gulf of Mexico. The proposed work 
should clearly define methodology and intent for meeting the NMFS 
software and hardware requirements while documenting the estimated 
costs to the industry. The proposal should detail the methodology 
proposed for archiving the vessel location, data retention, and 
automatic transmission of the data to NMFS when within cellular/
satellite range of land.
    A team will establish selection criteria and review the proposals 
after the proposal submission deadline. The Council will develop an 
agreement with the selected contractor(s) with milestones and 
deliverables after the review and selection process. The selected 
contractor(s) will work with Council staff.

[[Page 40495]]

Background

    During its January 2021 meeting, the Council identified unspent 
Council funds from the 2020 fiscal year. The Council is considering 
funding an expanded study that utilizes P-Sea WindPlot software as a 
replacement for the recently discontinued shrimp ELB program. 
Preliminary meetings with industry, such as the Shrimp Advisory Panel 
meeting \4\ suggest that a majority of the shrimp fleet currently use 
the P-Sea WindPlot software program, which is installed on a desktop or 
laptop computer housed onboard the vessel; thus, the learning curve and 
potential annual cellular/satellite expenses are anticipated to be 
minimal. Further, leaders in the Gulf of Mexico shrimp industry support 
using this type of software program.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \4\ https://gulfcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/D-8-Shrimp-AP-Summary-March-2021_final_revised.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Scope of Work

    The contractor will be responsible for all data products outlined 
below and is encouraged to contribute additional products and 
suggestions in the proposal for this work. The selected contractor will 
also be responsible for presenting the mid-term and final project 
summary report to the Council's Scientific and Statistical Committees 
and to the Council. The proposed scope of work should include the 
following:
     The proposal must consider the use of P-Sea WindPlot 
software to collect the vessel position data for shrimp vessels, as 
this is the preferred software by industry. However, the contractor may 
also propose testing other hardware/software options simultaneously 
that meet the needs of industry, Council, and NMFS. The proposal should 
include the rationale and viability of any other hardware-software 
options proposed.
     The proposal should detail the methodology proposed for 
archiving the vessel position location, data retention, security, and 
automatic transmission of the data to a secure server when within 
cellular/satellite range of land.
     The proposal should identify, by state, the number of 
shrimp vessels actively participating in the fishery that will 
volunteer to participate in the proposed work in the Gulf of Mexico. 
This should be a representative subsample of the fleet using a random 
stratified approach.
     The proposed work should clearly define methodology and 
intent for meeting the NMFS software and hardware requirements approval 
process. For example, outline the methodology proposed to automatically 
transmit vessel position data, from the hardware/software device(s) 
onboard the shrimp vessel to a secure server when within cellular/
satellite range.
     The proposal should detail the estimated costs to the 
industry for hardware/software, vessel position data storage, and 
monthly cellular/satellite transmission fees. The proposal should 
outline details about analysis of data from individual position points 
per vessel in the program that will be synthesized into vessel effort 
monitoring on a monthly basis.
    Results and outcomes from this work will be provided to the Council 
and NMFS Southeast Fisheries Science Center.

Application Process

    Contractor Qualifications: The successful applicant or applicant 
team will have demonstrable experience in fisheries, marine ecology, 
spatial management, or related field.
    How to Apply: Applicants should submit a proposal to Gulf of Mexico 
Fishery Management Council by email 
([email protected]) by 11:59 p.m. EST on August 20, 
2021. Requests for additional information can also be accepted at this 
email address. Proposals should include the following elements and 
should not exceed 25 pages, excluding the Qualifications of Applicant 
and Letters of Support:
    Executive Summary: A summary of the work proposed, including a 
brief summary of the applicant's qualifications.
    Proposed Scope of Work: See bulleted list above.
    Qualifications of Applicant: A summary of the qualifications of the 
applicant and other team members, if applicable. A curriculum vitae 
should be included for each individual who is expected to work on the 
project.
    Proposed Budget: A detailed budget, including the basis for the 
charges (e.g., hourly rates, fixed fees, approved federally negotiated 
overhead rate and other costs consistent with federally allowable costs 
for sub-contractors). Travel costs for meeting with industry volunteers 
should be detailed. The proposal should also budget for traveling to 
SSC and Council meetings to present a mid-term and a final report, for 
an approximate total of four in-person meetings.
    Letters of Support: Letters demonstrating collaboration with shrimp 
industry leaders will be ranked higher.
    Proposed Timeline: A detailed timeline for working with industry 
representatives, testing of hardware/software devices, data 
transmission testing, data analyses, and mid-term and final reports 
should be provided.
    Applicant References: Names, titles, full addresses, email 
addresses, and phone numbers for three clients for whom the applicant 
has provided similar services to those requested or are familiar with 
the applicant's work and the quality of the applicant's work products.

Proposal Evaluation Criteria and Next Steps

    Proposals will be evaluated based on methodology and scope outlined 
in the proposed work plan including but not limited to the ability to 
deliver, in a timely manner a quality work product, references, 
timeline, and budget. The Council may request additional information as 
deemed necessary or negotiate modifications prior to providing support 
for a proposal. Once a proposal is selected for funding, a formal 
contract will be developed with the applicants.

Disclaimer

    1. This project is being funded by federal funding authorized under 
the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act through 
NOAA Fisheries Service and the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management 
Council NOAA award number: NA20NMF4410011. Compliance with the 
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Pub. L. 104-
208 as amended), the current requirements of the Federal Office of 
Management and Budget, the Department of Commerce financial assistance 
standard terms and conditions, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
financial assistance administrative terms, all special award conditions 
specific to this award and all parts of the Uniform Guidance at Title 2 
of the Code of Federal Regulations must be maintained.
    2. The contractor is responsible for all costs conducting the work 
and presenting the mid-term and final results to the Scientific and 
Statistical Committees and Council.
    3. Proposals and their accompanying documentation will not be 
returned, but retained as part of the Council's administrative 
documents.
    4. All applicants included in the proposal must disclose any 
conflicts of interest and/or pending civil/criminal/fishery legal 
actions.
    5. The Council reserves the right to accept or reject any or all 
applications received, negotiate with all qualified applicants, cancel 
or modify this request for proposals in part or in its entirety,

[[Page 40496]]

or change the application guidelines, when it is in the best interests 
of the Council.
    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

    Dated: July 22, 2021.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-16012 Filed 7-27-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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