CEFAS25-60 Request for Quotation for the delivery of passive acoustic monitoring training with one government department and one NGO in Sri Lanka, under the Ocean Country Partnership Programme (OCPP)

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The Supplier is required to design, deliver and report on the in-person training of equipment set up, as well as usage and data extraction to one government department and one NGO in Sri Lanka, for passive acoustic monitoring.

Cefas has been involved in equipment acquisition following interest by two Sri Lankan organisations to develop their passive acoustic monitoring capability. Three SoundTrap ST600 HF- Long Term Recorders (Ocean Instruments NZ) have been purchased and are being delivered to each of the two organisations. Cefas now require a Supplier to deliver training on the initial set up and maintenance of the noise recorders.

The government organisation intends to utilise the equipment for monitoring of baseline ambient sound levels and to establish trends in anthropogenic noise around the capital of Sri Lanka, Colombo. Colombo is the main shipping area in the country, and there is also the potential for future renewable energy developments.

The NGO intends to utilise the equipment for monitoring marine mammals off the southwestern and southern coasts of Sri Lanka, in particular blue whales, to support ongoing scientific research objectives determining the drivers for seasonality of different marine mammal species in Sri Lankan waters.

The different objectives of each organisation must be fully considered within the design of the training provided to each one. The training will be delivered in-person in Sri Lanka, and may be delivered through classroom based sessions only or a combination of classroom and field-based sessions; the Supplier should detail their intended delivery method within their submission.

Key points that should be covered by the training:

1. Basic principles of underwater noise and expectations of types of sounds that could be recorded.
2. Basic principles of how an acoustic recorder/hydrophone works.
3. How to calibrate the acoustic recorders (all 6 SoundTraps were calibrated at the National Physical Laboratory, Loughborough, UK and calibration certificates will be provided with the equipment).
4. How to set up the acoustic recorders for field deployment.
5. How to download the data off the acoustic recorders and perform basic quality control checks.
6. How to maintain the acoustic recorders (cleaning o-rings, check for corrosion etc.)

The Supplier will provide step-by-step guides for each of the organisations to refer to (including picture guides) on key points 3 – 6, in addition to the in-person training.

The Supplier is required to engage and work closely with both organisations, along with Cefas, to design a training plan, deliver the agreed plan and provide a short summary report following the delivery of the training.

The training plan will be reviewed and approved by Cefas and in-country partners prior to delivery commencing.

All in-country, in-person delivery of training is expected to be completed within 1-week, with the expectation of 1-2 days of training provided to each organisation. This will vary depending on content proposed by the Supplier and staffing availability of those from the two organisations. Exact timing of the training will be agreed between the Supplier, Cefas, and our in-country partners, within the timeframe proposed. Training may be provided in either Sinhala or English. The venue for the training should be identified by the supplier and be suitable for both organisations, venue location should be agreed with Cefas as part of the plan for training.

During the design and delivery of training, the Supplier must consider Gender, Equality, Diversity and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) and Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment (SEAH).

The final report should provide a summary of training delivered, demographic data of those trained and evidence of learning that occurred from the training (e.g. through pre-delivery and post-delivery questionnaires) and feedback from those trained (covering the review of the training received and how they will utilise this training in the future).

The Supplier must have demonstrable knowledge of the use, set up and basic data interpretation of underwater noise monitoring equipment which is either the same as or of a similar design to the SoundTrap ST600 HF-Long Term Recorder. The Supplier should also have demonstrable evidence of the delivery of training, with an understanding of delivering work of a similar nature in tropical regions and/or across the Asian continent.