Proposals will be accepted until Oct. 31, 2016 from vendors and organizations seeking to remove derelict crab pots from North Carolina’s coastal waters.

Funded by the North Carolina General Assembly, the pilot program is being administered by North Carolina Sea Grant. The complete request for proposals issued by NC State University is available at: https://www.ips.state.nc.us/IPS/AGENCY/PDF/11557000.pdf.

Questions regarding the request must be submitted in writing by 5 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 20, 2016. They may be mailed, faxed, or e-mailed (no phone calls) to Jessica Dalton, North Carolina State University, Purchasing Department, Campus Box 7212, Raleigh, NC 27695-7212; fax: 919-515-3511; email address: Jessica_Dalton@ncsu.edu.

All questions submitted in writing will be answered through an addendum to the official request for proposals. No contact with the department or other university representatives regarding the request is allowed during the proposal process. Attempts to obtain information in any other manner may subject an entire proposal to be rejected.

Complete proposals will be accepted until 2 p.m., Monday, Oct. 31, 2016. Proposals must meet all conditions in the official request documents, and must be submitted electronically at: https://ncsu.bonfirehub.com/opportunities/1907.

The selected contractor will assist public agencies involved in managing the pilot derelict crab pot removal project. In the project, the contractor will coordinate with: local watermen, North Carolina Sea Grant, the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries, and the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.

The pilot program was established by North Carolina General Assembly Session 2015, House Bill – HB1030, Section 14.18.

CRAB POT REMOVAL PILOT PROGRAM SECTION 14.18. Of the funds appropriated to the Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Marine Fisheries, for the 2016-2017 fiscal year, one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000), nonrecurring, shall be used for a pilot program to be administered by North Carolina Sea Grant at North Carolina State University (Sea Grant) for the removal of derelict crab pots in State waters. Sea Grant may contract with nonprofit organizations to conduct and oversee the removal of derelict crab pots, provided that the nonprofit organizations involved are required to report expenditures and performance data to Sea Grant. No indirect facilities and administrative costs shall be charged by Sea Grant or any constituent institution of the University of North Carolina system against the funds allocated by this section. NC Sea Grant shall submit a report on the performance of the pilot program, including expenditures and number of derelict crab pots retrieved, to the chairs of the Joint Oversight Committee on Agriculture and Natural and Economic Resources and the Fiscal Research Division on or before May 1, 2017.