H2Ohio Algal Blooms Technology Assessment and Consultation

Pre-Proposal Conference

The State will hold a virtual pre-Proposal conference on 01/14/25, at 1 p.m. Columbus, Ohio local time. The purpose of this conference is to discuss the RFP and the Work with prospective Offerors and to allow them to ask questions arising from their initial review of this RFP.

The conference will be held as a Microsoft Teams meeting please navigate to page 11 in section 3 - Instructions to Offeror of the solicitation for the link to the meeting.

Attendance at the pre-Proposal conference is not a prerequisite to submitting a Proposal .

Purpose and Background

The purpose of this RFP is to solicit proposals to contract with an independent, third-party consultant for conducting the independent, in-depth assessment of technologies, (see Step 2 of the process indicated below).  The H2Ohio Technology Assessment Program Public Advisory Council (H2Ohio TAP) will send the ten technology proposals screened in Step 1 below to the Contractor for conducting Step 2, a comprehensive scientific assessment and a resulting report.

Ohio is fortunate to have abundant water resources and with care, these water resources thrive.  Launched by Governor Mike DeWine, Ohio has developed H2Ohio, a comprehensive, collaborative, holistic water quality strategy for investing in long-lasting enhancements to Ohio water.  Included in the H2Ohio plan are targeted solutions to address harmful algal blooms (HABs), reduce phosphorus runoff and prevent algal blooms. H2Ohio programs have achieved significant large-scale improvements made with well-established methods of nutrient management.  However, HABs remain a challenge in Lake Erie and other surface water bodies in Ohio.

Complex challenges often spark new and creative solutions.  Evidence of this in Ohio is through the passionate innovators that bring forth cutting edge technologies to further address algal blooms.  Many of the technologies show substantial promise but need further, and independent evaluation, and assessment of their utility to address HABs.  Because these technologies are typically proprietary and span multiple scientific disciplines, Ohio has found success evaluating technologies in collaboration with its partners using a multi-pronged, multi-disciplinary approach named H2Ohio TAP comprised of three steps:

1.H2Ohio TAP:  H2Ohio TAP is public advisory council formed to solicit and screen technology proposals. H2Ohio TAP develops a single request for technologies running for a discrete timeframe that invites innovators to submit their technology proposals to H2Ohio Tap. H2Ohio TAP narrows the technologies down to the ten that show the most promise for addressing HABs and these ten move on to the next step.

2. Independent Assessment:  An independent third-party consultant performs an in-depth assessment of each of the ten technologies identified by the H2Ohio TAP. This third-party evaluation culminates in an in-depth report to the H2Ohio Tap and Ohio on each technology’s verified potential to better manage nutrients or reduce harmful algal blooms. Additionally, the independent third-party consultant assists the H2Ohio Tap in request for technology solicitation development and the screening process.

3.  Demonstration Projects:  At the recommendation of H2Ohio TAP based on the independent assessment in Step 2 above, and in consultation with funding agencies and U.S. EPA’s Great Lakes National Program Office, Ohio works with the project sponsor (a nonprofit sub grantee with which the Agency signs an agreement to help administer the demonstration project), the technology innovator and appropriate funding agencies to develop a work plan for demonstrating the technology in real-world applications.

By leveraging a broad cross section of interests and expertise, the first round of H2Ohio TAP initiated in 2020 resulted in a submission of over 40 technology proposals that were evaluated by the H2Ohio TAP and narrowed down to ten technologies that were then further evaluated by a third-party consultant’s assessment. This process has successfully accelerated innovation and helped showcase promising technologies in demonstration projects of real-world applications. Some of these demonstration projects are ongoing.

While the H2Ohio TAP is comprised of multiple entities, the Request for Proposal and any associated contract, for successful Offeror, is with the Agency.

OHIOBUYS TRAINING MATERIALS

OhioBuys training materials can be located at this site https://procure.ohio.gov/bidders-and-suppliers/resources/bidder-and-supplier-training/04-ob-training

To participate or submit an inquiry for this RFx, you need to be registered in the OhioBuys Supplier Portal. Suppliers are not required at this time to be registered in OAKS. If you have a need to seek technical support, clearly specify you need access to an active Ohio Buys solicitation.

Technical Support 1-877-644-6771

If there is a need for technical support during your proposal submission in the last 48 hours prior to the submissions, contact 614-466-5090.  This number is for OhioBuys solicitation technical questions only; there will not be any questions answered regarding the solicitation.

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