Environment and Protected Areas - Request for Proposal - Analysis of Semi-Permeable Membrane Devices (SPMDs) for Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds (PACs), Oil Sands Monitoring

The objective of this work is to establish a three-year contract for the complete dialysis, cleanup and PAC analysis of up to 500 SPMD samples (i.e., samples and blanks) per year, from rivers and streams in and downstream of the oil sands region of Alberta, including reference locations. The Province requires the delivery of high quality, reliable and reproducible data, as this data will be used to identify and report on the status and trends in water quality, to identify potential drivers of ecosystem health (e.g., benthic invertebrate community composition), and support assessment of potential effects of oil sands development on rivers and streams. The objective of this work is to, following procedures identified in this RFP, obtain high quality, reliable and reproducible data that is generated using analytical methods that allow for the lowest reliable method detection limits. The analytical methods will apply rigorous quality assurance and quality control measures that produce PAC concentrations that are corrected for losses during dialysis, cleanup and analysis.