Snow Crab Survey Vessel Charter

Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO)

Published: Jul 16, 2026

Updated: Jul 17, 2026

Source: CanadaBuys - Government of Canada

About This Opportunity

This is a services contract in the Research, environment and climate and agriculture and food security sectors, with a focus on Fisheries. Located in Canada, North America, this opportunity is open to firms and consortiums. Proposals must be submitted before July 27, 2026.

Published through CanadaBuys - Government of Canada, a national government procurement portal. Public procurement tenders follow the country's national bidding regulations and may have specific eligibility and documentation requirements for services in the Research sector. Service contracts are typically evaluated on both technical quality and price, and may require bidders to demonstrate relevant experience and qualified personnel. Interested parties should review the full documentation on the original source before submitting their proposal.

Description

Reissue of Solicitation of Offers. This solicitation of offers cancels and supersedes previous solicitation of offers number 30007921 dated May 28, 2026 with a closing of June 22, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. A debriefing or feedback session will be provided upon request to Offeror's who offered on the previous solicitation of offers

An annual snow crab survey is conducted on the Scotian shelf by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) for the purposes of stock assessment. The snow crab fishery is one of the most valuable fisheries in Atlantic Canada and the Scotian Shelf component of this fishery is considered to be the most conservatively managed and relies heavily on quality data from this survey to make informed management decisions.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) requires the service of a vessel to use as the platform for this research. This vessel will carry a minimum crew complement of a Captain and three (3) members in addition to three scientific personnel.

The objective of the contract is the successful completion of all planned stations in the annual snow crab trawl survey, up to a maximum of 400 stations on an annual basis.

The Project work will take place between approximately August 1 and January 15 annually. Exact dates will be determined by the DFO scientist in-charge. These dates (and the required working days throughout) will be contingent on operational considerations of the charter based on such factors as weather, vessel maintenance/ repair requirements, etc. The contractor will be informed of the exact dates for the given year by the chief scientist with a minimum notice of two weeks before work commences annually.

The work will be conducted throughout the Scotia Shelf in Crab Fishing Areas: N-ENS, 23, 24 and 4X.
The vessel must be willing to berth at various ports along the Atlantic Coast of Nova Scotia for the duration of the project as determined by operational requirements.

The initial term of the Contract will be from Contract Award to Jul. UNSPSC: *Domestic vessel transport services (*78101701). Method: Competitive - Open bidding. Selection: Highest Combined Rating of Technical Merit and Price. Trade Agreements: *Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA)

Data provenance

This notice is sourced from CanadaBuys - Government of Canada and was originally published on July 16, 2026. Last refreshed today. BidsFactory mirrors official procurement notices and links back to the source for full legal text.

About Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO)

Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has issued 126 procurement notices on BidsFactory, including 14 currently open and 13 awarded contracts. Activity concentrates in Governance & Public Administration, Agriculture & Food Security, and Construction & Civil Works. All notices are published for Canada. Notices are distributed via CanadaBuys - Government of Canada. Most recent publication: July 16, 2026.

Frequently asked questions about this tender

Where will the contract be performed?

The contract is for delivery in Canada. Foreign bidders should review local registration, taxation, and any in-country presence requirements before submitting.

How can I submit a bid?

Visit CanadaBuys - Government of Canada to access the full notice, required documents, and submission instructions provided by the contracting authority.

When does this tender close?

The submission deadline is July 27, 2026. You have 10 days left to prepare and submit your proposal to the contracting authority.

Who is the contracting authority?

This notice was issued by Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) in Canada. The authority is responsible for evaluating bids, awarding the contract, and managing performance.

What type of contract is this?

This is a Services contract in the Research & Innovation sector. The classification helps bidders match the opportunity to their qualifications and registered scope of supply.