Specifications include, but are not limited to: The purpose of this Request for Proposals (RFP) is to obtain proposals to develop and implement a mail survey of Vermont licensed anglers to determine resident and nonresident anglers’ fishing behaviors and preferences; participation and avidity; and opinions on and attitudes toward fishing regulations and other fisheries management issues in the State of Vermont. DETAILED REQUIREMENTS/DESIRED OUTCOMES: 2.1. Survey Design and Sample Selection For this study, survey design and development will be based on the statewide angler surveys conducted in 1991, 2000, and 2010. In the previous studies, a questionnaire was mailed to a selected sample of licensed resident and nonresident anglers in Vermont. Using the previous survey instrument as a baseline for survey design will ensure comparable data are collected for trend analysis; however, questions may need to be replaced and revisions may be needed to assess efforts or initiatives that have been implemented in the past decade. The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department (“State”) will provide a database of 2019 fishing license buyers to the selected contractor. From this list, the contractor will select a stratified random sample of both licensed resident and nonresident anglers and obtain a minimum of 1,600 completed surveys from licensed resident anglers and 300 completed surveys from licensed nonresident anglers, for a total of 1,900 completed surveys from licensed anglers who fished in Vermont. The sampling should be designed to ensure a 95% confidence interval and a sampling error that will not exceed plus or minus 2.23 percentage points for the total sample population* . The selected contractor will be responsible for generating a statistically-representative sample of licensed resident anglers that is a proportionate size for meaningful results at the statewide and regional level. The sample will be stratified based upon the proportion of licenses sold among 5 regions within the state, including the Northeast Kingdom (Essex, Orleans, and Caledonia counties), East Central Vermont (Lamoille, Washington, and Orange counties), Southern Vermont (Windsor, Windham, and Bennington counties), West Central Vermont (Rutland and Addison counties), and Northwest Vermont (Chittenden, Franklin, and Grand Isle counties). 2.2. Survey Data Collection and Report Analysis The selected contractor will pretest the survey instrument before submitting it to the State for final approval to identify any issues with the survey’s content or length and adjust the survey accordingly. In the past, this survey has been conducted by mail and has resulted in a 67% (1991), 36% (2000), and 37% (2010) response rate, following multiple mailings. The selected contractor is encouraged to recommend a study design and methodology that will yield a response rate comparable to previous surveys. To maximize angler memory recall of the 2019 fishing season, surveys should be conducted in January 2020. A determination of potential nonresponse bias will need to be made to determine if non-respondents systematically differ from respondents. The contractor is asked to choose the data collection method for this nonresponse study based on the following design considerations: response rates, speed and accuracy of data collection, cost effectiveness, timeliness, and reduced respondent burden.
