Agriculture and Irrigation - Request for Proposal - WATER MANAGEMENT STRATEGY FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES IN ALBERTA 2026 Tender

Agriculture and Irrigation

About this tender

Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation, through its Water Infrastructure and Operations Branch (AGI-WIOB), is procuring services to develop an environmental water management strategy and decision-support tool for the Oldman River Basin in southern Alberta. Streamflow in the basin is heavily altered by diversions and storage for irrigation and other uses, and natural flows have not occurred for decades. The project aims to formalize instream flow needs (IFN) practices that operators currently apply inconsistently, and to write them into operating procedures that can be used in day-to-day water management. Deliverables are organized in steps over three years. Year one focuses on a work plan, identification and quantification of ecosystem and consumptive/non-consumptive services (including fish habitat, riparian forests, irrigation, industrial and municipal use, recreation and social benefits), and an audit of water management performance in selected years. Year two covers development of an environmental support system (ESS) model with sub-models for water supply and hydrology, climate and water temperature, seasonal fish habitat, and socioeconomic water management rules, plus the water management tool itself. Year three involves testing the tool against audited flow years, refining it, and delivering it to operators, water managers and resource managers, with a final technical report. The estimated contract period is 28 months, with a proposed start date of 23 November 2026. The procurement is an open competitive Request for Proposal under the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA).

Bidder eligibility

Not specified on the notice page. The notice lists CFTA as the applicable trade agreement and references SAP Ariba registration for bidders. Full solicitation documents, which would contain mandatory requirements, are on a third-party site that may require an account.

How bids are scored

Not disclosed on the notice page. No price/quality split or weightings are stated.

Key requirements

• ✓Development of environmental operating procedures for water management in Oldman River Basin
• ✓Identification and quantification of ecosystem services and instream flow needs (IFN)
• ✓Development of environmental, hydrological, and operational models
• ✓Creation of real-time decision-support system for water management operators
• ✓Three-year phased delivery with integration into existing water management strategies

Procurement contact

The notice names a procurement contact for clarification questions.

Relevant sectors

About this sector

Water funding covers supply, sanitation, wastewater treatment, water efficiency, catchment management and flood risk. A large share is public procurement for infrastructure and services, alongside grants for innovation and access in underserved areas. Bidders and applicants are typically assessed on technical capacity, operating experience and community impact.