[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 62 (Thursday, March 31, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18646-18647]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-07274]



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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation

[RR08100000, 16XR0680A1, RY.1541CH20.ECO1602]


Announcement of Requirements and Registration for a Prize 
Competition Seeking Downstream Fish Passage at Tall Dams

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Reclamation, in collaboration with other Federal 
agencies (U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-National Marine 
Fisheries Service, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers), is seeking new 
ideas for gaining successful and cost-effective downstream passage of 
juvenile fish at tall (high-head) dams. The solutions should minimize 
stress (e.g. crowding, removal from water, disorientation), physical 
damage on fish, interference with the operation of the dam (flood 
control, energy, water distribution), and total costs.

DATES: Listed below are the specific dates pertaining to this prize 
competition:
    1. Submission period begins on March 31, 2016.
    2. A webinar concerning this prize competition will be held on 
April 6, 2016. Instructions for participating in the webinar are 
included in the on-line postings at the addresses shown below. The 
webinar will also be recorded and posted at these same addresses.
    3. Submission period ends on May 10, 2016.
    4. Judging period ends on July 11, 2016.
    5. Winners announced by July 29, 2016.

ADDRESSES: The Downstream Fish Passage at Tall Dams Prize Competition 
will be posted on the following crowd-sourcing platforms where Solvers 
can register for this prize competition:
    1. The Water Pavilion located at the InnoCentive Challenge Center: 
https://www.innocentive.com/ar/challenge/browse.
    2. U.S. Federal Government Challenge Platform: www.Challenge.gov. 
InnoCentive, Inc. is administering this challenge under a challenge 
support services contract with the Bureau of Reclamation. Challenge.gov 
will re-direct the Solver community to the InnoCentive Challenge Center 
as the administrator for this prize competition. Additional details for 
this prize competition, including background information, figures, and 
the Challenge Agreement specific for this prize competition, can be 
accessed through either of these prize competition web addresses. The 
Challenge Agreement contains more details of the prize competition 
rules and terms that Solvers must agree with to be eligible to compete.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Challenge Manager: Dr. David Raff, 
Science Advisor, Bureau of Reclamation, (202) 513-0516, [email protected]; 
Ms. Connie Svoboda, Ecosystem Restoration Prize Competition Theme Area 
Manager, (303) 445-2152, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Bureau of Reclamation is announcing the 
following prize competition in compliance with 15 U.S.C. 3719, Prize 
Competitions.
    Challenge Summary: While downstream passage over tall (high-head) 
dams for some species and life history stages has been achieved to a 
limited degree, much improvement in downstream juvenile fish passage is 
still needed. Effective downstream passage, paired with effective 
upstream passage, would increase habitat availability that many 
threatened and endangered fish populations need to rebuild resilient 
populations.
    New ideas for gaining successful and cost-effective downstream 
passage of juvenile fish at high-head dams are being sought by this 
Challenge. A solution is being pursued through a prize competition 
because the Bureau of Reclamation and the collaborating Federal 
agencies view it beneficial to seek innovative solutions from those 
beyond the usual sources of potential solvers and experts that commonly 
work in the fish recovery management domain. We find ourselves often 
wondering if someone, somewhere, may know a better way of providing 
downstream fish passage at high-head dams than the methods we currently 
use. The prize competition approach enables us to reach a new source of 
potential Solvers to generate new and timely solutions that would not 
likely be accomplished by standard contractual methods.
    This is an Ideation Challenge, which has the following unique 
features:
     There is a guaranteed award. The awards will be paid to 
the best submission(s) as solely determined by the Bureau of 
Reclamation (The Seeker). The total payout will be $20,000, with at 
least one award being no smaller than $5,000 and no award being smaller 
than $2,500.
     All intellectual property rights, if any, in the idea or 
concept demonstrated by the proposed solution will remain with the 
solver. Upon submission of a proposed solution to this challenge, each 
solver grants to the seeker a royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, 
non-exclusive license and right to use, disclose, reproduce, prepare 
derivative works, distribute copies to the public, and perform publicly 
and display publicly, in any manner and for any purpose, and to have or 
permit others to do so. Notwithstanding granting the seeker a 
perpetual, non-exclusive license for the proposed solution, the solver 
retains ownership of the idea or concept demonstrated by the proposed 
solution.
     The Seeker believes there might be a potential for future 
collaboration with awarded Solver(s), although such collaboration is 
not guaranteed. The Seeker may also encourage Solver(s) to further 
develop and test their winning submissions through subsequent round(s) 
of competition. Solvers should make it clear if they have the ability 
for subsequent design and development phases and would be willing to 
consider future collaborations and/or subsequent competitions.
    Technical Requirements. Any proposed solution should address the 
following technical requirements. Concepts that meet some requirements, 
but not all, are eligible for an award.
    1. Pass downstream-migrating fish in the size class 30-300 mm fork 
length.
    2. Provide a way to efficiently guide fish to the entrance of the 
passage system.
    3. Safely collect the majority of fish that pass close to the 
passage system, convey, and release the fish with a high survival rate 
(target is greater than 90% survival).
    4. Be able to accommodate seasonal water surface fluctuations of up 
to 150 feet (i.e. the system must work when the reservoir water surface 
is at full pool, when it is 150 feet below full pool, and at all water 
surfaces in between).
    5. Be able to pass fish swimming at the surface (0 to 10 ft.) and 
mid-depth (10-30 ft.). Nice to have (not as important as the 
requirements above, but would add value to a submission):
    1. Handle debris (sticks, logs, leaves, trash, etc.) in an 
effective way to prevent clogging of intakes and physical damage to 
fish. This can be a new method or an existing method that is 
incorporated or adapted to work with the passage system.

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    2. Minimize the need to confine fish in holding systems, 
mechanically crowd, or remove fish from the water.
    3. Not result in a significant increase in the time it takes fish 
to pass the dam and preferably it will result in a decrease in passage 
time. For example, if fish currently pass the dam within 24 hours after 
arrival, a system that increased passage time by more than 50% (12 
hours) would result in a significant impact to passage time.
    4. Minimize impacts to recreation (e.g., boating, swimming).
    5. Minimize impact to upstream-migrating fish and other biotic 
species in the system.
    Project Deliverables: This is an Ideation Challenge that requires 
only a written proposal to be submitted. At least one solution will be 
deemed the winner. The submitted proposal should include the following:
    1. Detailed description of a method and/or device. The Solver must 
describe with a high level of technical detail as to how the system 
would meet or not meet each of the ``must have'' and ``nice to have'' 
attributes in technical requirements described above. The Solver should 
expect that their submittal will be reviewed by experts in the field of 
biology and multiple fields of engineering.
    2. Rationale as to why the Solver believes that the proposed method 
and/or device will work. This rationale should address each of the 
technical requirements and should be supported with relevant examples.
    3. Drawings/sketches of the proposed downstream fish passage 
system.
    4. Sufficient data to support claims, if available.
    5. List of equipment required.
    Submitted proposals should not include any personal identifying 
information or any information the Solvers do not want to make public 
or consider as their Intellectual Property they do not want to share.
    Judging: After the Challenge deadline, the Seeker will evaluate the 
submissions and make a decision with regards to the winning 
solution(s). All Solvers that submitted a proposal will be notified on 
the status of their submissions. Decisions by the Seeker cannot be 
contested.
    Submitted solutions will be evaluated by a Judging Panel composed 
of scientists, engineers, and other related technical experts. The 
Judging Panel will also have consultation access to technical experts 
outside of their expertise, as determined necessary, to evaluate 
specific submissions.
    The Judging Panel will assess the merits of the solution by the 
degree that they meet the technical requirements listed in the 
Challenge description and also by feasibility, flexibility to changing 
conditions (water level, temperature, and debris), overall costs, and 
scalability.
    Eligibility Rules: To be able to win a prize under this 
competition, an individual or entity must:
    1. Agree to the rules of the competition (15 U.S.C. 3719(g)(1));
    2. Be an entity that is incorporated in and maintains a primary 
place of business in the United States, or (b) in the case of an 
individual, a citizen or permanent resident of the United States (15 
U.S.C. 3719(g)(3));
    3. Not be a Federal entity or Federal employee acting within the 
scope of their employment; (15 U.S.C. 3719(g)(4));
    4. Assume risks and waive claims against the Federal Government and 
its related entities (15 U.S.C. 3719(i)(1)(B)); and,
    5. Not use Federal facilities, or consult with Federal employees 
during the competition unless the facilities and employees are made 
available to all individuals and entities participating in the 
competition on an equitable basis.
    The following individuals or entities are not eligible regardless 
of whether they meet the criteria set forth above:
    1. Any individual who employs an evaluator on the Judging Panel or 
otherwise has a material business relationship or affiliation with any 
Judge.
    2. Any individual who is a member of any Judge's immediate family 
or household.
    3. The Seeker, participating organizations, and any advertising 
agency, contractor or other individual or organization involved with 
the design, production, promotion, execution, or distribution of the 
prize competition; all employees, representatives and agents thereof; 
and all members of the immediate family or household of any such 
individual, employee, representative, or agent.
    4. Any individual or entity that uses Federal funds to develop the 
proposed solution now or any time in the past, unless such use is 
consistent with the grant award, or other applicable Federal funds 
awarding document. Note: Submissions that propose to improve or adapt 
existing federally funded technologies for the solution sought in this 
prize competition are eligible.
    Consultation: Fish recovery program managers and technical 
specialists from across the Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Geological 
Survey, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration-National Marine Fisheries Service, and U.S. 
Army Corps of Engineers were consulted in identifying and selecting the 
topic of this prize competition. Direct and indirect input from various 
stakeholders and partners associated with the fish recovery program 
efforts by these agencies were also considered. In addition, the Bureau 
of Reclamation maintains an open invitation to the public to suggest 
prize competition topics at www.usbr.gov/research/challenges.
    Public Disclosure: InnoCentive, Inc. is administering this 
challenge under a challenge support services contract with the Bureau 
of Reclamation. Participation is conditioned on providing the data 
required on InnoCentive's online registration form. Personal data will 
be processed in accordance with InnoCentive's Privacy Policy which can 
be located at http://www.innocentive.com/privacy.php. Before including 
your address, phone number, email address, or other personal 
identifying information in your proposal, you should be aware that the 
Seeker is under no obligation to withhold such information from public 
disclosure, and it may be made publicly available at any time. Neither 
InnoCentive nor the Seeker is responsible for human error, theft, 
destruction, or damage to proposed solutions, or other factors beyond 
its reasonable control. Solver assumes any and all risks and waives any 
and all claims against the Seeker and its related entities, except in 
the case of willful misconduct, for any injury, death, damage, or loss 
of property, revenue, or profits, whether direct, indirect, or 
consequential, arising from participation in this competition, whether 
the injury, death, damage, or loss arises through negligence or 
otherwise.

    Dated: March 28, 2016.
David Raff,
Science Advisor.
[FR Doc. 2016-07274 Filed 3-30-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4332-90-P