7G--NV PAHRANAGAT NWR TRACKING TRANSMITTERS

The Department of the Interior, through the Fish and Wildlife Service, has awarded a sole-source contract to Cellular Tracking Technologies (CTT) for the procurement of 107 Flicker 6g 4G backpack-style GPS-GSM transmitters. This acquisition, processed under the Simplified Acquisition Threshold per FAR Part 13, is valued at 470,500 dollars. The equipment will be used for a four-year study beginning in September 2026 to track cinnamon teal migration, survival, and habitat use within the Intermountain West Ecoregion, specifically focusing on the Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge in southern Nevada. The award was justified as a sole-source procurement because CTT is the only vendor providing transmitters that meet the strict USGS permitting requirement of weighing no more than 3 percent of the bird's body mass (maximum 6 grams) while remaining compatible with the refuge's existing U.S.-based data management systems. Other market options were deemed unsuitable due to concerns regarding data sovereignty and geopolitical stability. The contract ensures the collection of critical movement data over four years, with performance measured by regulatory compliance and seamless integration into current tracking infrastructure.