Abilene, TX lease award

The USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service is extending its current lease for 13,209 rentable square feet of office space and 12,000 square feet of outdoor storage at 24 Windmill Circle in Abilene, Texas, for a five-year period beginning June 1, 2026, and ending May 31, 2031, at an annual rate of $18.50 per rentable square foot, totaling $1,221,832.50 for the full term. This action is a sole-source lease extension justified under 41 U.S.C. 3304(a)(1) and implemented through GSAR 570.405, as the facility contains specialized infrastructure—including precise HVAC systems, humidity control, dust collection, specialized lighting, and compressed air—that is critical to the uninterrupted operation of the USDA’s Cotton and Tobacco grading program. Relocation would incur unrecoverable costs and disrupt mission-critical functions, making the current location uniquely suitable. The contract is non-competitive, with no solicitation issued or offeror evaluations conducted, and the sole certification provided is by Contracting Officer Royce Ng, who signed the justification on May 28, 2026. The contracting office is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, under the Department of Agriculture, and no additional contract clauses, attachments, inspections criteria, payment details, or offeror representations are specified in the documentation. The space requirements are deemed essential to maintaining the quality and continuity of federal cotton grading services without interruption.