F--FL-PELICAN ISLAND NWR-BLACK RAIL SURVEYS (bird)

The contract pertains to annual field surveys for the Eastern Black Rail on the Kissimmee Bend and Okeechobee Units of the Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge in Florida, under solicitation number 140FS326Q0048. Performance is scheduled from June 1, 2026, to May 31, 2027, with the possibility of a six-month extension under FAR 52.217-8. The contractor is responsible for all labor, materials, transportation, and lodging required to conduct surveys, collect and report data including maps, photographs, and GIS information, and deliver a final comprehensive report within one year of award. No government-furnished resources are provided, and compliance with the Eastern Black Rail Protocols and Reporting Deliverables outlined in Attachments 3 and 4 is mandatory. The work must adhere to strict quality standards defined in the Performance Requirements Summary and is subject to evaluation based on timeliness, data completeness, and format compliance, with final acceptance occurring at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service facility in Vero Beach, FL. The contracting office is the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service SAT Team 3, based in Falls Church, VA, with Merenica Banks as the primary point of contact. The contract is a total small business set-aside under NAICS code 541360 (Engineering Services), and multiple FAR clauses related to small business utilization, subcontracting plans, and socioeconomic program participation are applicable, including provisions for HUBZone and SDVOSB set-asides. A firm-fixed-price structure is implied, though no line-item pricing is provided. Payment must be submitted electronically through the Treasury’s Invoice Processing Platform, and the contractor must ensure all personnel are identifiable as contractors, not government employees. The Government retains unlimited rights to all deliverables, and mandatory flow-down clauses require subcontractors to comply with prohibitions on Kaspersky, ByteDance, telecommunications products under Section 889, and supply chain security regulations. The contractor must also adhere to labor compliance laws including the Fly America Act, anti-lobbying restrictions, and equal opportunity requirements, while maintaining records for three years after final payment. The award will be made based on best value trade-off, with technical capability and past performance carrying greater weight than price.