Helicopter Mule Deer Surveys

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is soliciting bids to establish a blanket contract for statewide helicopter mule deer surveys, with services to be performed on an as-needed basis at designated on-site base camps across Texas through August 31, 2028, with potential one-year extensions up to three times. Contractors must provide all aircraft, pilots, equipment, fuel, and personnel necessary to conduct wildlife surveys using stratified random sampling in high, medium, and low-density ecoregions, including net gun capture operations, while complying with federal and state regulations, FAA and NTSB standards, and TPWD policies. The contract requires FAA Part 135 certification for all operations, mandate aircraft equipped with Garmin® WireAware wire strike avoidance technology and real-time flight tracking, and stipulates that all personnel be verified through the E-Verify system. Contractors must maintain current insurance policies issued by Texas-licensed providers with an “A” Best rating and name TPWD as an additional insured, and must not have employees with felony convictions. Proposals are evaluated based on a best-value trade-off approach, with qualifications and experience accounting for 35%, pilot and personnel expertise and safety operations for another 35%, followed by pricing at 15% and technical proposal quality at 15%. Submission requires ten mandatory exhibits including company profile, key personnel resumes limited to one page each, equipment lists, safety records, technical proposals with detailed methodology, and a signed price sheet with per-head pricing structured in tiered quantity ranges from 0–20 up to 81–100 heads. All submissions must be electronically transmitted via email to purchasing.bidbox@tpwd.texas.gov or hard copy delivered to the Austin office by August 6, 2026, at 2:00 PM Central Time, with late proposals returned unopened. Contractors must affirm compliance with Texas HUB program requirements, disclose any relationships with former TPWD employees, certify absence of boycotts against energy companies or discrimination against firearm industries, and provide documentation of financial standing upon request. Payment will be processed by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Accounts Payable at its Austin office, requiring correct remittance address and the contractor’s Texas Payee Identification Number on all invoices, with no electronic invoicing systems like WAWF accepted. The contract includes clauses ensuring survival of terms, compliance with changing laws, payment of taxes, Buy Texas preferences, no assignment without permission, environmental protection, and adherence to accessibility standards. Inspection and acceptance authority resides entirely