Tall Timbers Research Inc.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services intends to enter into a single-source agreement with Tall Timbers Research Inc. to administer the Upland Ecosystem Restoration Project (UERP), a initiative focused on accelerating, maintaining, and documenting the restoration of pine upland ecosystems across four state forests in Florida: Blackwater River, Pine Log, Jennings, and Withlacoochee. The project aims to improve habitat conditions for key indicator species including Northern Bobwhite Quail, Brown-headed Nuthatch, and Bachman’s Sparrow, leveraging Tall Timbers Research Inc.'s uniquely specialized expertise in upland habitat restoration, fire ecology, and management of keystone species. The contract, with a period of performance from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2031, will provide technical guidance, ecological oversight, and species-specific management services in alignment with established restoration standards. The estimated contract value ranges from $62,500 to $80,000, with no competitive bidding process due to the determination that Tall Timbers Research Inc. is the only organization possessing the necessary scientific capacity and proprietary methodologies to fulfill the project’s requirements. This procurement is issued under statutory requirements for a 15-business-day public notice, not as a competitive solicitation, and serves as a formal opportunity for other potential vendors to submit information demonstrating their ability to perform the services if they believe they can meet the unique needs of the project. All submissions must be made by July 24, 2026, to Edward Rondeau at the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, via email at Procurement@FDACS.gov or phone at (850) 617-7192. The solicitation number is SS 26 27 34, and while no formal contract clauses, evaluation factors, inspection criteria, or packaging requirements are detailed in the notice, the agency has justified the single-source selection based on technical uniqueness and proprietary knowledge, with performance strictly limited to locations within the state of Florida.