Notice of Intent-The U.S. Fish and Wildlife service plans to award a fixed-price purchase order under authority of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 6.302-1, Other Than Full and Open Competition and FAR Part 13, Simplified Acquisition Procedures. This acquisition is required to support the Sheldon Hart Mountain Refuge Complex in Lakeview, Oregon. Wildlife tracking collars will be used to mark individual pronghorn. Because of the small size of the species and its limited capacity to safely carry a collar without injury, the selected collars must be within precise weight and size specifications. Advanced Telemetry Systems is the manufacture that can meet capture pronghorn collaring specifications. In Addition, it is very expensive and difficult to capture wildlife for collaring, and poor collar design can significantly injure an animal. Advanced Telemetry Systems have a long-standing and proven track record of reliability and animal safety, including models deployed specifically on pronghorn that have been shown to have an excellent record of safety for the animals. Of three manufactures surveyed, Advanced Telemetry is the most cost-effective; offering equipment within the total acceptable weight; and provides all equipment with the required specifications. Specifications include a) total collar weight <410 grams, b)collar size no more than 1.5 inches wide with neoprene belting, c)collar circumference 13-14 inches, d)minimum 2-year operational lifespan, e) user programmable, built-in, and timed drop-off function. No solicitation or Request for Quote (RFQ) is available for this procurement. Nevertheless, any firm that believes it is capable of meeting the requirements described herein may submit a response no later than May 26, 2011 by COB to be considered. A determination not to compete the described purchase order based upon responses to this notice is solely with the discretion of the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Any questions or comments should be directed to Linda Askew, via email at
[email protected].