INTENT TO AWARD SOLE SOURCE FOR MONITORING OF AVIAN SCAVENGERS ALONG OREGON AND WASHINGTON COAST

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to award a fixed-price purchase order under authority of Simplified Acquisition Procedures (FAR) Subpart 13.106-1(2)(b)(1), Soliciting from Single Source, and 10 USC 2304 (c) (1) or 41 USC 253 (c)(1). This acquisition is required to support the Migratory Birds and Habitat Programs of the Pacific Region Office, Portland, Oregon. This project monitors the health of avian scavengers along the Washington and Oregon coasts for infectious and parasitic diseases and for contaminants by conducting tissue sampling of Bald eagles, turkey vultures and common ravens, and beach cast marine mammals.This sole source request in using Hamer Environmental LP, relies on the fact that this vendor has been conducting this research on a limited basis since 2005, and therefor has the experience, knowledge base, and established protocols in the continuation this work. Furthermore, this project contributes to and is supported by the goals of Endangered Species and Contaminants ongoing projects, and Migratory Birds and Habitat Programs. This acquisition is a portion of a larger project receiving funding from other programs. Hamer Environmental staff is knowledgeable and is prepared to continue this research, and has established MakahTribal and other agencies lines of communication necessary for accessing carcasses and conducting surveys. Some of the knowledge to be used is proprietary to Hamer Environmental, L.P. To request another organization to conduct this research would require extensive staff time to become knowledgeable about the locations, local and species ecology and survey methods; establish similar agreements with Tribes and other agencies; and to create protocols without the assistance of information proprietary to Hamer Environmental, L.P., resulting in considerable additional cost to the Service and a portion of a larger project that could differ enough to reduce the scientific credibility of the results.Any information received will be evaluated solely for the purpose of determining whether or not to conduct this procurement on a competitive basis. A determination by the Government not to compete this requirement based on the information received to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government.