Purchase Order 12805B24P0046

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service Plains Area awarded a $21,574.89 firm fixed-price purchase order to Gillespie Livestock Company Inc., a small business contractor based in Fredericksburg, Texas, for the procurement of 18 head of research cattle to support a dust bag effectiveness study. The solicitation, set aside for total small business participation, required cattle weighing between 500–550 pounds, aged 6–24 months, preferably of Black Angus breed, and of uniform sex (either all heifers or all steers). The cattle were to be delivered by February 15, 2024, to the USDA ARS facility in Kerrville, Texas, where they would be utilized in research activities approved under Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee Protocol #2023-18.

Gillespie Livestock Company has established a consistent relationship with the USDA ARS Plains Area as a specialized supplier of research cattle meeting precise federal specifications. The award was issued on January 23, 2024, with an ultimate completion date of March 22, 2024, and is part of the company's broader engagement with the agency, which includes an underlying $975 million Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity multiple award task order contract vehicle awarded in August 2024 for the five-year period through July 31, 2029. This indefinite delivery contract enables the USDA ARS to issue periodic task orders for research cattle procurement to support ongoing agricultural research initiatives without requiring separate solicitation and award processes.