The USDA Forest Service awarded a Purchase Order to Stevens Douglas L, a small business, on November 1, 2026, for winter boarding and supplemental feeding of 30 to 50 government-owned horses and mules near Flathead National Forest, Montana, with a ceiling value of $305,505. The award is a Total Small Business set-aside under NAICS 115210.
Place of performance is Whitefish, Montana, with animals boarded in the Hungry Horse area within 200 road miles of the Flathead National Forest Office in Kalispell. Services include fenced pasture accommodating 40 to 50 head, daily water and grazing or hay feeding, daily salt, supplemental feeding as directed by the Forest Service, and loading and unloading facilities for 24-foot stock trailers. Minimum pasture is 30 acres. Animals are boarded from December through April each year, with potential extension into November and May depending on weather.
The contract runs from November 1, 2026 through October 31, 2031, comprising one base year and four one-year option periods. The award flowed from a solicitation posted May 13, 2026, with quotations due June 12, 2026 (extended from May 27). Service Contract Labor Standards apply; the Livestock Caretaker wage rate is $27.66 per hour plus $5.09 in fringe benefits.