Deer Cold storage and processing for chronic wasting disease program

Bill Baker, Inc. doing business as Smokehouse Venison Processing was awarded a contract by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Office of Resource Conservation, for processing and cold storage services related to the state's Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) sharpshooting program. The contract covers three laboratory locations: Black Crown Marsh, Lake Le-Aqua-Na, and Rock Cut, with the contractor responsible for processing deer that test negative for CWD and subsequently donating the processed venison to food banks. The initial contract term spans three years from January 1, 2026, to December 31, 2028, with potential for a two-year renewal, and includes processing up to 300-400 deer per year from each specified location.

The total contract value is $1,050,000, structured as an initial three-year term valued at $600,000 and a two-year renewal term valued at $450,000. Services include comprehensive deer processing requirements such as skinning, washing, deboning, grinding, and packaging venison into one-pound frozen bags, which must be flash frozen to 0°F and maintained below 25°F. The contractor must maintain cold storage capacity for up to 300 processed deer and establish drop-off locations within 25 miles of the three field laboratories located in Winnebago, McHenry, and Stephenson counties. The contract was awarded through an Open Market Competitive Sealed Bidding process, with the vendor selected as the compliant low bidder.