NIGP 72686: Tracking Equipment, Wildlife (for Fish Locators See Class 120-37)

NIGP 72686 Tracking Equipment, Wildlife is an Item code under which state and local governments procure GPS collars, archival satellite tags, and aerial survey services for ungulate and marine wildlife monitoring. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Forest Preserve District of Kane County, Illinois have recently solicited GPS collars for bighorn sheep, mule deer, pronghorn, aoudad, and elk; pop-up archival tags for fish disbursement and survivorship studies; and aerial thermal imaging surveys for white-tailed deer population assessment. Work scopes range from fixed equipment procurement with technical specifications (collar weight, battery life, satellite signal capability, mortality sensors, and virtual fence functionality) to specialized services requiring FAA certification, crew expertise in thermal imaging, and comprehensive data deliverables including GIS shapefiles and field survey documentation. Issuing bodies include state fish and wildlife departments and county-level conservation districts.

Recent activity spans Texas, Illinois, and Florida. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has posted two separate IFBs in the past six months: a blanket contract for GPS collars for ungulate tracking (Solicitation 8022667618, due June 25, 2026) and an IFB for pop-up archival tags for marine research (Solicitation 8022674038, due January 30, 2026). The Forest Preserve District of Kane County, Illinois issued an RFQ for aerial thermal UAS surveys across four forest preserves for white-tailed deer assessment (Quote-FP-04-2526, due April 15, 2026). Equipment specifications in the Texas solicitations explicitly call for named manufacturers—Vectronics, Lotek, and Wildlife Computers equivalents—with detailed performance and capability requirements, while service work requires performance bonds, comprehensive insurance coverage, Illinois prevailing wage compliance, and multi-phase deliverable acceptance tied to 90/10 payment splits.