Attachment 2 - JA for Under SAT.pdf

United States Department of Agriculture Decision to Restrict Competition under the Simplified Acquisition Threshold

Identification Number:

Rev. 10/29/25

In accordance with the Revolutionary Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Overhaul (RFO) FAR

12.102 (a), the following documents the decision to restrict competition for this acquisition.

(1) Mission Area and Contracting Activity.

Requisition Number: 1161507

Requesting Activity Agency: USDA-ARS

Contracting Activity: Purchase 24-head of cattle

(2) Brief Description of Supplies or Services Twenty-Four (24) head of cattle (calves): Requirements: Weight between 300-450 lbs. mix of steers and heifers, age 6-24 months. Preferred breed: Hereford (only if Hereford are unavailable will Black Angus or Charolais be acceptable to fulfill quantity; mix of the 3 breeds acceptable). No bull calves accepted. No Brahman, Brahman cross, or Brahman influence accepted.

Cattle must have no prior exposure to cattle fever ticks or exposure to locations with cattle fever ticks. Cattle must come from within a 60-mile radius of Kerrville, TX, to ensure no previous possibility of encountering cattle fever ticks.

The proximity of the cattle auction facility is also required for proper inspection of cattle and for minimizing transport stress. Cattle will be transported by the Government. Due to the need to inspect the animals at origin, the Government may factor the Government’s cost of inspection and transport to calculate the total cost of the proposal to determine the lowest price.

(3) Suggested Source

Gillespie Livestock Co.

621 Longhorn Street, Fredericksburg, TX 78624 Phone: (830) 997-4394

UEI: D9HEQCQJZK74

(4) Justification for Restricting Competition and the Basis for that Decision.

A. Explain the unique qualifications/characteristics of the proposed contractor or product and why no other contractor or product/service can meet the Government's need.

All cattle that will be utilized for tick & fly studies must first be processed through the KBUSLIRL facility in Kerrville. In Kerrville the animals are vaccinated, screened for health issues, and conditioned for use in studies at CFTRU & KBUSLIRL.

Weekly auctions at Gillespie Livestock Co. routinely contain animals that meet our research requirements. This includes required breed for tick studies (Hereford is the preferred breed, only if Hereford are unavailable will Black Angus or Charolais be acceptable to fulfill quantity; mix of the 3 breeds acceptable); age less than 24 months; and size between 250-500 lbs. This breed, size, and

Identification Number:

Rev. 10/29/25 age of cattle can be difficult to find outside of this small region of Texas as most producers in the rest of the state raise primarily Black Angus cattle.

Gillespie Livestock Co. is located in Fredericksburg, TX. Cattle coming into the sale from surrounding counties have no prior exposure to cattle fever ticks as this part of the state is fever tick-free. Gillespie Livestock Co. is approxi. 30 miles from the KBUSLIRL which minimizes employee time spent on transport. The proximity of the cattle auction facility is also required for proper inspection of cattle and for minimizing transport stress. Cattle will be transported by Government.

Impact: No other cattle farmer or livestock auction company has been found in the market research for contractors registered in SAM within the 60-mile range. The closest other live auction company registered is 150 miles from the Kerrville ARS facility, and does not consistently have the breed, size, and age of animal that we require for our research projects and colony maintenance. Not purchasing research animals from Gillespie Livestock Co, would limit availability, extend project lead times, incur additional travel and salary expenses, and increase overhead. The closest cattle farm which was registered was over 95 miles and would have the same issues of increased expense and stress on the animals. All these factors negatively impact our ability to maintain our six tick colony strains, delay start dates of projects requiring research animals, increase related travel costs and increase overhead costs in housing research animals, all of which directly impact the majority of our research projects conducted in Kerrville and in Edinburg at the CFTRU.

B. Describe market research conducted and the results or the reason why no market research was conducted.

Research animal cost is based on cattle market prices and the animal’s weight, breed, etc. Vendor cannot project future research animal purchase costs. The only other livestock auction company registered in SAMs is hours from the Kerrville ARS facility and does not consistently have the breed, size, and age of animal that we require for our research projects and colony maintenance.

Not purchasing research animals from Gillespie Livestock Co. would limit availability, extend project lead times, incur additional travel and salary expenses, and increase overhead. All these factors negatively impact our ability to maintain our six tick colony strains, delay start dates of projects requiring research animals, increase related travel costs and increase overhead costs in housing research animals, all of which directly impact the majority of our research projects conducted in Kerrville and in Edinburg at the CFTRU.

Certifications & Approvals

(5) Technical / Requirements Personnel Certification I certify this requirement meets the Government’s minimum need and that the supporting data, which forms a basis for this justification, is complete and accurate.

Identification Number:

Rev. 10/29/25

(6) Contracting Officer’s Certification I certify that the data supporting the recommended use of other than full and open competition accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief. I hereby approve this justification.