A16_SSJ_Ornitela_FY26_signed_1.pdf
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- Attached to
- NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD A SOLE SOURCE Federal contract opportunity
- Solicitation number
- DOIFFBO260105
About this file
This is a Single Source Justification form (FWS Form 3-0034) submitted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for a purchase under the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT).
The acquisition concerns GPS-GSM transmitters for a long-term demographic study of Cooper's hawks in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Fish and Wildlife Service requires 10 transmitters (4 six-gram units and 6 ten-gram units) for deployment in July 2026 and 2027. The transmitters must weigh less than 3% of the hawk's body weight (less than 8-13 grams) to minimize impact, feature reliable battery life and connectivity for international data transfer (as some hawks migrate to Mexico), and employ proven safe attachment methods. Market research identified Ornitela as the sole capable source, as their OmniTrack-6 and OmniTrack-10 4G transmitters are the only models meeting all specified requirements. Two other manufacturers (CTT and Lotek) were considered but proved unsuitable due to past connectivity failures when birds traveled to Mexico and lack of comparable transmission capabilities for the study species. Ornitela offers competitive pricing and includes data transfer credits expected to cover costs for the transmitter lifespan. The justification was certified by Program Officer Emily Bjerre on May 8, 2026, and approved by Contracting Officer John Skogen on June 3, 2026.
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FWS Form 3-0034 (Rev. 10/2020) U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
1. Description of Need
3. Other Capable Sources
2. Market Research Conducted
Pursuant to FAR subpart 13.106-1(b)(1)(i) and (ii), for purchases not exceeding the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT), Contracting Officers may solicit from only one source if the circumstances deem only one source is reasonably available (e.g., urgency, exclusive licensing agreements, brand name, or industrial mobilization).
Instructions: The information in the text boxes are provided as sample language or to indicate a needed fill-in. Sample language should be removed from the final document. All text boxes require information and shall not be left blank.
SINGLE SOURCE JUSTIFICATION
(UNDER SAT)
JOINT ADMINISTRATIVE OPERATIONS
Acquisitions Operations
4. Barriers to Competition
5. Contractor's Qualifications
6. Determination of Fair and Reasonable Cost
7. Recommendation and Certification by Program Office
Based on the above justification, I recommend this acquisition to be conducted using sole source acquisition procedures. I hereby certify that this justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.
Program / Project Officer
8. Contracting Officer Certification and Approval: Under SAT
Based on the above justification, I hereby certify and approve the use of sole source acquisition procedures under FAR Part 13 for this purchase.
Contracting Officer
| Text3: In our search for other possible transmitters, there were two other manufacturers that had transmitters that might meet the size requirements, CTT and Lotek. One of our primary collaborators has recent experience testing units from both of these manufacturers on another project in Texas with a different hawk and had multiple issues with connectivity (the units just stopped transmitting) once the birds were in Mexico. They did not have any issues with diployed Ornitela units transmitting from Mexico. Though technology continues to improve, currently there are no other capable source that meets the needs of this project. | |
| Text2: We are constantly monitoring avian transmitter manufactures web sites and communicating with other researchers around the world to locate other possible sources of light-weight GPS-GSM transmitters. Currently the Ornitela OrniTrack-6 4G and OrniTrack-10 4G are the only transmitters that will meet all of the studies needs. We collaborate with other researchers using different sizes of transmitters from various manufacturers on other study species. We have not found a comparable transmitter for this study species and the specific needs of our study: less than 8 or 13 grams (some of the smaller male hawks require transmitters less than 8-grams), reliable battery life (birds are tagged as fledglings and can live for 10-12 years), attachment methods that have been proven safe for the hawks, and connectivity over their natural range (this include movements into Mexico). | |
| Text1: We have a long-term demographic study of Cooper's hawks in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and we deploy GPS-GSM transmitters on a sample of hawks each year to estimate survival rates, and rates of emigration and migration. We propose to purchase 10 transmitters (4 6-gram units and 6 10-gram units) for deployment on Cooper's hawks in July 2026 and 2027. The transmitters must be less than 3% of the hawk's body weight so we need units less than 8-13 grams. Some of the hawks fly into Mexico for part of the year, so the transmitters must reliably transmit data from outside of the U.S. Reliable battery life and connectivity to transfer data from the transmitters is also critical. | |
| Text4: We will continue to monitor available transmitters from other manufacturers, however, a change to a new transmitter would require the appropriate testing on a small number of hawks as a pilot year to determine whether the performance and reliability of the units meet the needs of the project. Ornitela also includes data transfer costs with their transmitters that are likely to cover the life of the transmitter for the purposes of this study. Many manufacturers do not cover this costs, making their products much more costly to use over the entire study. Switching transmitter platforms would also increase the staff time burden for downloading and checking data from multiple platforms and designing new harnesses for attaching the transmitters to the birds. | |
| Text6: Ornitela offers transmitters at competitive prices. They are also currently the only company with GPS-GSM transmitters under 8 and 13 grams that are known to be reliable for use with Cooper's hawks that may naturally fly outside of the U.S. The included data transfer credit is likely to cover data costs for the life of these transmitters so we do not anticipate any additional cost after the additional purchase of the units. | |
| 2026-05-08T10:32:04-0700 | |
| EMILY BJERRE |
| 2026-06-03T10:36:31-0500 | |
| JOHN SKOGEN |
Text5: Ornitela specializes in advanced telemetry applications for studying wild birds. They have biologists and engineers with avian ecology and tracking experience and produce bird transmitters that ensure reliable performance and high energetic efficiency. They are also willing to work with customers and develop tailored solutions matching needs of specific studies. Their OrniTrack-6 and 10 4G transmitters meet all of the requirements for this study and have proven to be reliable, cost-effective, and, most importantly, safe for the birds for this study.
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