Elk_IPM_Sole_Source_Approved.pdf

Sole-Source Determination_rev01-31-24 (ODFW 10/17/2025) Page 1 of 4

SOLE-SOURCE DETERMINATION AND JUSTIFICATION FOR

SUPPLIES AND SERVICES

Date: August 13, 2026 To: Ken Loffink, Chief Operating Officer

From: Darren Clark, Wildlife Research Project Leader Marcus Jones, Procurement and Contract Specialist 2

RE: Sole Source Determination pursuant to Oregon Revised Statute (ORS) 279B.075 and

Oregon Administrative Rule (OAR) 125-247-0275

CSR: 180-26 Development of an Integrated Population Model (IPM) for Rocky Mountain Elk, with Ongoing Maintenance and Subscription Services for the Newly Developed Elk Model and the Existing Black Bear and Mule Deer Models

Part A

1. Authority to enter into a Sole-Source Contract: OAR 125-246-0170(2)(c)(H)

2. Estimated Total Value of the Procurement: $148,000

3. Single or Multiple Purchases: Single

4. Proposed Contractor: SpeedGoat Wildlife Solutions, LLC

5. Brief Description of Goods or Services to be procured: Development of an Integrated Population

Model (IPM) for Rocky Mountain Elk, with Ongoing Maintenance and Subscription Services for the Newly Developed Elk Model and the Existing Black Bear and Mule Deer Models.

6. Background: The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW or Agency) seeks to improve wildlife population monitoring using advanced analytical tools such as Integrated Population Models (IPMs). Effective management of elk populations requires accurate and precise estimates of population size. Integrated population models (IPM) are the current best approach to estimating large ungulate populations. The Agency is transitioning population modeling for several wildlife species to IPM’s (e.g., black bear, mule deer) and elk are the next species to move to this framework. Development of IPMs requires extensive analytical capabilities to correctly build a Bayesian hierarchical model that accurately reflects elk population dynamics. Further, additional programing and analytical skills are required to host and implement the IPM online for Agency staff to access. The web-based application must also have the ability for Agency staff to upload relevant data (e.g., herd composition, harvest, and abundance) to the website in an integrated fashion. In addition to developing the new elk IPM, ODFW requires ongoing maintenance and subscription services for the existing Black Bear and Mule Deer IPMs. These services ensure that all models remain up-to-date, secure, and fully functional, with continued data integration, methodological updates, and technical support.

Sole-Source Determination_rev01-31-24 (ODFW 10/17/2025) Page 2 of 4

To ODFW’s knowledge, SpeedGoat is the only contractor available that meets the needs of the Agency. SpeedGoat has previously developed IPMs for black bear and mule deer and these models are housed on a secure server accessible only to Agency staff. Their comprehensive toolset included on the website allows for data entry and management and IPM implementation.

SpeedGoat has the technical expertise to build, maintain, and host IPMs that meet the Agency requirements and remains the only vendor offering these complete services.

It is the intent of ODFW to award a sole source contract to SpeedGoat for the following items:

Integrated Population Model (IPM) Budget Table

Description Amount Elk IPM Development $ 50,000.00 Annual Maintenance & Subscription (elk, black bear, mule deer): $45,000 per year x 2 years $ 90,000.00 Optional Consulting/Special Projects up to 40 hours at 200/hour: $ 8,000.00

Total for Base Project $ 148,000.00

7. Findings:

A. Market Research Overall Finding.

Google searches for terms such as: 1) Integrated Population Model Consultant, 2) Integrated Population Model Contractor, 3) Integrated Population Model Online, 4) Integrated Population Model Website, 5) Integrated Population Model Developer, 6) Integrated Population Model Tools, and 7) Integrated Population Model Elk were conducted on 6/10/26.

Integrated Population Model Consultant: a variety of consulting firms websites came up during this search (e.g., www.ferit.ca, floairaneplard.com, tylerflockhart.com, imjv.org). Based on review of these websites, while they may be able to develop an IPM, they do not have an existing web-service to enter and manage data and implement an IPM.

Integrated Population Model Contractor: this generated a similar set of search results as the previous search.

Integrated Population Model Online: this search generally provided links to online trainings or other educational documents related to IPMs.

Integrated Population Model Website: this search generally provided links to online trainings or other educational documents related to IPMs.

Integrated Population Model Developer: this search generally provided links to online trainings or other educational documents related to IPMs.

http://www.ferit.ca/

Sole-Source Determination_rev01-31-24 (ODFW 10/17/2025) Page 3 of 4

Integrated Population Model Tools: this search generally provided links to online trainings or other educational documents related to IPMs.

Integrated Population Model Elk: this search generally provided links to educational documents related to IPMs or published research.

Based on these searches, no other suitable vendors that can develop an IPM and host on a web-service platform that allows data management are currently available except SpeedGoat.

And

B. Findings of Fact pursuant to OAR 125-247-0275(2) must include, at a minimum, one of the following:

1. Pursuant to OAR 125-247-0275(2)(a): Compatibility. Provide findings supporting your determination that the efficient utilization of existing goods requires the acquisition of compatible goods or services from only one source.

Not applicable.

2. Pursuant to ORS 279B.075 (2)(b): Exchange of Software or Data. Provide findings supporting your determination that the goods or services required for the exchange of software or data with other public or private agencies are available from only one source.

Not applicable.

3. Pursuant to ORS 279B.075 (2)(c): Pilot or Experimental Project. Provide findings supporting your determination that the goods or services are for use in a pilot or an experimental project.

Not applicable.

4. Pursuant to ORS 279B.075 (2)(d): Other findings that support the conclusion that Supplies and Services are available from only one source may include but are not limited to considerations of: unique design, availability, geographic location, exclusive authorized representative, cost of conversion, and warranty services.

Based on professional experience, industry knowledge, and interactions with wildlife agencies nationwide, including attending professional conferences and interactions with other wildlife professionals in other state agencies, SpeedGoat is the only company capable of providing:

1) Accurate development of IPMs

2) Secure, server-based hosting of IPMs

3) Web-based tools that allow agency staff to upload and integrate new data directly into the model

Sole-Source Determination_rev01-31-24 (ODFW 10/17/2025) Page 4 of 4

4). Ongoing maintenance and annual subscription services required to keep IPMs updated, functional, and fully supported

SpeedGoat currently supplies IPMs to multiple state and provincial wildlife agencies including Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Arizona, Alberta, British Columbia, Nevada, Oregon, Wyoming, New Mexico.

They also develop analytical, web-based applications for USGS, University of Montana, MPG Ranch, and others. Their system uniquely combines security, computational capacity, and integration with remote agency databases through API-based data access, capabilities essential for ODFW’s population modeling and data management needs. The user interface looks and functions as a simple interactive website, but it connects to our collaborators’ remote databases and uses an application program interface handshake to access only the data required for each individual analysis. This helps reduce network traffic and also ensures that agencies maintain control over their hard-earned data. The overarching framework of each analysis is an integrated population model. Users can specify the desired output upfront, and our algorithms automatically determine the appropriate data and analysis.”

To ODFW’s knowledge, SpeedGoat is the only company offering a web-based platform that directly integrates state and wildlife data and supports IPM-based population estimation. They are also one of the few consulting firms with in-house application developers capable of hosting and maintaining these specialized tools, including support for annual subscription-based access and updates.

Market research conducted on 6/10/2026, including Google searches for terms such as: “Integrated Population Model Consultant,” “Integrated Population Model Contractor,” “Integrated Population Model Online,” “Integrated Population Model Website,” “Integrated Population Model Developer,” “Integrated Population Model Tools,” and “Integrated Population Model Elk,” identified no other vendors capable of delivering these services. No other suitable alternatives were found that offer comparable design, integration capabilities, maintenance and subscription support, authorized support, or cost-effective compatibility with existing ODFW bear and mule deer models.

Part B - Conditions of Approval will be inserted by ODFW-DPO.

Ken Loffink, Chief Operating Officer, ODFW Date

8/18/26