PUR_7776.pdf

PUR 7776 (Revised 07/2022) Page 1 of 3

Incorporated by Reference: Rule 60A-1.045, F.A.C.

DESCRIPTION OF INTENDED

SINGLE SOURCE PURCHASE

(PUR 7776)

AGENCY: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

TITLE: Updated Abundance and Genetic Diversity of Black Bears in Florida

Short description of the commodity or service desired: Vendor will extract microsatellite DNA from tufts of black bear hair and provide genetic analysis using specific markers (loci) needed to identify individual bears, to compare the alleles from each loci to previous data to measure change in diversity, and to detect immigrations/introgressions among Florida bear subpopulations by genetically identifying bears with an ancestral subpopulation that differs from their capture subpopulation.

CONTACT

Name: Matthew Carroll

Address: 1875 Orange Ave E, Tallahassee, FL 32311-6160

Telephone: 850-617-9692

Email: Matthew.Carroll@MyFWC.com

Internal tracking number, if any: FWC SS 25/26-04

Date posted: 9/18/2025 Last day for receipt of information: 10/9/2025

This description of commodities or contractual services intended for purchase from a single source is posted in accordance with Sections 120.57(3) and 287.057(3), Florida Statutes (F.S.), and will remain posted for a period of at least 15 business days.

Commodity or Contractual Service Required (commodity or United National Standard Products and Services Code (UNSPSC), manufacturer, model, and description, as appropriate):

85131709

Quantity or Term (as appropriate):

3 years

Requestor (division, bureau, office, individual, as appropriate):

FWRI, Wildlife Research Section, Brian Scheick

Performance and/or Design Requirements (e.g. intended use, function or application, compatibility, requirements; reference to policy, rule, statute or other act of the Legislature, etc., as appropriate):

Service provided includes genetic analysis that will 1) identify individual black bears from hair samples collected from specific Florida subpopulations, selected by a provided sampling protocol, by genotyping at least 7 microsatellite markers plus a sex-identifying marker as needed for statistical power to diffentiate siblings; 2) for one sample for each invidual bear, genotype specific additional markers that allows comparison with prior genetic diversity metrics among Florida bear

PUR 7776 (Revised 07/2022) Page 2 of 3

Incorporated by Reference: Rule 60A-1.045, F.A.C.

subpopulations, and 3) for one sample for each invidual bear, genotype specific markers in addition to those used above to identify mis-matches between capture subpopulation (expected ancestry) and genetic ancestry that signifies immigration between subpopulations. The results must be compatible with past genotyped samples to allow comparison to measure change in diversity and to identify recaptured bears.

Intended Single Source:

Wildlife Genetics International

Estimated Dollar Amount:

$300,000

Justification for single source acquisition (what is necessary and unique about the product, service or source; steps taken to confirm unavailability of competition, as appropriate):

Wildlife Genetics International has been the sole vendor to provide genetic analysis of bear hair from Florida Bears for 25 years and their work identified the appropriate loci to use for needed identification. Alleles in each loci are identified by a chemical measure of the nucleotide that begins each marker, which differs between each lab and makes results between different genetic labs incompatible. The FWC Bear Research Program needs to compare this vendor's results to results from past genetic analysis to detect a change in bear diversity over time and to detect when individual bears were genotyped multiple times over different years; therefore, we need the same vendor to do the analysis so the genotyping results will match past genotyped samples, or the results will be incorrect. This vendor analyzed samples from 2023 and 2024 that must be comparable to samples collected 2025-2027 for this project to be completed. Furthermore, each subpopulation has particular set of genetic markers (loci) that provide the most accurate individual identification, and they often differ from each other. As a result of genotyping greater than 4,000 samples of bear hair from every genetically distinct group and subpopulation in Florida, this vendor is able to analyze past data to determine which loci provide the statistically strongest identification of individuals (the loci with the highest allelic richness), the most efficient number of loci for each subpopulation that provide the required statistical power to identify individual bears, and the number and loci needed to distinguish one subpopulation from another. After each past analysis, this vendor has further refined these genetic profiles.

Approved By (names & titles, as appropriate, e.g., requestor, requestor management, information systems, budget, purchasing):

Brian Scheick, Bear Research Coordinator

Elizabeth Braun de Torrez, Terrestrial Mammals Subsection Leader

Robin Boughton, Wildlife Research Section Leader/ILT

Jennifer Bokariza, Wildlife Research Budget Manager

Leanne Flewelling, Deputy Director

Matthew Carroll, Purchasing Specialist Supervisor

Rachel Korade, Purchasing Director

Prospective vendors are requested to provide information regarding their ability to supply the commodities or contractual services described. If it is determined in writing by the agency, after reviewing any information received from prospective vendors, that the commodities or contractual

PUR 7776 (Revised 07/2022) Page 3 of 3

Incorporated by Reference: Rule 60A-1.045, F.A.C.

services are available only from a single source, the agency shall provide notice of its intended decision to enter a single-source purchase contract in the manner specified in Rule 60A-1.045, Florida Administrative Code, and section 120.57(3), F.S.