USFWS DELIVERY POC INFO.PDF

US Fish and Wildlife Service Bid Schedule:

Autochoice Order #

Sequence

Truck Deliver to: Vendor Bid: Technical POC:

140F09- 2278-W001

R1 1/2 ton 4x4

Chief Gary Poen, 35001 Lewis and Clark Hwy, Washougal, WA 98671 (636) 970-

Brian Richardson: (413) 468-matthew_richardson@fws.gov

140F09- 2278-W002

R6.3 1/2 ton 4x4

Officer Tyler Cote, 922 Bootlegger Trail, Great Falls, MT 59404. (406) 781-0651

Brian Richardson: (413) 468-matthew_richardson@fws.gov

R6.4 1/2 ton 4x4

Officer Tyler Cote, 922 Bootlegger Trail, Great Falls, MT 59404. (406) 781-0651

Brian Richardson: (413) 468-matthew_richardson@fws.gov

R6.5 1/2 ton 4x4

Officer Tyler Cote, 922 Bootlegger Trail, Great Falls, MT 59404. (406) 781-0651

Brian Richardson: (413) 468-matthew_richardson@fws.gov

R6.6 1/2 ton 4x4

Officer Tyler Cote, 922 Bootlegger Trail, Great Falls, MT 59404. (406) 781-0651

Brian Richardson: (413) 468-matthew_richardson@fws.gov

R6.7 1/2 ton 4x4

Officer Tyler Cote, 922 Bootlegger Trail, Great Falls, MT 59404. (406) 781-0651

Brian Richardson: (413) 468-

140F07- 2278-W003

R7.1 1/2 ton 4x4

Chief Daniel Shamhart, 1011 E Tudor Rd, Anchorage, AK 99503 (907) 230-8659

Brian Richardson: (413) 468-matthew_richardson@fws.gov

R7.2 1/2 ton 4x4

Chief Daniel Shamhart, 1011 E Tudor Rd, Anchorage, AK 99503 (907) 230-8659

Brian Richardson: (413) 468-

2278-W004

R4AF1 1/2 ton 4x4

Senior Officer Jesse Travis, Eglin Air Force Base 107 HWY 85, North Niceville, FL 32578 (571) 488-8607

Brian Richardson: (413) 468-

2278-W005

R5AF 1/2 ton 4x4

Specialist Brian Richardson, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041 (413) 468-

Brian Richardson: (413) 468-

2278-W006

R8AF 1/2 ton 4x4

Captain Arnold Grassi, 1080 Gunpowder Point Drive, Chula Vista, CA 91910 (619) 921-6106

Brian Richardson: (413) 468-

2278-W007

R4AF2 3/4 ton 4x4

Senior Officer Jesse Travis, Eglin Air Force Base 107 HWY 85, North Niceville, FL 32578 (571) 488-8607

Brian Richardson: (413) 468-

2278-W008

R6.8 3/4 ton 4x4

Officer Tyler Cote, 922 Bootlegger Trail, Great Falls, MT 59404. (406) 781-0651

Brian Richardson: (413) 468-

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Division of Refuge Law Enforcement (DRLE) requests to use GSA Express Desk authority due to a time critical shortage of available vehicles suitable to accomplish our mission. The current cadre of 232 Federal Wildlife Officers typically work alone at sometimes remote duty stations nationwide with no possibility of sharing a vehicle between officers. In addition, they are expected to respond after their normally scheduled work hours to a wide range of incidents from fatalities to theft or damage to endangered species, in all types of terrain which require immediate access to a patrol vehicle with specialized emergency equipment (lights, siren, long gun mounts, etc.) not found on other FWS vehicles. Currently the Division would like to request 11 half-ton pickups and 2 three-quarter–ton pickups for the reasons stated below.

The lack of suitable and available vehicles creates a significant hardship in accomplishing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s mission of working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. For just one example, a new officer expected to graduate in September has been assigned to Malheur NWR in Oregon. The Bundy Occupation of Malheur in Jan-Feb 2016 received intense media coverage. A copycat incident of anti-federal activism remains a viable threat to the employees and visitors there. In addition, the refuge is a protected cultural resource site where archaeological evidence of Native American use from 9,800 years ago is present. It’s of such importance to our understanding of Native American history that the Service has ensured its protection by inspecting the site and issuing status reports over 350 times since 2020. These cultural resource sites are under constant threat from theft and looting where the consequences of loss are irreplaceable. The loss of Federal law enforcement protection at Malheur for any amount of time would leave these sensitive cultural resources open to vandalism, theft, defacement, and trespassing. This new graduate will be the only Federal Wildlife Officer assigned to Malheur.

Without a patrol vehicle they are simply not able to do their job.

Another example where we expect a new officer to work is Laguna Atascosa NWR, Texas.

This refuge encompasses more than 110,000 acres and is home to more than 450 plant varieties, 415 species of birds, 130 types of butterflies, 45 mammal species, 44 reptile and amphibian varieties and approximately 40 fish species. The Refuge protects the ocelot and Kemp Ridley’s sea turtle, both critically endangered species. Each one of these species has a dollar value.

Wildlife trafficking is the fourth largest organized crime in the world, after drug trafficking, counterfeiting and human trafficking. At their current population levels, the loss of just one ocelot or Kemp Ridley’s turtle to a poacher is a significant threat to the survival of that species.

Laguna Atascosa sees dozens of fishing and hunting violations, trespassing, off-road violations, unlawful fires, and boating violations. A lack of law enforcement presence would result in a high likelihood of significant loss of environmental resources and property damage.

Lastly, Kenai NWR, in Alaska. Kenai encompasses over 3 million acres and is home to 2,183 species. Its main focus is the protection of Alaska’s unique biodiversity. However, Kenai is the most visited Refuge in Alaska by the American public. Hunting, fishing, camping, and hiking are extremely popular there. In the past year, Kenai has recorded dozens of theft, vandalism, poaching, illegal wildlife baiting, vehicle accidents, citizens in distress, and an emergency aircraft landing. Due to the high volume of visitation at Kenai, law enforcement is critical to ensure public safety, environmental protection, and property protection.

The above are examples of just three of the 567 national wildlife refuges and 38 wetland management districts that make up the 95 million acres of land under the Service’s care. All are unique and possess often irreplaceable natural or cultural resources where the sole line of defense against theft, damage or total loss is a Federal Wildlife Officer (FWO). There are currently only 233 FWOs to cover this area, some of which are in administrative or management positions who do not actively patrol. A significant portion of our workforce will not have a critical tool to do their job if 13 of our field level officers cannot patrol due to lacking a patrol vehicle.

During the last year, the National Wildlife Refuge System Law Enforcement has ordered 22 vehicles to replace current law enforcement vehicles in our fleet in accordance with our policy.

Seven were ordered in the summer of 2021 and only 3 have delivery dates in December 2022. In addition, 15 were ordered at the start of the 2022 ordering season with a 360 day estimated delivery. While these vehicles were ordered well in advance of being outside of Service policy, these 22 vehicles are becoming a safety liability risk as they cannot conform to our policy on when vehicles needed to be replaced. Division expects to graduate 18 new officers from our field training program sometime in September of this year. These new officers will require a fully equipped patrol vehicle immediately upon assignment to their home duty station. Otherwise they will be sent to the field fully trained but will not be able to do their work because of their need for a vehicle equipped with specialized equipment to ensure their safety.

Due to the ongoing nationwide new vehicle supply shortage, DRLE regional programs who have already ordered vehicles either in 2021 or 2022 are experiencing extended wait times. The delivery timeline on GSA AutoChoice for the only available four wheel drive light duty crew cab truck capable of being up-fitted with law enforcement emergency equipment (Ford F-150 which becomes available July 1, 2022) averages 280 days. Also, there are currently no three-quarter ton trucks available (Ford F-250, Chevrolet 2500hd, Ram 2500). This has caused a backlog in our normal annual ordering process which will leave officers without a vehicle if left as is. For example, our Pacific Northwest region ordered 2 Chevrolet 1500 pickups and 1 Chevrolet 2500 pickup during the order window this year. The delivery dates are listed as 360 days. Our Northeast region ordered 5, half-ton pickups on June 9th, 2021 and have as yet not received them.

This delivery timeline, along with the additional time needed by a vendor for up-fitting, would deny mission critical, often lifesaving, equipment to both new and current officers.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is facing a significant waste of taxpayer dollars with the prospect of 13 Federal Wildlife Officers unable to patrol and protect their assigned refuges which, as stated above, cannot be done without a dedicated patrol vehicle. The average cost of a journeyman level Federal Wildlife Officer at the GS 9 step 5 in rest of U.S. locality is about $5900 a pay period. If the current wait time for a vehicle is about 280 days plus a month to get them up-fitted (12 pay periods), that’s a loss to the Service of $79,800 in salary cost per officer in a year. If 13 officers have to wait that long for their vehicle it will cost the Service 1.2 million dollars in lost time.

In researching other options besides purchasing, the Service has determined that leasing or renting these types of vehicles is cost prohibitive due to depreciation in the vehicle’s value during its lifespan. Up-fitting with required law enforcement equipment requires customization and altering of the vehicle which isn’t practical for leasing. DRLE officers typically operate in environments that require the addition of aftermarket off-road equipment, for example lift kits, which are prohibited during a lease. Moreover, that heavy off-road use results in cosmetic and suspension wear and tear which exceeds the norm of typical lease timeframes. In short, DRLE’s requirements of vehicles during a lease would result in expensive repair work at the end of the lease term to ready the vehicle for resale.

Approximately three weeks ago in an effort to acquire necessary vehicles in house, DRLE reached out to other divisions in the Service nationwide, requesting transfer of any lightly used applicable pickup trucks or SUVs. The request included the following models and trim levels typically used by our law enforcement officers due to availability of aftermarket emergency equipment for up-fitting:

• Ford F-150 or 250 XL, XLT or SSV trim

• Chevrolet 1500 or 2500 in LT trim

• Ram 1500 or 2500 Tradesman or Bighorn

• Chevrolet Tahoe LT or SSV

• Ford Expedition XL or XLT

No vehicle has become available to date.

According the Cox Automotive’s Industry Inventory Report for April, due to the recent spike in fuel prices, the availability of domestically produced full size pickup trucks and SUVs, suitable for law enforcement patrol vehicle use, on dealer lots is currently above average relative to the last 2 years. A recent search of these models just in the Falls Church, VA area yielded the following results CURRENTLY IN STOCK:

• Koons Ford Falls Church, VA Ford F-150 XL, XLT 42 on hand

• Koons Chevrolet Tysons, VA Chevrolet 1500 in LT trim 16 on hand

• Koons Ram Tysons, VA Ram 1500 Tradesman/Bighorn 7 on hand

Additionally, the DRLE has a contract with Dana Safety Supply to provide emergency equipment up-fitting services. Dana also sells new vehicles including 4X4 pickups suitable for DRLEs law enforcement needs. They currently have 9 Ford F-150s on hand and available for purchase.