7G--USGS Intent to Award Notice: Satellite Tags(PAT-376D)

The U.S. Geological Survey Office of Acquisitions and Grants issued an Intent to Award Notice on May 5, 2026, for a non-competitive procurement of 19 Mark-Report PAT-376D satellite tags from Wildlife Computers, with a response deadline of May 19, 2026, at 09:00 AM ET for interested vendors to challenge the sole-source determination.

The USGS intends to award the contract to support the Maine Cooperative Fisheries Research Unit's field program tracking Atlantic sturgeon overwintering habitat in the Gulf of Maine. The tags integrate into the existing Argos satellite network to assess sturgeon movements during winter months. The equipment must meet specific technical requirements: ability to perform and release after extended darkness periods, battery life exceeding three months without solar charging, and a mass of 120 grams or less to comply with biological tagging threshold principles.

The USGS determined through extensive market research—including online searches, colleague consultations, and sales consultant interviews—that Wildlife Computers is the only vendor currently offering commercially available equipment meeting all specified requirements, particularly the size constraint. Other vendors researched included Lotek, Microwave Telemetry, and Advanced Telemetry Systems, none of which could satisfy the complete specification set. Interested vendors believing they possess similar technical expertise and can provide equivalent products must contact Contracting Officer Leah Williams at leah_williams@ios.doi.gov with the subject line "Notice DOIGFBO260015." The USGS commits to conducting continuous market research and competing future similar requirements as other manufacturers develop comparable products.