Intent to Award: Precipitation Collection Station Operator

The US Geological Survey (USGS) Office of Acquisitions and Grants has issued a Special Notice announcing an intent to award a contract for Precipitation Collection Station Operator services at the Farlington Fish Hatchery in Crawford County, Kansas. The notice, posted on January 31, 2025, represents a potential sole-source award to Josh Jagels for a five-year period from February 3, 2025, to February 2, 2030. The contract is specifically for atmospheric deposition station operation services at site KS07, which is part of the National Atmospheric Deposition Program's National Trends Network (NADP-NTN). This opportunity is set aside for small businesses and falls under the Testing Laboratories and Services NAICS category. The notice provides an opportunity for alternative vendors to demonstrate comparable technical expertise before the specified deadline.

The primary objective of this contract is to maintain continuous atmospheric deposition data collection at a long-term monitoring site with critical environmental research implications. Potential contractors have until 2:00 PM Eastern Standard Time on February 3, 2025, to demonstrate technical expertise equivalent to the incumbent contractor. The selected operator will be responsible for weekly site visits to collect, process, and ship precipitation samples, collect and transmit precipitation gauge data, and perform routine maintenance at the monitoring station. Unique eligibility constraints include exclusive access to a restricted area, with the incumbent contractor being an employee of Kansas State Fish and Game who has operated the site for many years. The site has been in continuous operation since 1984, and the NADP-NTN monitoring station provides essential data for environmental research and policy development. Any alternative contractor must be able to meet the strict access and operational requirements of the site.