NC CRU-custom electrofishig boat+trailer

The Department of the Interior's US Geological Survey Office of Acquisitions and Grants has published a Special Notice regarding the intended sole-source procurement of a custom electrofishing boat and trailer for the North Carolina Cooperative Research Units. This Intent to Award Notice indicates USGS plans to contract with Midwest Lake Electrofishing Systems (MLES) for a specialized 14-foot welded boat designed specifically for sampling fish in small freshwater waterbodies. The procurement is classified under NAICS code 336612 for Boat Building and PSC code 1920 for Fishing Vessels. The Notice was posted on July 30, 2025, with an extremely tight response deadline of August 1, 2025.

The primary purpose of this Special Notice is to provide other potential vendors a final opportunity to demonstrate their capability to fulfill USGS's specialized requirements before proceeding with the sole-source award to MLES. USGS justifies the intended sole-source procurement by asserting that MLES is the only vendor capable of providing a boat compatible with their existing electrofishing control box, featuring the necessary hardwired anodes and box-specific connectors required for their research operations. Interested vendors must contact Contracting Officer Brian Baker at bfbaker@usgs.gov by 1:00 PM EST on July 30, 2025, if they believe they can meet the technical specifications. The boat will support field research programs conducted by the North Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, and USGS commits to conducting market research and competing future similar requirements when the current equipment reaches end of life.