Notice of Govt Intent to Sole-source:

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking to sole-source marking and tagging services for winter-run Chinook salmon with the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission. The PSMFC will provide marking and tagging of juvenile winter-run Chinook salmon at Coleman National Fish Hatchery Complex facilities from January 1, 2024 through June 30, 2024. As the owner and operator of the specialized state-of-the-art AutoFish marking and tagging systems used by all state and federal hatcheries in the Central Valley, the PSMFC possesses the unique expertise required to perform the services. The justification and certification for acquisition under the simplified acquisition threshold was approved by the agency. The deadline for proposals is December 21, 2023.

There is no set-aside designated for this procurement. The work will involve marking and tagging approximately 1.5 million juvenile winter-run Chinook salmon at the Coleman National Fish Hatchery Complex in California. As the current contractor, the PSMFC is identified as having the required expertise to operate the specialized equipment. The period of performance is January 1, 2024 through June 30, 2024. The justification cites the high costs of purchasing automated equipment and conducting manual marking as reasons no alternative sources are reasonably available.