Notice of Intent to Award Sole Source BPA

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Joint Administrative Operations, Acquisition & Property Operations has issued a notice of intent to award a sole source blanket purchase agreement to Shepherd Specialty Papers Inc, located in Richland, Michigan. This is not a competitive solicitation but rather a formal announcement of the agency's intention to make a direct award under FAR 6.302-1 authority, which permits sole source procurement when only one responsible source exists. The procurement falls under NAICS code 322299 for All Other Converted Paper Product Manufacturing with a small business size standard of 500 employees. The notice was posted on July 28, 2025, and interested parties have until August 8, 2025, to respond. This is designated as a small business set-aside procurement within the Department of the Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service.

The sole purpose of this blanket purchase agreement is to procure and deliver ALPHA-dri bedding from Shepherd Specialty Papers Inc. While this is intended as a sole source award, the agency has provided an opportunity for other potential contractors to challenge this determination by submitting capability statements that demonstrate how competition would benefit the government. Any interested parties must submit their capability statements exclusively via email to jeremy_riva@fws.gov as Adobe PDF attachments, providing clear and convincing evidence of their qualifications. Companies choosing to respond must understand that all costs associated with preparing and submitting their capability statements are entirely their responsibility and will not be reimbursed by the government. The notice emphasizes that this synopsis does not constitute a formal solicitation but serves as transparency in the government's procurement intentions.