NRCS-Utah National Resources Inventory (NRI) Data Collection Services

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture, is seeking a contractor to provide National Resources Inventory (NRI) data collection services in Utah. The contractor must collect specified inventory data on one or two data collection points within selected sample segments located throughout Utah, including landscape information, soil determinations, ecological site determinations, rangeland health assessments, plant identification and census, disturbance indicators, sagebrush identification, resource concerns, conservation practices, plant species composition and production, and plant cover, density, and height measurements. Data collection must be performed in remote areas on steep, rugged terrain using NRCS-approved Computer Assisted Survey Instrument (CASI) software on hand-held computers, with all data submitted to Iowa State University's Center for Survey Statistics and Methodology server. Evaluation will be conducted using Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) methodology, assessing personnel qualifications and technical capability, compliance and management capability, and past experience with NRI services in western grazing lands. Quotations are due February 24, 2026, at 5:00 PM ET, and interested parties must submit written questions by February 24, 2026, at 5:00 PM ET to amy.smith2@usda.gov.

This solicitation (12FPC326Q0004) is designated as a total small business set-aside under NAICS code 541620 (Environmental Consulting Services) with a small business size standard of $19.0 million. No incumbent contractor is identified in the solicitation documents. The contract is structured as a firm fixed-price award with a base period from March 1, 2026, through February 28, 2027, plus four optional one-year extension periods, for a total contract duration not to exceed five years. For 2026, the scope includes 62 non-federal data points across 27 counties and 301 Bureau of Land Management segments across 18 counties, with data collection scheduled by Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) between March 1 and September 30. Work will be performed throughout Utah, with team leaders required to meet U.S. Office of Personnel Management Qualification Standards for a GS-454-11 Rangeland Management Specialist, and all personnel must complete NRCS-provided training in Tucson, Arizona. Service Contract Labor Standards apply with prevailing wage rates established by wage determination 30090, setting an Environmental Technician rate of $28.12 per hour, with payment made monthly on a per-unit basis for completed segments meeting approval.