Plant conservation and restoration program

The Bureau of Land Management Colorado State Office seeks quotations for plant materials development and seed-increase services under RFQ 140LL027Q0006, with quotations due November 5, 2026 at 11:00 AM Mountain Standard Time. The notice is unrestricted ("No Set-Aside Used"), and Amendment 0002, effective November 2, 2026, removes the small business set-aside that appeared in earlier versions.

The requirement covers late-stage development and commercial release of two native penstemon materials, Osterhout's penstemon (CO 932-279-11) and Sidebells penstemon (CO 932-235-10), across CLINs 00010 and 00020. The Government may award one, multiple, or all materials based on program requirements and funding, and it anticipates a single award. The contract is firm-fixed-price under FAR Part 12 and multi-year, with performance from November 6, 2026 through October 31, 2030. Anticipated pricing covers two 0.13-acre production units per material in years one and two and one unit per material in years three and four. Annual payment is contingent on completed activities, annual progress reports due within 90 days of each performance year end, and Government acceptance. Service Contract Labor Standards apply under WG Det 2015-5439 rev31.

Materials currently held at the Upper Colorado Environmental Plant Center in Meeker, Colorado transfer to the awardee upon award. Work is performed primarily at the contractor's plant materials center and associated production facility. There is no geographic location requirement for seed-increase fields, though location may factor into Technical Evaluation Factor 3. There is no incumbent contractor. Services span seven tasks, from field establishment through seed testing, certification, germplasm maintenance, and release preparation, with release packages targeting January 31, 2029 committee review. Work must comply with USDA NRCS Plant Materials Program protocols. Key personnel and experience for Technical Evaluation Factors 1 and 2 must come from the prime contractor, though offerors may team with any subcontractor for field production work.

Technical Experience, Staffing Plan and Key Personnel, and Work Plan are weighted equally and are collectively more important than price. Technical Experience requires relevant, recent projects completed within three years. Price Reasonableness and Past Performance, assessed through SAM.gov and CPARS.gov, are also evaluated. Quotes consist of two separate documents, Part I (non-price factors) and Part II (pricing), with a combined 10-page PDF maximum. Quotes must remain valid for 120 days and are submitted to courtni_strickland@ios.doi.gov. Questions are due November 3, 2026 and will be answered by amendment. The Government does not currently anticipate discussions but reserves the right to conduct them. Contacts are Contracting Officer Chau Nguyen (cnguyen@blm.gov, 303-239-3678) and Contract Specialist Courtni Strickland (cstrickland@ios.doi.gov).