Range inventory-land mgmt chinle agency

The Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs Navajo Region is seeking a contractor to conduct a comprehensive range inventory for Black Mesa and Blue Gap in Grazing District 4, located in the Central Navajo Agency, Chinle, Arizona. The project aims to document vegetation changes, estimate biomass and forage production, and determine carrying capacities across 114,237 acres, with an additional 11,747 acres in two Range Management Units to be evaluated separately. Qualified contractors must submit a signed quote, evaluation factor responses, UEI Number, and SAM.gov registration by May 29, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. MDT. The evaluation will use a best value award approach, with non-price factors being significantly more important than cost, focusing on qualifications, project management, knowledge of Navajo communities, subcontractor details, past performance, and technical approach. Key evaluation criteria include the contractor's ability to provide detailed information addressing each specified evaluation factor.

The contract is set aside as 100% for Indian Small Business Economic Enterprise, with a NAICS code of 541620 and a size standard of $19 million. The performance period runs from February 24, 2025, to September 29, 2026, with the delivery location at the BIA Chinle Natural Resources office in Chinle, AZ. The solicitation requires the contractor to furnish all labor, materials, equipment, and transportation to complete range inventories for District 4-Unit 4 & 5. While specific award values are not explicitly stated, the project involves using a Double Sampling Method with 228 sample transects across 500-acre segments, utilizing soil and ecological site maps provided by the Bureau of Indian Affairs' Branch of Natural Resources. The inventory will help evaluate livestock grazing management practices, assess rangeland health, and support better land management decisions for the Navajo Nation's trust lands, addressing outdated carrying capacities established in the 1940s.