Seed collection service in the southern Blue Mountains of the Malheur National Forest

The Department of Agriculture Forest Service seeks seed collection services for native plant species in the southern Blue Mountains of the Malheur National Forest through solicitation 1240BE25Q0029. The contractor will locate and map collection sites for specified native forb, grass, and shrub species including Artemisia tridentata, Balsamorhiza sagittata, and Bromus carinatus, then collect mature seeds according to precise quantity requirements with minimum and maximum targets for each species. Key requirements include GPS documentation of collection sites, seed cleaning and packaging to achieve 90-100% purity standards, and delivery to the Malheur National Forest Supervisor's Office by October 15th of each collection year. Contractors must demonstrate specific experience in Blue Mountain plant identification, seed collection, and project delivery, and submit both technical and price proposals in two separate volumes. The solicitation deadline is August 14, 2025 at 3:00 PM Pacific, with quotes to be submitted electronically to thomas.hammerle@usda.gov.

This opportunity is designated as a Total Small Business Set-Aside under NAICS code 113210 with a small business size standard of $20.5 million. The contract structure includes a base period of 14 months from September 16, 2025 to November 30, 2026, with an optional 18-month extension from May 1, 2026 through November 30, 2027. Payment terms are performance-based with 100% payment for site mapping completion, 50% progress payment after seed weighing and acceptance, and final payment contingent on seed purity test results, with reduced payments for seed lots below 90% purity and rejection of lots below 85% purity. The work will be performed in John Day, Oregon, with seed collection restricted so that no more than 60% of seeds can originate from a single location. The contract operates under a firm-fixed-price structure with specific provisions for seed quality control and delivery requirements.