Seed for BAER Dairy on Sacramento River NWR

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has issued a Notice of Intent (NOI) announcing its intent to award a sole-source, firm-fixed price contract to River Partners (Heritage Growers) for supplying native seeds for restoration efforts on the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge. This special notice, posted on February 10, 2026, is classified under NAICS code 111998 (All Other Miscellaneous Crop Farming) and will be procured using Simplified Acquisition procedures under FAR 13.501(a)(b). The contract is intended to support post-wildfire restoration following the 2021 Dairy Fire, which burned portions of the Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge Complex in Tehama County, California. River Partners has been selected as the preferred supplier because it collects native seeds from local areas with plant strains genetically similar to the surviving vegetation in the burned area, thereby increasing the likelihood of successful restoration. This is not a request for competitive quotes but rather an opportunity for interested parties to demonstrate why competition would be beneficial.

The primary objective of this contract is to procure native seeds in specified quantities for reseeding approximately 47 acres across the La Barranca and Mooney units of the refuge. The USFWS is accepting capability statements from responsible sources until February 23, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. EDT, with submissions directed to Contracting Specialist Fred Riley at fred_riley@fws.gov. Capability statements must provide clear and convincing evidence that competition would be advantageous to the Government and would not be cost or time prohibitive; however, the agency retains sole discretion to determine whether to conduct a competitive procurement based on responses received. The contract requires delivery of eight native seed species totaling 1,222 pounds, with seeds to be delivered on pallets for pickup by Refuge staff within 50 miles of the refuge, and performance must be completed within twelve months of award. All contractors must comply with federal commercial item acquisition requirements, including small business utilization, labor standards, environmental requirements, and electronic invoicing provisions outlined in the attached clauses and provisions document.