USDA AI Feeder Cattle POC Phase III (12314426F0311) – Award Notice

The Department of Agriculture Assistant Secretary for Departmental Management awarded a firm-fixed-price contract valued at $3.6 million to Ensemble Government Services, LLC on August 14, 2026, for Phase III development of an AI-based feeder cattle assessment capability.

The 12-month base period runs from August 12, 2026, to August 11, 2027, with an optional six-month extension. Work is performed at Ensemble's location in Hyattsville, MD. The award was made under FAR Part 8 and GSAM 538.71 commercial procedures through a GSA Schedule Blanket Purchase Agreement. This limited-source award followed a competitive Phase I effort; the Justification for Approval cites Ensemble's proprietary technologies, specialized AI expertise, and unique knowledge of Phase II deliverables—including annotated datasets for over 400 cattle and customized AI architectures—that would require 24 months and significant cost duplication to transfer to another vendor. Prior market research identified only one GSA Schedule contractor meeting requirements and only two vendors from a 22-response POC solicitation as capable of meeting critical requirements. Ensemble will deliver final AI model development, full software integration, hardware configuration, performance validation, deployment activities, advanced model accuracy improvements, expanded dataset integration, enhanced real-time inference features, comprehensive system-level testing, operational documentation, and end-user training. The CO determined pricing fair and reasonable based on GSA Schedule rates and historical review.

USDA AI Feeder Cattle POC Phase III

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