Veterinary Services

The U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, seeks veterinary services for surgical implantation of GPS-GSM transmitters into up to 100 diving ducks and postoperative care, with quotations due October 20 at 0800 Pacific Daylight Time. The procurement is a Total Small Business set-aside.

Work is performed at two locations: USGS Offices on Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge, 1 Marshlands Road, Newark, California 94560, and the San Francisco Bay Estuary Field Station, 350 N. Akron Road, Moffett Field, California 94035. The contractor must be uniquely skilled in diving duck implant surgery and capable of performing procedures independently after training from an expert veterinarian. Surgeries must be completed within 10 hours of bird capture, with recovery periods between two and eight hours before release. The contractor will be on-call on specified days and must be available for surgeries if birds are captured. The NAICS code is 541940 (Veterinary Services) with a $10.0 million size standard; the PSC is R425 (Support, Engineering/Technical).

The base contract period runs from October 26, 2026, to October 25, 2027, with an option year from October 26, 2027, to October 25, 2028. Up to 20 work days per year are expected, with payment as a firm-fixed-price contract at a fixed daily rate for each scheduled day the veterinarian reports to the surgery site. The USGS will provide radio transmitters, surgical equipment, and all necessary permits and licenses. Evaluation uses a tradeoff methodology based on experience, technical capability, past performance, and price, with technical factors approximately equal to price. Offerors may rely on proposed veterinary subcontractors' qualifications and past performance if the subcontractor performs major or critical aspects of the requirement. Quotations should be submitted to Anthony Berry, Contracting Officer, at anthony_berry@ios.doi.gov. Amendment No. 001, issued October 15, clarified that veterinarians with avian or small animal surgery experience will be considered if trained by USGS or USGS-contracted staff with diving duck experience.