Veterinary Services

The U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, seeks veterinary services to surgically implant GPS-GSM transmitters into up to 100 diving ducks and provide postoperative care, with quotations due October 20, 2026, at 0800 Pacific Daylight Time. This 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 USGS will provide radio transmitters, surgical equipment, and all necessary permits and licenses. Veterinarians with avian or small animal surgery experience will be considered if trained by USGS or USGS-contracted staff with diving duck experience. Offerors may rely on proposed veterinary subcontractors' qualifications and past performance for evaluation if the subcontractor performs major or critical aspects of the requirement.

The base contract period runs 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, scheduled intermittently throughout the performance period. Contractors will be compensated for the full day if they arrive at the site to perform surgeries as scheduled by USGS; on-call personnel not required to report to the surgery site will not be compensated. The NAICS code is 541940, Veterinary Services, with a $10.0 million size standard. PSC is R425. Evaluation uses a tradeoff methodology based on experience, technical capability, past performance, and price, with technical factors approximately equal to price. Quotations must include a signed SF-18 form, firm fixed prices for base and option years, technical documentation, and SAM UEI. Questions are no longer accepted following Amendment 0002 issued October 15. Contracting Officer: Anthony Berry, anthony_berry@ios.doi.gov.