Colorado Bumble Bee Atlas Long Term Monitoring

The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Department is issuing a Notice of Proposed Sole Source for the Colorado Bumble Bee Atlas Long Term Monitoring project, with a sole source procurement end date of June 30, 2030 and a challenge deadline of August 25, 2026. The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation is identified as the sole source contractor. This is a multi-state collaborative initiative involving Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Washington, and California to advance conservation of at least 20 bumble bee species listed by western states as Species of Greatest Conservation Need.

The scope encompasses six primary projects: extending existing occupancy-trend tracking programs in Washington and California; conducting coordinated searches for Bombus franklini in California; establishing occupancy trend tracking programs in Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas; and synthesizing multi-state datasets to evaluate occupancy status and develop regional conservation strategies. Deliverables include two coordinated statewide surveys, one regional survey, at least 45 training events across participating states, sampling framework development, ecological modeling, database management, and informational materials and applications communicating conservation findings.

The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Department has budgeted approximately $900,000 for services over the contract term. Xerces Society has committed to providing an in-kind match valued at $647,947.20 over three years, covering the entire 25 percent match requirement for participating states in the competitive State Wildlife Grant.

The sole source justification is based on Xerces' unique expertise implementing successful monitoring programs in 21 states with over 100,000 documented bumble bee occurrence records, along with proprietary non-lethal data collection and species classification methods fundamental to regional implementation. Entities challenging the sole source status may submit a one-page cover letter to Jeanette.Stroud@state.co.us with solicitation number NPSS1 PMAA 2027*0035 in the subject line describing capability to deliver equivalent services.