Fish Feed for Little Grassy Fish Hatchery - 4 year contract

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is issuing an Invitation for Bid (IFB) for a four-year fish feed supply contract for the Little Grassy Fish Hatchery (BidBuy Bid Number 26-422DNR-RESCO-B-51735), with bids due by April 14, 2026. The procurement seeks high-quality pelleted fish food formulated specifically for accelerated catfish production, including starter diets, extruded sinking salmon feed, and extruded floating feed in multiple sizes ranging from 0.3mm to 6.5mm, packaged in 30- to 60-pound bags. Vendors must provide nutritional guarantees of at least twelve months from the date of manufacture when stored properly and submit documentation at bid time showing complete feed formulation, labels, tags with feed analysis, and digestible energy ratios for each item offered. Deliveries must be made to Little Grassy Fish Hatchery in Makanda, Illinois, directed by Hatchery Manager John Ziegler, within five days of order receipt unless otherwise agreed, with approximately three shipments expected annually. The State will award the contract to the lowest priced responsive and responsible bidder based on total price for all line items, with bids remaining firm for 180 days from opening. All electronic submissions must be completed through the BidBuy platform, and vendors must submit required attachments including Vendor Disclosure or IPG Active Registered Vendor Disclosure, an executed Offer to the State of Illinois, and applicable Business Enterprise Program or Veterans Small Business Program Utilization Plans.

The procurement is open to all qualified vendors but encourages consideration of qualified veterans and Illinois residents in hiring practices, with potential employment tax credits available for qualifying hires under state law. Vendors may claim applicable preferences such as Illinois Business Preference or Domestic Product Preference with supporting documentation, and Business Enterprise Program certifications are available for minority, women, disadvantaged, veteran, or disability-owned businesses. The contract employs a firm, fixed-price structure with the total maximum amount to be entered by the State prior to execution; no specific budget range is disclosed in the solicitation documents. Vendors must maintain General Commercial Liability insurance of $1,000,000 per occurrence, comply with prevailing wage requirements where applicable, and assume all delivery costs under F.O.B. Destination terms. A $15 administrative fee applies to any awarded contract valued at $1,000 or more, to be deducted from the first payment issued to the vendor. The procurement may be partially or wholly funded with Federal funds, with the percentage and dollar amount to be disclosed upon notice of award, and vendors may submit protests to the Protest Review Office within fourteen days of relevant events.