Meade Wildlife Area Grazing Lease

The Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks is soliciting competitive bids through an Invitation for Bid (IFB) for a grazing lease at the Meade Wildlife Area in Meade County, Kansas, encompassing approximately 420 acres of native warm season grassland. The procurement seeks to establish cattle grazing operations as a wildlife management tool to maintain prairie habitat and utilize grass resources through a single permittee responsible for all grazing rights at the wildlife area. The contract term will be five years, beginning January 1, 2026, and ending December 31, 2030, with an optional renewal for an additional five-year period through December 31, 2035, with grazing operations limited to the May 1 through August 31 annual season. Bidders must propose an annual grazing rate per animal unit day (AUD), with the stocking rate not to exceed 4,800 AUD annually across all five years of the initial permit term. Award will be determined by the highest cash lump sum annual payment basis, subject to reference verification, with annual payments due in two installments of 50 percent each by May 1 and August 31. The bid closing date is March 10, 2026, at 2:00 PM Central Standard Time, with written questions due by February 26, 2026, directed to Procurement Officer Bridget Martinez. Bidders must provide three professional references with experience in similar grazing operations within the past three years and comply with all permit conditions, including adherence to game laws and allowable stocking rates with no overage exceeding 1 percent.

All bidders must submit tax clearance certificates from the Kansas Department of Revenue, immigration compliance certifications pursuant to the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, sexual harassment policy acknowledgments, Israel boycott certifications, and telecommunications equipment certifications with their bid response. Bidders may claim applicable preferences including the Disabled Veteran Owned Business category or Certified Business Bidder Preference Category if supporting documentation is included. The Department reserves the right to adjust stocking rates based on range conditions, precipitation, and management objectives, with prorated fee reductions if grazing seasons are shortened or livestock numbers reduced. Electronic bid submission to procurement@ks.gov is the preferred method, though mailed or hand-delivered bids are accepted if they arrive by the closing deadline; bids submitted via facsimile will not be accepted. All payments under the resulting contract shall be made via electronic funds transfer unless a hardship exception is approved, and the contract is available to political subdivisions on the same terms. The contract value is not specified as a fixed budget but will be determined by the winning bid's proposed annual payment rates per animal unit day, representing the highest cash lump sum annual payment offered.