RFP - Conservation Detection Dogs to Locate Large Coyote Scat in Eastern Oregon

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for conservation detection dogs to locate large coyote scat in two study areas in Eastern Oregon. The RFP seeks a contractor to provide trained dogs, handlers, and necessary equipment to conduct annual surveys from May 1 through July 31 over a five-year contract term. The selected contractor will be responsible for covering approximately 36, 3x3 km grid cells in each of two study areas: the Blue Mountains and south-central Oregon, collecting scat samples according to ODFW protocols. Proposers must have a minimum of three years of successful experience providing similar services and employ a dog trainer with at least three years of experience training wildlife detection dogs. The evaluation criteria include general qualifications (150 points), understanding of requested services (105 points), references (45 points), and pricing (120 points), for a total possible score of 420 points. Proposals were due by December 14, 2022, at 2:00 PM PST, with the ODFW anticipating issuing a Notice of Intent to Award on or around December 21, 2022.

The RFP does not specify any specific set-aside designations for disadvantaged businesses, though it does include a Certified Disadvantaged Business Outreach Plan requirement. The preliminary results show that two vendors, Rogue Detection Teams and Western Ecosystems Technology (WEST), submitted bids, with Rogue Detection Teams ultimately receiving the highest overall score of 391 points. The Notice of Intent to Award indicates that ODFW intends to award the Personal Service Contract (PSC) to Rogue Detection Teams, LLC of Rice, Washington. While specific budget details are not explicitly stated, the contract includes compensation for daily rates for trained dogs and handlers, per diem, and mileage. No travel or lodging expenses will be reimbursed, and proposers were required to include these costs in their price proposal. The total not-to-exceed amount for the five-year contract term is pending final award, with a maximum of 80 dog-handler days per study area (160 dog-handler days total) annually.