Gillespie Livestock Company Inc.

Gillespie Livestock Company Inc., a small business based in Fredericksburg, Texas, supplies research cattle to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service as a prime contractor under a total small business set-aside indefinite delivery contract and associated task orders, operating exclusively in the federal sector without subcontract engagement.

The company specializes in procuring and delivering specialized research cattle meeting precise federal specifications—typically Hereford, Black Angus, or Charolais breeds weighing 300–550 pounds, aged 6–24 months, free of Brahman influence and cattle fever tick exposure. Gillespie Livestock operates as a sole-source supplier to USDA ARS, leveraging its location in Fredericksburg, Texas (approximately 30 miles from the Knipling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory in Kerrville) and established capability to meet exacting animal specifications. Recent representative awards include a $126,000 delivery order for 40 head of cattle under a total small business set-aside issued on August 17, 2026; a $153,000 purchase order for 51 head of research cattle awarded June 5, 2026; and a $37,913.40 purchase order for 26 head of research cattle designated as a total small business set-aside issued February 5, 2024.

Customer concentration is extreme. The top two customer offices—USDA ARS Plains Area Field Research Implementation and Information Delivery Delivery (79 awards, $2.3 million) and USDA ARS Central Program Planning Coordination and Support (4 awards, $256 thousand)—account for the full 100% of the vendor's federal footprint, with the Plains Area office anchoring 82% of all awards by count. Gillespie Livestock holds a single-award indefinite delivery contract (IDIQ #12805B24D0007) valued at $975,000, extending August 2024 through July 31, 2029, designated as a total small business set-aside and designated a Multiple Award Task Order Contract (MATOC). Task orders under this vehicle and under blanket purchase agreements (BPAs AG0202B070003, AG7D55B090002, and AG7D55B080001) constitute the core ordering mechanism; the IDIQ alone has generated 6 task orders carrying $262 thousand in combined potential value, with BPA AG0202B070003 generating 10 additional task orders.

Award activity has grown from one order in 2022 to eight in 2024, then moderated to four awards each in 2025 and 2026. Two awards carrying combined potential value of $279 thousand are scheduled for ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, representing modest recompete exposure. Across 101 total awards since 2007, the vendor has accrued $2.6 million in combined potential value and obligated $1.8 million (69% of potential). Primary NAICS classifications center on Support Activities for Animal Production (93 awards), with smaller volume in Beef Cattle Ranching and Farming (5 awards) and Livestock Merchant Wholesalers (2 awards). The vendor competes entirely under small business set-asides or full-and-open procurement, with the IDIQ vehicle and associated BPAs providing the stable ordering foundation.