Vertebrate Systems LLC

Vertebrate Systems LLC, a San Diego, California-based sole proprietorship, supplies wildlife tracking equipment and sensor solutions to federal natural-resource agencies as a 100% prime contractor, competing predominantly under Total Small Business set-asides. The vendor specializes in GPS, GSM, VHF, and satellite telemetry transmitters, backpack-mounted tracking loggers, and associated data-collection devices for avian, aquatic, and terrestrial species monitoring, with awards concentrated under NAICS 334519 (Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing) and PSC codes spanning miscellaneous communication equipment and satellite/RF communications products.

Customer concentration is extreme and decision-defining. The U.S. Geological Survey's Office of Acquisitions and Grants accounts for 91% of recent awards and 87% of combined potential value ($4 million across 32 awards), with all remaining customer agencies representing peripheral work. The next-largest customer, the Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Wildlife Services, holds only 4 awards ($239 thousand). USGS awards span coastal and inland bird telemetry (Cooper's hawks, tundra swans, double-crested cormorants, red-throated loons), raptor monitoring, and water-bird species research across Dixon, Albuquerque, and Alaska deployment sites.

Vertebrate Systems holds two parent IDVs. The primary vehicle is Indefinite Delivery Contract ING16PC00048 (9 task orders, $897 thousand combined potential value), under which USGS places most recurring orders. The vendor also holds a single-award IDIQ with APHIS valued at $133,100 (July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2029) for GPS-enabled avian backpack transmitters; one $26.6 thousand delivery order executed under this IDV in July 2024. Representative recent prime awards include a $473.7 thousand USGS purchase order for GPS loggers with internal antennas and solar charging (April 2024), a $170.6 thousand USGS order for 104 GPS/accelerometer telemetry units in multiple weight configurations for avian research (March 2026), and a $55.2 thousand order for 35 backpack transmitters with accelerometry and 4G transmission for water-bird monitoring (March 2026). A July 2026 $15.4 thousand Total Small Business purchase order from the Department of the Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service procured ten Ornitela OrniTrack transmitters for Cooper's hawk demographic study, with sole-source justification based on international connectivity and Mexico-deployment capability unavailable from alternative manufacturers.

Activity has declined from a three-award peak in 2022 to two awards in 2025 and four in 2026. Only three awards ($59 thousand combined) reach ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, limiting near-term recompete exposure. The vendor operates as a 100% prime contractor with no subcontract footprint in the federal environment, meaning all revenue is direct equipment supply rather than systems integration or staffing services.