Wildlife Computers, Inc.

Wildlife Computers, Inc., a minority-owned, woman-owned small business manufacturer headquartered in Redmond, Washington, designs and manufactures advanced wildlife telemetry solutions—primarily electronic satellite tags, GPS trackers, acoustic tags, and depth sensors—for federal marine research and monitoring programs. The company operates exclusively as a prime contractor (100% of awards) across 646 federal awards spanning contract vehicles, purchase orders, and cooperative agreements, with a combined potential value of $58.6 million. Wildlife Computers competes in full-and-open procurements with no set-aside reliance; the company holds certifications as minority-owned and woman-owned but pursues awards predominantly as a non-set-aside vendor, reflecting its unique technical position as the primary or sole-source supplier of specialized telemetry equipment for federal marine agencies.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration dominates the customer base, accounting for 387 awards (72% of total award count) and $48.9 million in combined potential value—more than 80% of Wildlife Computers' revenue stream. NOAA's five single-award indefinite delivery contracts with Wildlife Computers—valued at $8.6 million, $2.2 million, $6.2 million, and smaller vehicles totaling approximately $10 million across the portfolio—serve as the primary channel for recurring task orders across multiple NOAA line offices including the National Marine Fisheries Service, Northeast and Southeast Fisheries Science Centers, and Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center. Representative work includes a $432,280 purchase order (September 2025–September 2028) for dolphin salinity tags to monitor bottlenose dolphins in Barataria Bay, Louisiana; a $196,240 delivery order (June 2026) for satellite telemetry tags tracking leatherback and hard-shell sea turtles across the Pacific Islands; and a $137,115 delivery order (April 2025) for Scout and GPS tags supporting NOAA's broad marine research initiatives. Secondary customers include the U.S. Geological Survey Office of Acquisitions and Grants (43 awards, $2.3 million), the Department of the Navy's Office of Naval Research (5 awards, $950 thousand in research grants), and the Naval Information Warfare Systems Command (20 awards, $385 thousand), with smaller presences at the Fish and Wildlife Service and Department of the Interior's National Park Service.

Wildlife Computers' capability portfolio centers on manufacturing tags engineered for specific marine species and research applications. The company produces SPLASH satellite tags (towed and backmount variants for large whales, seals, and sea turtles), MINIPAT pop-off archival tags and MiniPAT tags (for Pacific spiny dogfish, red king crab, and other deep-sea species), SPOT tags (for temperature and location tracking), implantable subdermal tags (for endangered sperm whales), and specialized GPS and Argos-linked tags for polar bears, cobia, manta rays, and billfish. Each tag family integrates with satellite networks (Argos, Iridium) and data collection platforms (FastLoc GPS) to enable real-time or delayed-mode behavioral and environmental monitoring. The company also provides tag accessories—anchors, darts, tethers, applicators, attachment devices, and anti-fouling treatments—as well as refurbishment and replacement services for recovered or damaged units.

NOAA's concentration reflects both order volume and strategic reliance. The agency has issued 80 task orders under the DOCAB133F17CQ0003 IDV ($3.8 million combined), 43 task orders under DOCAB133F23DNFFN0010 ($2.4 million), and sustained orders across three additional NOAA IDVs. Recent task-order values range from $1,035 to $246,045, with median order size around $30,000–$60,000 for single tag procurement and larger orders ($100,000–$200,000) for bulk tag purchases or multi-year research campaigns. USGS maintains a smaller but consistent presence through its 140G0120D0017 contract, issuing delivery orders for animal tracking tags in support of field research on cobia, Atlantic sturgeon, and other species.

Activity has been volatile year over year—13 awards in 2022, 32 in 2023, 24 in 2024, 14 in 2025, and 5 so far in 2026 (as of mid-July). The decline from 2023's peak likely reflects task-order timing volatility on the large NOAA IDVs rather than fundamental customer loss, given NOAA's continued reliance and the absence of major recompete exposure in the next twenty-four months (only $324 thousand in potential value facing completion within the window). Wildlife Computers holds no parent-vehicle seats on GSA Schedules, government-wide IDIQs, or civilian-agency BPAs; all work flows through direct agency IDVs or purchase orders.

Wildlife Computers also holds two federal cooperative agreements and project grants from the Office of Naval Research totaling approximately $950 thousand: a January 2023–June 2025 cooperative agreement supporting the design and production of novel tag anchors and power-assisted deployment devices for Pacific leatherback tagging, and a September 2021–September 2024 project grant for improvement of CTD (conductivity-temperature-depth) satellite tags for large baleen and odontocete whales. The company serves as a sub-recipient on a Foundation for Marine Ecology and Telemetry Research grant, providing tag development support.

Wildlife Computers' market position reflects technical specialization and vendor lock-in rather than volume or price competition. NOAA and Navy procurements frequently cite sole-source justifications under FAR 13.106-1(b), citing Wildlife Computers as the only manufacturer capable of producing the specific tag designs, dimensions, and sensor integrations required by multi-year research permits and established field protocols. This technical moat has sustained high customer concentration and predictable NOAA revenue despite volatile year-to-year award counts, but exposes the company to customer diversification risk should NOAA funding priorities or marine research strategies shift.