Surveying & Monitoring of At-Risk Karst Features and Species at Ft. Cavazos, TX

The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Engineering Research and Development Center-Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (ERDC-CERL) has a requirement for services to document and monitor karst features and associated troglobitic species, including western slimy salamanders and the tricolored bat, at Ft. Cavazos, Tx, and to assist with at-risk species management and conservation.

ERDC-CERL intends to award a purchase order on a sole source basis to Zara Environmental LLC in accordance with FAR 13.106-1(b)(1). Zara Environmental is uniquely qualified to carry out the tasks associated with the proposed contract. The contractor is expected to survey, monitor, map, and identify karst and karst associated species at Fort Cavazos (formerly Fort Hood), Texas.

Zara Environmental personnel have coordinated karst monitoring on Fort Hood since 1989. They alone are familiar with all of the karst features on the installation (currently listed at >1000 features) and have access to detailed databases of their findings. Zara’s specific experience includes:

identification, surveying, and monitoring of central Texas karst invertebrates and karst microhabitats; surveying and mapping karst features; water sample collection and analyses; vertically proficiency in SRT techniques; trained in NCRC Cave Rescue and SPAR; trained in cave diving; and experience in writing management plans for karst-adapted fauna IAW USFWS protocol. In addition, many of the karst species on Fort Cavazos are endemic to the area, and therefore require specialized identifications skills.

Zara was involved in development of the karst management plan for Fort Cavazos, and all subsequent reports and publications on the karst features of the installation. Zara has the experience (20+ years), equipment, and permits (USFWS and TPWD) necessary to conduct the work. Because of these reasons Zara Environmental LLC is the sole source for this procurement. This is not a request for proposal and in no way obligates the Government to award any contract. This is not a small business set aside.

Any interested party that believes they can fulfill this requirement should submit a capability statement to be reviewed. All submissions will be considered, however there is no guarantee that submissions in response to this notice will in any way alter the Government’s acquisition strategy. Please provide responses to this notice, no later than the date and time listed at the top of this posting, to:

CERL-CT-QUOTES@usace.army.mil Telephone responses will not be accepted. Responses to this notice will not be considered as a response to any solicitation, a request to be added to a prospective offerors list, or to receive a copy of any solicitation. A determination by the Government not to compete the contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement.