Bureau Of Land Management

 

 

 

BLM Seeks Bids for Off-Range Pastures to Care for Wild Horses

The Bureau of Land Management is seeking proposals from contractors who can provide humane care for a minimum of 200 wild horses in a free-roaming pasture setting on an annual basis. If you are interested, this is a perfect opportunity to diversify a ranching operation. The deadline is April 29, 2016.

Proposals must show that the pastures are located in one of the following states: Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon (excluding west of the Cascade Mountain Range), South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington (excluding west of the Cascade Mountain Range), and Wyoming.

Each proposal must include documentation to support the land’s carrying capacity and the contractor’s required per head/day cost. In addition to providing a quality pasture, the contractor is required to provide supplemental feed during the dormant months. The contracts are for a one-year period, with a renewal option for a four-year or nine-year period.

To review the solicitation:
(1) Go to www.fedconnect.net
(2) Click on “Search Public Opportunities.”
(3) Under Search Criteria, select “Reference Number.”
(4) Put in the solicitation number “L16PS00305”; and (5) click Search” and the solicitation information will appear. The solicitation form describes what to submit and where to send it for consideration.

Applicants who have never conducted business with the Federal government must first obtain a Duns and Bradstreet number at www.dnb.com before registering at www.sam.gov/. There is no fee involved in recording with sam.gov.

For assistance, visit www.blm.gov/whb to review the resource page or contact Kemi Ismael, 202-912-7098 (kismael@blm.gov) or Michael Byrd, 202-912-7037 (mbyrd@blm.gov). These contacts can assist with general questions and coordinate a meeting for an applicant with a BLM small business specialist. Contractors may also visit the Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) website, which provides assistance to applicants for government contracts. Most assistance is free of little charge.

Under the authority of the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, as amended, the BLM manages and protects wild horses and burros while working to ensure that population levels are in balance with other public rangeland resources and uses. The current free-roaming population of BLM-managed wild horses and burros is estimated to be 58,150, as of March 1, 2015. According to BLM, that exceeds by more than 31,435 the number determined to be the appropriate management level. The BLM is applying population growth-suppression (PGS) measures and is supporting research to improve existing and develop new PGS tools.

For general questions about the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program, please contact 866-468-7826 or wildhorse@blm.gov.

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This area, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM’s mission is to manage and conserve the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations under our mandate of multiple-use and sustained yield. In Fiscal Year 2014, the BLM generated $5.2 billion in receipts from public lands.