7G--SPECIAL NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD TO A SOLE SOURCE

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service intends to award a firm fixed price contract to The Woods Hole Group, Inc. for satellite data service for proprietary bird tags. The purchase will be made using Simplified Acquisition Procedures, as the value does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold of $250,000. The contract is for the Alaska Region Migratory Bird Management Office to pay for satellite time and data acquisition for ARGOS / GPS transmitters from Woods Hole Group, Inc. The transmitters are attached to wild birds and collect GPS locations, which are then uploaded via the ARGOS satellite network to Woods Hole Group, Inc. * The contract is for a sole source award, as Woods Hole Group, Inc. is the only company with access to the ARGOS satellite network that communicates with the transmitters. * The purchase is necessary to collect location data from satellite transmitters already deployed on birds in Alaska. * No other sources were pursued, as Woods Hole Group, Inc. owns the ARGOS satellite network and is the only capable source for obtaining the required data. * The price is determined to be fair and reasonable based on similar previous awards.