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

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is seeking proposals for new off-range pasture facilities that can provide a free-roaming environment for wild horses removed from Western public lands.

Proposals will be accepted from the following states through April 22, 2015: Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Kan-sas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming.

One or more off-range pasture contracts will be awarded and each must accommodate a minimum of 100 wild horses. The contractor must provide humane care for a one-year period, with a renewal option under BLM contract for a four-year or nine-year period.

Applicants who have never conducted business with the government must first obtain a Duns and Bradstreet num-ber at http://www.dnb.com before registering at http://www.sam.gov/ to do business with the Federal Government. There is no fee involved.

To obtain the solicitation: (1) go to http://www.fedconnect.net ; (2) click on “Search Public Opportunities”; (3) under Search Criteria, select “Reference Number”; (4) put in the solicitation number “L15PS00182”; and (5) click Search” and the solicitation information will appear. The solicitation form describes what to submit and where to send it.

For assistance, visit http://www.blm.gov or contact Eric Pagal at (202)-591-5079/[email protected] or Ken Lund at (202) 912-7034/[email protected]. They can assist with general questions and/or coordinate a meeting for you with a local BLM contracting officer and small business specialist.

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 range-land resources and uses. The current free-roaming population of BLM-managed wild horses and burros is estimat-ed to be 49,209, as of March 1, 2014, which exceeds by more than 22,500 the number determined by the BLM to be the appropriate management level. The BLM is also using 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 [email protected].

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, 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.