SAM #12639526Q0080

USDA Sole Source Procurement: J.L. Shepherd Irradiator System for Moore Air Base NWS Facility

USDA APHIS is seeking to procure a specialized irradiator system for its New World Screwworm (NWS) sterilization facility at Moore Air Base, Edinburg, TX. - Sole source contract to J.L. Shepherd, the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of the 484C-P, Sub-Model 484R-2D dual chambered, self-shielded Cobalt-60 irradiator - J.L. Shepherd is the only manufacturer of this model, which is already used in USDA operations - Procurement includes: - Manufacturing and delivery of the irradiator system - Installation, relocation, and maintenance services - Cobalt reloads and disposal - Optional noiseless air compressors and supporting materials - System must comply with USDA's sterile insect technology strategy and facility design requirements - The irradiator is essential for producing sterile flies to combat NWS infestation - Place of performance is Moore Air Base (MAB), Edinburg, TX - Contract is firm-fixed price, with full operational capability required by early December 2028 - No competing OEMs identified due to unique technical requirements and urgency

Description

J.L. Shepherd is the original manufacturer of self-shielded irradiators. They provide a complete solution to the irradiator requirement, offering irradiator manufacturing, installation, relocation, maintenance, source reloading, and disposal. J.L. Shepherd is the sole manufacturer of the identical model e.g., model 484C-P, Sub-Model 484R-2D, of NWS irradiators in use at the Panama-United States Commission for the Eradication and Prevention of Screwworm Infestation in Livestock (COPEG) facility located in Panama. This model is currently the only proven and tested model for sterilizing NWS by USDA and thus is the model that will need to be used at the new MAB site’s design and operational plan. The specifications and supporting materials and supplies for this specific model is what has been incorporated into the new MAB site’s procurement requirements.

Utilizing this model achieves two major objectives:

- Utilizes irradiators that have been tested and utilized for the precise purpose of NWS pupae sterilization, in the volume and quantity required. This is in compliance with the Secretary of Agriculture’s strategy “use of proven sterile insect technology” and supported but USDA’s Office of Homeland Security, Radiation Safety Division; and

- Incorporates a system accounted for in the design and operation of the building being designed at MAB in Edinburg, TX.

Delay in the award of this contract will seriously impact the ability of USDA to meet the Secretary of Agriculture’s Readiness and Response Policy Initiative, requiring this facility, and these irradiators, to be operational in 20 months. This facility will be a front-line defense, keeping the NWS from moving to the United States and infecting the Texas cattle overall agricultural industry.

As of January 2025, Texas is estimated to have approximately 12.2 million head of cattle, the leading state in beef production in the U.S. The industry contributes approximately $10 billion in revenues annually. The next potential impact, New Mexico, has an estimated 9,000 beef cattle ranches and contributes over 16,000 jobs, generating $1.68 billion in output.

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