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This Sources Sought Notice is for informational and planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation or commitment by the Government at this time. This notice is intended strictly for market research. The Government will not reimbursement any costs associated with providing information in response to this sources sought and/or any follow-up requests for information. The purpose of this Sources Sought notice is to determine interest parties such as small business and other than small business (OTSB also known as large business).

Purpose: The Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie is a unit of the USDA Forest Service located in Wilmington, Illinois, approximately 45 miles southwest of Chicago, Illinois. Midewin staff are restoring prairie on a large scale. This native plant plug purchase is for plant plugs to be installed during the 2023 growing season at seed production beds and restoration sites within the Midewin. The plant plugs are needed in May 2023, to achieve the desired planting dates and anticipated results. Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie will be ordering up to 6,600 native plant plugs from the list of species.

As a reminder this is not a Request for Quote or an announcement of a solicitation. Responses will be used solely for market research. Please state your company’s name, UEI, and size standard on the attached Excel Spreadsheet along with available species lot and origin. Responses shall submit via e-mail to Carl Weber at carl.weber@usda.gov no later than Monday, January 23, 2023, at 11:00 PM Central time.