Opportunities for contractors

The Platte River Recovery Implementation Program (PRRIP) is issuing a Request for Bids for spring and fall aerial whooping crane surveys along the Platte River from Lexington to Chapman, NE. The Program needs a pilot and an aircraft to fly daily morning transects with two Program observers, split into east and west sections (bids accepted for one or both). Flights depart from Grand Island and Kearney airports, lasting about 2 hours at 750 ft AGL and 100 mph.

Monitoring season schedules are as follows:

• Spring: March 5, 2026 – April 19, 2026
• Fall: October 15, 2026 – November 18, 2026

(The start dates may be initiated earlier, or the end dates extended in the event whooping cranes are known to be in the area.)

Bids due January 30, 2026, at 5:00 PM CT to ideuse@headwaterscorp.com.

Public opening February 2, 2026. Please see the attachment for further details, including the bid form, transects, insurance requirements, and contract terms.

The Platte River Recovery Implementation Program (PRRIP) is seeking quotations for Project P26-003: Woven Wire Fence Construction on Tract 2009008 near Kearney, Nebraska. The project involves furnishing and installing approximately 1,113 linear feet of 4"x2" woven wire fence, including 2 gates, electric wire additions (1 on top, 2 at bottom), mobilization/demobilization, and adherence to whooping crane avoidance procedures during migration periods. Work is located in the Platte River floodplain in Buffalo County and must comply with detailed specifications for materials, insurance, and quality standards. The successful bidder requires DUNS and SAM numbers, plus a Nebraska Certificate of Good Standing.

Performance period from award through April 1, 2026 (or negotiated).

Contact Tim R. Tunnell, Senior Land Manager, Headwaters Corporation, at tunnellt@headwaterscorp.com or (308) 237-5728 for plans and details.

Work will include pushing, shaping, and grading sand to create ~60 acres of Least Tern and Piping Plover nesting habitat at a location that has previously been mined for sand and gravel. This project will be the second phase of restoration at the site, as the western portion was rehabilitated in spring of 2021. Habitat will be created by clearing all topsoil to expose bare sand, smoothing slopes to a shallower grade, and preserving open water to reduce predation. To aid in monitoring efforts, an improved double-track route will be built around the exterior of the site. This monitoring route will be crude but passable by pickup truck; trees and stumps will be removed, but minimal earthwork will be required. Work can begin in late February and must be complete by April 16, 2026. Mandatory site showing on February 6, 2026. See bid documents for details. 

The Platte River Recovery Implementation Program (PRRIP) is seeking qualified and licensed contractors for a three-year contract (2026-2028) to provide ground and aerial drone herbicide application services across approximately 14,555 acres of habitat lands in central Nebraska, aimed at controlling noxious and invasive vegetation to support endangered species like the whooping crane, piping plover, interior least tern, and pallid sturgeon.

Services include bare ground treatments at off-channel sand and water sites, noxious weed control in grasslands, and management of invasive brush, with work spanning April 1 to November 15 annually, emphasizing precise application, environmental safety, and coordination to avoid impacts on target species.

Bids are requested on an hourly rate for labor/equipment plus chemical cost markup, with a pre-bid meeting on February 13, 2026, at 10:00 am CST, and submissions due by March 6, 2026, at 5:00 pm CST.

Contact Tim R. Tunnell at tunnellt@headwaterscorp.com for details and to contribute to vital conservation efforts.