Interior Department awards $2.1M contract for intellectual property services to Grand Teton Lodge Co

Contract Overview

Contract Amount: $2,116,000 ($2.1M)

Contractor: Grand Teton Lodge CO

Awarding Agency: Department of the Interior

Start Date: 2025-09-24

End Date: 2026-03-22

Contract Duration: 179 days

Daily Burn Rate: $11.8K/day

Competition Type: NOT COMPETED UNDER SAP

Number of Offers Received: 1

Pricing Type: FIRM FIXED PRICE

Sector: Other

Official Description: CS-GRTE001 INTELLECTUAL PROP PURCHASE

Place of Performance

Location: MORAN, TETON County, WYOMING, 83013

State: Wyoming Government Spending

Plain-Language Summary

Department of the Interior obligated $2.1 million to GRAND TETON LODGE CO for work described as: CS-GRTE001 INTELLECTUAL PROP PURCHASE Key points: 1. Contract awarded for intellectual property services, a niche area within broader professional services. 2. The awardee, Grand Teton Lodge Co., typically operates in the hospitality sector, raising questions about specialized expertise. 3. A single bid suggests limited market engagement or a potentially narrow scope of requirement. 4. The contract duration is relatively short, indicating a focused need or a pilot initiative. 5. Fixed-price contract type aims to control costs, but the absence of competition may limit price optimization. 6. The contract is for services related to advertising, which may encompass branding or promotional intellectual property.

Value Assessment

Rating: questionable

The contract value of $2.1 million for intellectual property services is significant, especially given the awardee's primary industry focus. Benchmarking this against typical intellectual property acquisition costs is difficult without more detail on the specific IP. However, the lack of competition and the unusual pairing of a hospitality company with IP services warrants scrutiny regarding the value proposition. It is unclear if this price reflects a competitive market rate or if it is inflated due to limited options.

Cost Per Unit: N/A

Competition Analysis

Competition Level: sole-source

This contract was not competed under the Simplified Acquisition Procedures (SAP), indicating it was likely procured through a sole-source or limited competition justification. The data explicitly states 'NOT COMPETED UNDER SAP'. With only one bid received, it suggests that either the requirement was narrowly defined, or there was a lack of interested and capable vendors. This limited competition raises concerns about whether the government secured the best possible price and terms.

Taxpayer Impact: The lack of robust competition means taxpayers may not have benefited from the cost savings typically achieved through a competitive bidding process. This could result in a higher overall expenditure for the government.

Public Impact

The National Park Service (NPS) is the end-user agency, likely benefiting from enhanced intellectual property management or development. The services delivered are related to intellectual property, which could support branding, marketing, or asset protection for NPS initiatives. The contract is geographically focused on Wyoming (WY), suggesting the IP services are tied to a specific location or project within the state. The impact on the workforce is unclear, but it may involve specialized legal or creative professionals, potentially sourced by the contractor.

Waste & Efficiency Indicators

Waste Risk Score: 50 / 10

Warning Flags

Awardee's primary business is hospitality, not intellectual property services, raising concerns about expertise and potential performance issues.
Sole-source or limited competition procurement limits price discovery and may lead to overpayment.
Lack of transparency in the procurement process (not competed under SAP) hinders assessment of fairness and value.
The specific nature of the intellectual property being acquired is not detailed, making it difficult to assess necessity and value.

Positive Signals

The contract is a firm fixed-price award, which provides cost certainty for the government.
The contract has a defined period of performance, allowing for clear deliverables and timelines.
The awardee is a known entity, potentially having existing relationships or understanding of NPS operations.

Sector Analysis

The professional, scientific, and technical services sector is vast, encompassing a wide range of specialized expertise. Within this sector, intellectual property services are critical for innovation, branding, and legal protection. However, the awardee's background in hospitality suggests this contract may be an outlier or a unique application of IP services, possibly related to branding or marketing for a specific lodge or park initiative. Comparable spending benchmarks for IP services vary widely based on complexity, but $2.1 million for a 179-day period is substantial.

Small Business Impact

This contract does not appear to have a small business set-aside component, as indicated by 'sb': false. There is also no information provided regarding subcontracting plans. Therefore, the direct impact on the small business ecosystem is likely minimal, and there is no indication of specific efforts to engage small businesses in fulfilling this contract's requirements.

Oversight & Accountability

Oversight for this contract would primarily fall under the National Park Service, a division of the Department of the Interior. As a purchase order, it may be subject to internal agency review and potentially audits by the Department of the Interior's Office of Inspector General. Transparency is limited due to the non-competitive nature of the award, making it harder to assess the full extent of oversight applied during the procurement phase.

Related Government Programs

Advertising and Public Relations Services
Legal Services
Consulting Services
National Park Service Operations
Federal Procurement

Risk Flags

Non-competitive award
Unusual contractor background for service type
Potential lack of specialized expertise
Limited transparency in procurement

Frequently Asked Questions

What is this federal contract paying for?

Department of the Interior awarded $2.1 million to GRAND TETON LODGE CO. CS-GRTE001 INTELLECTUAL PROP PURCHASE

Who is the contractor on this award?

The obligated recipient is GRAND TETON LODGE CO.

Which agency awarded this contract?

Awarding agency: Department of the Interior (National Park Service).

What is the total obligated amount?

The obligated amount is $2.1 million.

What is the period of performance?

Start: 2025-09-24. End: 2026-03-22.

What specific intellectual property is being acquired under this contract, and why is Grand Teton Lodge Co. the chosen provider?

The provided data indicates the contract is for 'CS-GRTE001 INTELLECTUAL PROP PURCHASE' with Grand Teton Lodge Co. The specific nature of the intellectual property is not detailed. Grand Teton Lodge Co. is primarily known as a hospitality provider within Grand Teton National Park. Its selection for intellectual property services, especially when the contract is not competed under SAP, raises significant questions. It is possible the IP relates to branding, marketing materials, or proprietary operational knowledge specific to the lodge's concessions within the park. However, without further clarification from the agency, the rationale for selecting a hospitality company for IP services remains unclear and warrants investigation into potential conflicts of interest or a misclassification of services.

How does the $2.1 million contract value compare to typical spending on intellectual property services by the National Park Service or similar agencies?

Benchmarking the $2.1 million contract value for intellectual property services is challenging without knowing the exact nature of the IP. Typical IP services can range from patent filings and trademark registrations to complex licensing agreements and brand strategy development. For a 179-day period, this value suggests a significant undertaking. The National Park Service's budget allocation for professional services varies, but a single award of this magnitude for IP, especially to a non-specialized contractor, stands out. Without more granular data on the scope of work, it's difficult to provide a precise comparison. However, the absence of competition suggests this price may not reflect the most cost-effective market rate available.

What are the key risks associated with awarding a significant intellectual property contract to a company primarily operating in the hospitality sector?

The primary risk is a lack of specialized expertise. Intellectual property law and strategy require deep knowledge of patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret law, as well as market analysis and strategic planning. A hospitality company like Grand Teton Lodge Co. may lack the in-house capabilities or established networks to provide high-caliber IP services. This could lead to suboptimal outcomes, such as poorly drafted agreements, missed opportunities for protection, or ineffective brand strategies. Furthermore, the non-competitive award increases the risk of inflated pricing and potential performance issues if the contractor is unable to deliver as expected, potentially requiring costly corrective actions or re-procurement.

Given the contract was 'NOT COMPETED UNDER SAP', what does this imply about the procurement process and potential taxpayer value?

The designation 'NOT COMPETED UNDER SAP' implies that the contract was likely awarded under specific exceptions to full and open competition, such as sole-sourcing or limited competition, potentially exceeding the dollar thresholds for SAP. This suggests the agency may have had a specific justification for not soliciting multiple bids, which could include a lack of available vendors, urgent needs, or proprietary reasons. However, bypassing the standard competitive process generally reduces the likelihood of achieving the best possible price and value for taxpayers. Without competition, there is less pressure on the contractor to offer competitive pricing, and the government may overpay for the services rendered.

What is the historical spending pattern for intellectual property services by the Department of the Interior, and does this contract align with previous trends?

Historical spending data for intellectual property services by the Department of the Interior (DOI) is not provided in the current dataset. However, IP services are typically procured through specialized legal firms or consulting agencies with demonstrated expertise in IP law and strategy. A contract of this size ($2.1 million) awarded to a hospitality company for IP services would likely represent a significant deviation from typical spending patterns, assuming the DOI usually engages specialized IP firms. Analyzing past DOI contracts for similar services would reveal whether this award is an anomaly or part of a broader, perhaps newly established, strategy. Without this historical context, it's difficult to assess alignment.

Industry Classification

NAICS: Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services › Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services › Other Services Related to Advertising

Product/Service Code: SUPPORT SVCS (PROF, ADMIN, MGMT) › PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Competition & Pricing

Extent Competed: NOT COMPETED UNDER SAP

Solicitation Procedures: SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITION

Solicitation ID: 140P2125Q0163

Offers Received: 1

Pricing Type: FIRM FIXED PRICE (J)

Evaluated Preference: NONE

Contractor Details

Parent Company: Vail Resorts, Inc.

Address: 101 JACKSON LAKE LODGE RD, MORAN, WY, 83013

Business Categories: Category Business, Corporate Entity Not Tax Exempt, Not Designated a Small Business, Special Designations, U.S.-Owned Business

Financial Breakdown

Contract Ceiling: $2,116,000

Exercised Options: $2,116,000

Current Obligation: $2,116,000

Contract Characteristics

Commercial Item: COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS/SERVICES

Timeline