[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 12 (Wednesday, January 19, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Page 2897]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-00656]



[[Page 2897]]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-CONC-32683; PPWOBSADC0, PPMVSCS1Y.Y00000]


Notice of Intent To Award a Sole-Source Concession Contract for 
Yellowstone National Park

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of proposed award of a sole-source concession contract 
for Yellowstone National Park.

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SUMMARY: Public notice is hereby given that the National Park Service 
proposes to award a sole-source concession contract for the conduct of 
certain visitor services within Yellowstone National Park. The visitor 
services include food and beverage and retail.

DATES: The term of the sole-source concession contract will commence 
(if awarded) no earlier than sixty (60) days from the publication of 
this notice, but the National Park Service intends for the term to 
begin March 1, 2022 (estimated) and end December 31, 2023.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kurt Rausch, Program Chief, Commercial 
Services Program, National Park Service, 1849 C Street NW, Mail Stop 
2410, Washington, DC 20240; Telephone: 202-513-7156.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to 36 CFR 51.25, the Director of 
the National Park Service (Service) may award a concession contract 
non-competitively upon a determination that extraordinary circumstances 
exist under which compelling and equitable considerations require the 
award of the concession contract to a particular qualified person in 
the public interest and that such an award is otherwise consistent with 
the requirements of part 51. Contracts that are awarded non-
competitively under this authority are commonly referred to as ``sole-
source'' contracts. The Service has determined that the proposed award 
of a sole-source contract to DNC Parks and Resorts at Yellowstone, LLC 
is necessary based on the following information.
    The extraordinary circumstances in this instance include delays 
caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the required updates to the YELL002 
prospectus as a result of the pandemic's socio-economic impacts, as 
such impacts affected the assumptions developed for the prospectus to 
such an extent that the Service could not release the prospectus in 
July 2020 as originally planned. Additionally, the Service has 
exhausted the time allowed for temporary contracts authorized under 36 
CFR 51.24, and does not have sufficient time to update the assumptions 
and requirements for a new prospectus, solicit and evaluate proposals, 
provide the 60-day notice to Congress, and competitively award a new 
contract before the expiration of the temporary contract on February 
28, 2022.
    The Service has determined that DNC Parks and Resorts at 
Yellowstone, LLC is a ``qualified person'' as defined by 36 CFR 51.3, 
and has determined that compelling and equitable considerations exist 
as only DNC Parks and Resorts at Yellowstone, LLC, having provided the 
visitor services since 2002 and having already made the investments 
necessary to provide the operations, is positioned to provide the 
visitor services without having potentially severe consequences to 
visitors to the Park.
    The Service has determined that a sole-source concession contract 
is in the public interest because it is the authorization most likely 
to avoid interruption of visitor services and provide for the continued 
maintenance of government-owned facilities.
    This is not a request for proposals. The publication of this notice 
reflects the intent of the Service but does not bind the Service to 
award the sole-source contract. Should the Service award the sole-
source contract, the NPS will ensure such award is otherwise consistent 
with the requirements of part 51.

Justin Unger,
Associate Director, Business Services.
[FR Doc. 2022-00656 Filed 1-18-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-53-P