RFP Opportunity

FWS CONTRACTING ACTIVITY (INTERIOR, DEPARTMENT OF THE) · US — Federal · Federal natural resources

C--Martime NWR Interpretive Exhibit Services

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service seeks a small business to redesign and upgrade the Seabird Theater exhibit, including new immersive video, at its Homer, Alaska visitor center.

At a glance

Scope: The contractor will redesign and upgrade the Seabird Theater. Work includes removing interior rockwork, expanding into the back-of-house area (relocating, not removing, the electronics rack and keeping access to the electrical panel), and installing front projection, modern lighting and better audio. A new orientation AV program with map graphics, drone footage and a scenic soundscape is recommended, with optional presenter mode and interactive features, all built to NPS electronic program specifications.
Key deliverables: Theater redesign and revision plan
New orientation video (drone flyovers, map graphics, seabird footage)
Surround-sound audio soundscape
Front-projection screen and laser projectors
Updated lighting and bench seating
Presenter mode for staff slideshows and clips
Optional visitor interactive map with video
Captions, audio description and maintenance manual
Budget: Not stated
Contract: Combined synopsis/solicitation under commercial terms (FAR 52.212-4) with a Service Contract Act wage determination; contract type and term not stated
Key dates: Posted: Nov 3, 2026
Proposals due (extended from Nov 9, 2026): Nov 11, 2026
Response deadline: November 11, 2026 (6 days)
Eligibility: Total small business set-aside
NAICS 541850
Solicitation 140FF027Q0002 via SAM.gov
Key personnel need at least 5 years of production experience (NPS specifications)
FAA Part 107 certification and NPS permitting if using drones
Compliance with NPS accessibility requirements (open captions, audio description, assistive listening)
Services: Content & video, Brand & creative, Events & experiential

Why this could be interesting

The theater is the visitor center's central attraction, with real creative latitude in the orientation video
Federal client (Interior Department) with NPS-standard media specifications, a useful credential for future park and refuge work
Small business set-aside limits the competition
The response window is very short and the site is remote, so travel to Homer, Alaska is likely

Best suited for: Small exhibit design or AV media firms that combine documentary-style nature video and drone production with immersive theater installation, ideally with NPS or FWS interpretive experience.

About this RFP

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) is buying interpretive exhibit services to upgrade the Seabird Theater at the Islands & Ocean Visitor Center, which interprets the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. The center gets about 60,000 visitors a year. Staff estimate the current theater works fully only 10–15% of the time, the space is dark, and its low-resolution, fixed-camera seabird footage is described as underwhelming.

A 2019 interpretive prescription recommends removing rockwork, opening the back wall for a large front-projection screen, and remaking the video as an unnarrated orientation to the Refuge. That video would use map graphics, high-definition drone flyovers and close seabird footage. It also calls for simpler technology, a laser projector, surround sound, a staff "presenter mode" and possibly a visitor-controlled interactive map. Media work must follow National Park Service (NPS) standards for electronic programs, which include open captions, audio description and rights clearance.

This is a total small business set-aside, issued as a combined synopsis/solicitation (Amendment 2). Amendment 2 adds questions and answers, a clause, a Service Contract Act wage determination and design plans, and moves the deadline to November 11, 2026. No budget is stated.

How to respond →

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