The Department of Agriculture has provided a 30-day extension for organizations interested in housing the Economic Research Services and National Institute of Food and Agriculture, which will both be relocated in late 2019.
Stakeholders such as universities and local governments asked USDA to extend the deadline to further prepare and submit proposals, the department said Friday.
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue noted that some stakeholders will not be able to deliver their proposals on time because their employees have gone on summer vacation and their plans need to be reviewed by different authorities.
“An extra 30 days will give everyone time to get organized and will not interfere with our timeline,†Perdue added.
The department rescheduled the deadline of proposals from Sept. 14 to Oct. 15.
USDA started seeking new ERS and NIFA headquarters after Perdue announced in August that the agencies will be relocated outside the National Capital Region. The move is meant to attract more highly-trained agriculture staff, expand the reach of USDA resources and provide greater savings to the American taxpayer.