Redmond Air Center

The Department of Agriculture Forest Service Fire and Aviation Management Redmond Air Center is a civilian sub-agency of the Forest Service that procures support services, equipment, and consulting for wildfire and aviation operations. The Redmond Air Center, located in Oregon, manages aviation assets and firefighting logistics for the Pacific Northwest region and transacts primarily through small businesses and local service providers.

The agency has awarded 90 federal contracts since November 2013, with $9.8 million in combined potential value and $9.7 million obligated across 47 distinct prime contractors. Recent activity has declined sharply: the center awarded 8 contracts in 2022, then 3 in 2023, 2 in 2024, 1 in 2025, and 2 year-to-date in 2026. The most recent award closed on June 1, 2026.

Competition among prime contractors is highly concentrated by value. Over the last five years, the top five primes by potential value hold 78 percent of combined potential value, led by Jefferson Consulting Group LLC at $3.9 million, followed by Black Diamond Designs, Inc. at $2.3 million and Federal Prison Industries, Inc. at $832 thousand. By award count, the concentration is moderate — the top five primes hold 50 percent of recent awards, with Northwest Laundry Services, Inc. leading on count (3 awards) but contributing only $70 thousand in potential value. This divergence signals that the center splits work between high-value consulting and professional services (concentrated among fewer vendors) and lower-value operational or facility contracts (more fragmented across the long tail).

Small-business set-asides dominate the portfolio: 54 percent of all awards carry Total Small Business designation, 43 percent are unrestricted, 1 percent is 8(a) sole source, and 1 percent is partial small business. The overwhelming majority of transacting partners qualify as small businesses, reflecting the center's reliance on regional and specialized vendors rather than national primes.

No recent contract opportunities or grant opportunities are present in the available data. Firms pursuing work at this center should monitor the center's direct procurement channels and GSA Schedule vehicles, given the low recent solicitation frequency and the dominance of small-business set-asides in the award mix.