The National Interagency Fire Center, a civilian federal agency, has awarded a multiple-award $100 million indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract for Next Generation Large Airtanker Services 3.0 to Aero-Flite, Inc., a foreign-owned, for-profit aviation services provider. Under this IDIQ, the agency has issued firm-fixed-price delivery orders to Aero-Flite for aerial firefighting services, including the use of large air tankers, air attack platforms, and other specialized aircraft to support wildland fire management operations across the Western United States. The delivery orders, valued at up to $8.2 million each, will provide these critical aviation assets and personnel to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service Fire and Aviation Management division through December 2025. Aero-Flite also holds several other significant federal contract IDVs for aerial firefighting services, demonstrating the company's extensive experience and capability in this domain.
The original solicitation, which was set aside for total small businesses, sought proposals for exclusive use next generation large airtanker services to assist the Forest Service with initial attack wildland firefighting on a nationwide basis. The agency intended to award up to five contracts for multi-engine turbine-powered airtankers with minimum retardant payloads of 3,000 to 5,000 gallons, to be available daily from contractor-provided bases near wildfire activity from June 2019 through October 2019, with four additional option years. Proposals were evaluated based on operational capabilities, past performance, and price.
Generated 9/7/24, 9:07 AM