Helicopter Support Services - Type 2

USDA Forest Service Fire and Aviation Management's National Interagency Fire Center awarded the Helicopter Support Services - Type 2 Master IDIQ, a multiple-award vehicle with a $1.5 billion shared ceiling for helicopter support services, with ordering open through Dec 31, 2033. No set-aside is used on the vehicle or on any of its 310 task orders.

With the award date of Jan 1, 2024, the vehicle has 7 years 1 month of ordering authority remaining. Orders issued were 108 in 2024, 88 in 2025, and 114 in 2026 to date, with the most recent award on Oct 1, 2026. Combined task-order potential value is $358.2 million, and $359.3 million has been obligated, equal to 100% of that potential value.

The originating solicitation, 1202SA22R9202, sought fire suppression, fire monitoring, law enforcement, and administrative missions using Type 1, 2, and 3 helicopters, with performance in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, under a Lowest Price Technically Acceptable evaluation. Recent orders are mostly "call when needed" flight services supporting Department of the Interior wildland fire suppression, plus Type II exclusive-use and National Park Service construction flights. The solicitation's minimum guarantees of $10,000 for Type 1, $7,500 for Type 2, and $5,000 for Type 3 are contractual floors, not typical order values.

Thirty primes hold awards. Helicopter Express LLC leads on order count with 51 orders and $82.3 million in combined potential value, followed by Av8-Orr Helicopter Services Inc. (44 orders), Minuteman Aviation Inc. (33), and Guidance Air Service LLC (21). The top five primes by order count hold 55% of task orders. By value, Precision, LLC holds 5 orders worth $77.9 million, and the top five by value hold 66% of potential value, including Hillsboro Aviation, Inc. and Heli-1 Corp. The remaining primes form a broad tail.

The USDA Forest Service Fire and Aviation Management National Interagency Fire Center is the customer on 289 of 310 orders, totaling $354.8 million. The other 21 orders come from Interior: Bureau of Land Management Idaho Region (8), National Park Service Intermountain Region (7), National Park Service Pacific West Region (4), and Bureau of Land Management California Region (2).

Most recent task orders range from $5,698.76 to $532,579.80, excluding two mega-orders: a $4,138,471.20 Type II exclusive-use order for Heli-1 Corp at Ketchum, Idaho, running through Dec 31, 2028, and a $943,702.02 Interior wildland fire order to Guidance Air Service, LLC. Recent work is concentrated in Idaho, Montana (West Glacier), and California (Warner Valley).