INL Bogota Helicopter Wet Lease

The Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics Law Enforcement awarded this Master IDIQ on April 21, 2021, for medium and heavy lift rotary-wing aircraft wet-lease services supporting drug eradication and security operations in Colombia. The vehicle's ordering period closed on April 20, 2026, and ordering is no longer open.

The vehicle carries a combined potential value of $50 million, with all $38.3 million in awarded task-order value obligated as of the most recent award in January 2023. Activity peaked in 2021 and 2022, with eight and nine orders respectively, declining to four orders in 2023. No subsequent task orders have been placed in the past three years, signaling the vehicle has moved toward completion or closure.

Services contracted focus on transporting Colombian National Police eradication personnel, civilian coca eradicators, U.S. Embassy INL staff, and associated equipment and supplies throughout Colombia. Orders are geographically distributed across multiple coca-producing regions, including Villagarzon, San Jose del Guaviare, Caucasia, Aguachica, Florencia, and Tumaco. Aircraft must be 25 years old or newer, operated under daytime visual flight rules, and maintain Colombian aviation authority certifications and CAA Air Operations Certificates for commercial charter on-demand rotary-wing operations.

Competition is evenly split between two domestic contractors: Vertical De Aviacion U.S.A., Inc. holds 11 orders valued at $20 million, and Helistar S.A.S holds 10 orders valued at $18.3 million. All 21 awarded task orders are unrestricted (no set-aside). The Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics Law Enforcement is the sole customer. Task orders are structured as semi-annual firm-fixed-price contracts, with recent orders ranging from approximately $261,000 to $3.9 million per order period, reflecting variable operational requirements across eradication zones.

Lease of medium or heavy lift rotary wing aircraft for the transport of passengers, equipment and/or supplies of Class I - X to support several INL Bogota programs logistical support requirements. The focus of effort will be the Manual Eradication Program transporting Colombian National Police (CNP) eradication personnel, contracted civilian coca eradicators, representatives of the Colombian Territorial Consolidation Administrative Unit (CTCAU), personnel from US Embassy INL Bogota, manual eradication equipment and supplies, with as required support to the INL Rural Security and Base Security Programs; transporting CNP and INL personnel, equipment and supplies throughout Colombia or as directed by the CO in support of other INL Bogota vertical lift logistical support requirements.