123501 O5 SEAT - Solicitation Evaluation Criteria bms 9-19.docx

This is a solicitation evaluation criteria document issued by the State of Nebraska Department of Administrative Services, Materiel Division, State Purchasing Bureau for a single exclusive-use turbine-powered air tanker contract to support the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency's wildfire suppression operations. The procurement requires submission of one aircraft with qualified pilots, a service truck/trailer, and a support driver, with the aircraft sourced from the U.S. Department of Interior's On-Call SEAT Source List and pilots certified at Level I or Level II by the Bureau of Land Management, United States Forestry Service, or Office of Aviation Services. The solicitation mandates a minimum of sixty days of annual availability at bases in Chadron, Alliance, Scottsbluff, and Valentine, Nebraska. Electronic responses are due December 18, 2025, at 2:00 PM Central Time, with an anticipated vendor start date of June 4, 2026. The initial contract term is two years with options to renew for three additional one-year periods.

Evaluation will be conducted on a 100-point scale with 30 points allocated for Corporate Overview, 50 points for Technical Response, and 20 points for Cost, with cost points awarded using a lowest-cost-submitted formula. All responses must address mandatory requirements including a completed Corporate Overview, Technical Response, Cost Sheet, Solicitation Sections II through IV, and a manually signed or DocuSign-executed Contractual Agreement Form to warrant evaluation. The contract compensation structure includes flight hour rates limited to 8 hours per day, standby costs, support truck mileage, relief crew management, mobilization and demobilization expenses, and per diem calculated according to current federal government regulations. The state will provide fire retardant material, and the contract is subject to funding availability.