B08_Attachment_6_OPM-35_2025.pdf

This document is a Department of Interior Operational Procedures Memorandum (OPM-35) that establishes policy and procedures for identifying whether specific aviation projects should be procured as end product/service contracts or flight service contracts.

The memorandum clarifies that end product contracts are used to acquire a product or service for the Department on a per-acre, per-unit, or per-area basis, with the contractor supplying all personnel and equipment to provide a deliverable result. End product contracts are not aircraft flight service contracts and are not administered by the Contracting Officer or Qualified aviation officers through the Aviation Qualified Designee (AQD). The policy emphasizes that the Department does not exercise operational control of aircraft under end product contracts, meaning the government does not approve crewmembers, direct maintenance, or dispatch aircraft. The guidance applies to activities such as animal capture, seeding, spraying, survey, and photography. Projects must meet all criteria listed in 353 DM 1.2A(3) to qualify as flight services; if any criterion is answered affirmatively, the project must be procured as a flight service contract through DOI AQD. The memorandum includes a decision table with evaluation criteria such as photography or remote sensing, application of product, animal inventory, capture and transport, and animal breeding requirements. Appendix 1 provides detailed guidance on acceptable contract language for end-product contracts, including specifications for work area descriptions, aerospace coordination, aviation regulations, aircraft equipment specifications, communications requirements, personnel transportation, safety hazards, and aircraft use reporting. The policy is effective January 1, 2025, and expires December 31, 2025.