BIA EU Single Engine Air Tanker (SEAT) at Bemidji

The Department of the Interior's Interior Business Center is soliciting proposals for exclusive use Single Engine Air Tanker (SEAT) aircraft flight services to support the Bureau of Indian Affairs at Bemidji, Minnesota for water and fire retardant suppression operations. The procurement requires a single-engine airtanker meeting minimum specifications including 1,220 shaft horsepower, 800-gallon tank capacity, ability to operate from a 5,000-foot gravel runway, and mandatory equipment including specific avionics and a Flight Data Monitoring System. The contract will be awarded on a best-value basis considering technical capability, organizational safety, past performance, and total evaluated price, with proposals due December 30, 2025 at 1:30 PM Pacific Standard Time. The five-year Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract will run from February 1, 2026 through January 31, 2031, with an estimated exclusive use period of approximately 60 days during each fire season. Two amendments to the solicitation have been issued as of December 15, 2025, providing clarifications on flight hour estimates, per diem policy, and Flight Data Monitoring System requirements.

This procurement is designated as a total small business set-aside with a small business size standard of $11.5 million and falls under NAICS code 115310 (Support Activities for Forestry). The total maximum contract value is $6,500,000 across the five-year performance period. No current incumbent is identified in the solicitation materials. The contract requires pilots to meet specific qualification requirements, and contractors must comply with prevailing wage requirements established by the Department of Labor, including minimum hourly wages of $17.75 for contracts entered into on or after January 30, 2022, plus health and welfare benefits of $5.36 per hour. The aircraft will be based at Bemidji, Minnesota, but must be capable of dispatching to Alaska for fire response operations as needed. The estimated average flight hours are approximately 25 hours per aircraft during the 2024-2025 period based on historical operational data.