Crest Switchback DxP IRSC

The USDA Forest Service is soliciting proposals for fuels management and stewardship contracting services on the Cibola National Forest, Sandia Ranger District in New Mexico under solicitation number 12363N26Q4030. The procurement involves mechanical thinning, debris removal and disposal, traffic control, and hazard tree removal across approximately 121 acres of mandatory work and up to 39 additional acres of optional work, with the objective of reducing hazardous fuel loading, improving forest health in degraded high-elevation spruce-fir stands, and enhancing scenic integrity of the Sandia Crest National Scenic Byway. This is a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) call order restricted to companies pre-approved under the R3 Southwest Stewardship BPA, using NAICS code 115310 (Fuels Management Services) with a small business size standard of $34 million. Evaluation will prioritize technical approach and relevant past performance (each significantly more important), followed by utilization of local workforce and benefit to local community, with technical factors combined approximately equal to cost or price. The proposal deadline is February 23, 2026 at 4:00 PM Mountain Time, and offers must remain valid for 60 days from submission; a mandatory site visit was held on February 4, 2026 at 10:30 AM.

This procurement is restricted to approved R3 Southwest Stewardship BPA companies with no general set-aside designations, and the government will not provide feedback to ineligible companies. Specific award value information is not disclosed in the solicitation documents. The project encompasses 148 total acres across nine units on the Cibola National Forest, with mandatory work on 82 acres (Units 1-6) and optional work on 58 acres (Units 7-9), involving removal of approximately 4,769 tons of mandatory biomass and 2,295 tons of optional biomass with pricing provided on a per-ton basis (minimum acceptable offer of $0.01 per ton). The contractor must provide unit prices for two performance deadlines (January 15, 2027 and September 30, 2027) and submit comprehensive operational plans including safety, quality control, traffic control, fire control, and workforce certification documentation. Work will be performed in Albuquerque, New Mexico (specifically the Sandia Ranger District of Cibola National Forest), with payment made in stewardship credits and/or appropriated funds, and the contractor must comply with New Mexico prevailing wage rates and all traffic control requirements per FHWA standards.