LOLO NATIONAL FOREST - Upper West Fork Fish Creek Trail Bridge Replacement

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service is seeking to procure the removal and replacement of an existing trail bridge and substructure elements on Trail 101 at milepost 3.1 in the Ninemile Ranger District of Lolo National Forest, Montana. The project is located within the Great Burn Proposed Wilderness area and requires a contractor to furnish all materials, perform structural excavation, install foundation components, erect the new 61-foot bridge structure, and adjust adjacent trail grades according to design specifications. Key requirements include adherence to resource protection measures and equipment restrictions due to the wilderness location, completion of all work by October 15, 2026, and restriction of in-stream work to the period between July 15th and August 15th. Contractors must submit proposals by July 7, 2025, at 1600 hours local time, along with a 20% bid bond, and the successful awardee will be required to provide 100% performance and payment bonds. The evaluation will consider past performance based on the submitted questionnaire and references, along with technical compliance and pricing factors.

This opportunity is designated as a Total Small Business set-aside under NAICS code 237310 (Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction) with a small business size standard of $45 million in annual receipts. No incumbent contractor is identified in the solicitation documents. The estimated contract value falls between $250,000 and $500,000, representing a magnitude of construction project that requires significant specialized expertise in remote wilderness construction. The contract period spans approximately 444 days from award, with work to be performed in the remote wilderness area of Mineral County, Montana, accessible only by traveling 37 miles west of Missoula and then hiking approximately 3.1 miles on Trail 101. The project location's remote nature and wilderness designation impose strict limitations on equipment usage, requiring contractors to use non-mechanized methods and pack animals for material transportation, making this a highly specialized construction project requiring expertise in wilderness-compliant construction techniques.