New World Screwworm Aerial Release & Air Transportation Services

The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service seeks aircraft and crew services for aerial release of sterilized New World Screwworm pupae and transportation of pupae from Pacora, Panama to Edinburg, Texas, with proposals due October 8, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. Central Time. The procurement will establish one or multiple hybrid Time & Material and Fixed Price IDIQ contracts, unrestricted and open to all responsible sources, with a cumulative ceiling of $650 million per contract through June 14, 2031. Amendment 1, issued September 28, 2026, extended the proposal deadline and incorporated revised solicitation documents.

Performance runs from December 15, 2026 through December 14, 2027 (base year), with four optional one-year extensions through December 14, 2031. Place of performance includes Pacora, Panama (pupae origin), Edinburg, Texas (primary dispersal base), and potential operations in Arizona and Florida; aerial release will occur along the Texas-Mexico border and other areas as NWS cases are detected. The incumbent contractor, Dynamic Aviation Group, Inc. (Contract 12639526C0033), ends December 14, 2026.

Offerors must propose either aerial dispersal services, transportation services, or both. Aircraft must be fixed-wing twin-engine for aerial dispersal operations, equipped with government-furnished refrigerated insect release machines and AG-NAV guidance systems, with capacity for at least 48 coolers per transportation trip. Transportation flights operate under 14 CFR Part 135 with an estimated 100-gallon-per-hour fuel burn; domestic flights are waivable from the six-hour fuel autonomy requirement. Dispersal operations conduct under Visual Flight Rules, potentially as Public Aircraft Operations under 14 CFR Part 91. Government estimates 24,336 dispersal flight hours and 7,600 transportation hours in Year 1, increasing to 65,520 dispersal and 13,104 transportation hours by Year 3, with production scaling from 100 million pupae weekly (current) to 500 million by December 2028.

Key personnel include an instrument-rated commercial or airline transport pilot with 1,500+ total flight hours and 100+ multi-engine hours; co-pilots and dispersers must be qualified and trained on release equipment. All covered service employees are subject to Service Contract Act wage determinations for Hidalgo County, Texas. Contractors must maintain workers' compensation, general liability ($500,000 minimum), aircraft hull, and passenger liability coverage with public aircraft operations and "any airworthiness" endorsements naming the United States as additional insured. All contractor employees requiring facility access must pass background checks.

Evaluation weighs Technical Capability (aircraft availability and safety, licenses and permits, key personnel, specialized experience), Aircraft & Equipment Maintenance Plan, Past Performance, and Price, with technical factors weighted more heavily. Offerors must submit three to five completed Specialized Experience Questionnaires for projects at least 75% complete within the past five years, with minimum one per major subcontractor (25%+ effort). The NAICS code is 481219 (Other Nonscheduled Air Transportation) with a $25 million small business size standard. No late proposals will be accepted.