PNW Alaska On-Grid Plots - Wrangell Ketchikan

The USDA Forest Service is soliciting quotations for locating, remeasuring, and installing Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) fixed radius sample plots in the Alaska Wrangell-Ketchikan area under Request for Quotation 1240BG26Q0003. The contractor must furnish all labor, equipment, supervision, transportation, and operating supplies except for government-furnished equipment, which includes portable data recorders, GNSS receivers, field manuals, and MIDAS software. Key requirements include completing 40 plots plus an undetermined number of certification plots, with crew leaders requiring certification by completing one satisfactory field plot achieving 90 percent or higher quality, and all participants accessing confidential plot locations must sign a nondisclosure agreement. Evaluation will be conducted using three technical factors (available resources, ability to perform, and key personnel qualifications), past performance within the past three years, and price, with all technical sub-factors requiring acceptable ratings and proposals from offerors with unacceptable past performance being ineligible for award. The detailed evaluation criteria assign weighted percentages across 12 categories including Tree & Snag Attributes (20%), Condition Class (20%), Subplot Attributes (10%), and other data quality elements. Quotations must be submitted electronically by March 13, 2026 at 11:00 AM Mountain Time, with questions due by March 6, 2026 and answers posted by March 9, 2026.

This solicitation is designated as a Total Small Business set-aside with a North American Industry Classification System code of 115310 (Support Activities for Forestry) and a small business size standard of $11.5 million. No incumbent contractors are identified in the solicitation documents. The contract will be awarded on a firm-fixed price basis with the best value to the government, with the government reserving the right to make multiple awards if determined to provide best value after accounting for $500 administrative cost per award; however, no specific budget or award value is disclosed in the solicitation. The period of performance runs from April 1, 2026 through September 1, 2026, with mandatory crew orientation typically occurring in May and field work commencing no earlier than May 25 and concluding no later than August 1. Contractors must submit each plot within 14 calendar days of field completion, with plots achieving 90 percent or greater quality receiving full payment and those below 90 percent paid at 90 percent with required rework. Performance will take place on National Forest and other lands in southeast Alaska in the Wrangell-Ketchikan area, with approximately 50 plots distributed across this region requiring helicopter, skiff, or road access depending on location.