Type I Helicopter Service

The Department of the Interior's Interior Business Center is soliciting Type I exclusive use helicopter flight services for the U.S. Wildland Fire Service, its customer, with offers due December 1, 2026. The set-aside is Total Small Business.

The requirement is a five-year IDIQ with performance from May 1, 2027 through April 30, 2032, covering one Type I heavy helicopter on exclusive use for 150 days annually (May 15 through October 11), with optional mutual extension periods. Pricing includes daily availability rates, with 150 days guaranteed and an estimated $70,000 in additional pay items, plus an estimated 250 flight hours annually. The aircraft is based in Boise, Idaho, and subject to dispatch throughout the contiguous United States and Alaska.

The contractor must hold an FAA Air Carrier Certificate and 14 CFR Parts 133, 135, and 137 certifications. The aircraft requires two turbine engines, 12 insured passenger seats, a non-jettisonable payload of 3,500 pounds, dual aft sliding doors, wheel landing gear, and a manufacture date of 1990 or newer. Crew requirements include a two-pilot crew, a mechanic support vehicle, a fuel servicing vehicle with a minimum 12-hour fuel capacity, and relief personnel for all positions. Pilots need at least 1,500 total helicopter hours, with 100 hours each in the weight class, in turbine helicopters, and in the same or like make and model. All contractor personnel must hold current passports due to potential Canadian transit for Alaska deployments.

The procurement is classified under NAICS 481211, Nonscheduled Chartered Passenger Air Transportation, and PSC V221, Passenger Air Charter.