Aircraft Maintenance

The Minnesota Department of Administration is soliciting proposals for aircraft maintenance services for airplanes, helicopters, and engines owned by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Department of Public Safety, and Department of Transportation under RFP Event 18760, with questions due today, October 27, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. CT, and responses due November 6, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. CT. The solicitation encourages participation from Minnesota-based small businesses and businesses owned by racial minorities, women, persons with substantial physical disabilities, veterans, or service-disabled veterans, and it awards up to 120 preference points to eligible targeted-group, economically disadvantaged, veteran-owned, and DEED/DHS providers under Minnesota Statutes. It is not a restrictive set-aside.

Scope covers scheduled and as-needed maintenance, repairs, troubleshooting, avionics support, electrical repair, emergency repairs, engine removal and replacement, and engine overhaul across eleven Minnesota locations: Aitkin, Bemidji, Blaine, Brainerd, Duluth, Eden Prairie, Faribault, Grand Rapids, Le Sueur, Mankato, and St. Paul. The State operates 29 aircraft, including Cessna 182s, Cirrus SR22s, Bell helicopters, Beechcraft King Airs, and Daher Kodiaks. Contractors must be FAA-certified repair stations or appropriately authorized and rated, with technicians holding valid FAA certifications and ratings. Warranty repairs by OEM-authorized centers and engine overhauls by OEM or authorized OEM stations are excluded. Required insurance includes $2 million in aviation general liability, $2 million in ground hangarkeeper's liability per aircraft, and $2 million in non-owned aircraft liability.

Pricing uses hourly labor rates for A&P and avionics technicians across weekday regular hours, weekday after-hours, weekend, and holiday periods, billed in tenths of hours with no flat-rate pricing. Responders may propose any combination of equipment, service types, and locations. Vendors may optionally propose a parts markup, and the contract prohibits markups on subcontracted labor and State-supplied parts. Prices remain firm for 180 days.

The contract is non-exclusive with no minimum or maximum usage guarantees, runs December 1, 2026, through November 30, 2028, and includes an option to extend up to 36 additional months. Evaluation proceeds in three phases. Phase 2 scores acceptance of State terms at 100 points and price at 900 points, with maintenance capability and customer service support as pass/fail criteria. Phase 3 selects finalists on best value, and the State may award to single or multiple responders. Award is anticipated by November 30, 2026. The solicitation content specifies SWIFT Supplier Portal submission, while the RFP notice states that responses are non-electronic and that email submissions will not be accepted.