Garmin Upgrade for MSP Bell Helicopter

The Michigan State Police Special Operations Division issued an Invitation to Bid on October 19, 2018, for ADS-B compliance upgrades to its Bell Helicopter 206L-3 (aircraft N111SP, serial number 51325). The scope of work requires a qualified vendor to remove the existing Bendix/King KLN-76C transponder, purchase and install a new Garmin GTX335 Mode S transponder, upgrade an existing Garmin GNS530 to a GNS530W, and provide wiring diagrams for the new installation. All work must be completed by a FAA-certified repair station, with the bidder's location required to be within 150 miles of MSP Aviation at 2615 Port Lansing Road in Lansing, Michigan. Key deadlines include October 26, 2018, at 9:00 AM EST for bidder questions, November 2, 2018, for posted answers to questions, and November 9, 2018, at 9:00 AM EST for final proposal submission. The anticipated purchase order begin date is November 19, 2018, with delivery required by January 7, 2019. Evaluation criteria include the best combination of deliverables, specifications, delivery timeframes, and price. Bidders must be FAA-certified repair stations, maintain commercial general liability insurance with minimum limits of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 general aggregate, carry automobile liability and workers' compensation insurance, and provide a 90-day bid validity period.

Bidders must comply with several Michigan-specific requirements, including qualified disabled veteran status certification, Michigan business tax filing compliance, restrictions on Iran-linked businesses, and clean corporate citizen status. The procurement contains no subcontracting allowances; all work must be performed by the selected vendor. Pricing must be submitted on an F.O.B. Destination basis with all transportation and handling charges prepaid by the contractor, and standard manufacturer warranty applies to all equipment. The state reserves the right to verify all bidder information and may request samples or inspect items before making a recommendation for award. No incumbent vendor information or existing contract details were disclosed in the solicitation. While no specific budget range was published, the contract encompasses equipment procurement, installation labor, and technical documentation delivery for a specialized aviation upgrade project with a compressed timeline.