Police Helicopter Maintenance

The City of Philadelphia Procurement Department is soliciting sealed quotes under Bid B2728237 for police helicopter maintenance serving various City agencies, with quotes due by 10:30 a.m. on November 4, 2026, the same day as the bid opening, which Amendment 1 moved to a virtual Zoom session. A 10% Local Business Entity preference applies to quotes of $1 million or less, but sellers must already be certified as LBEs at bid opening to receive it, and must certify that they or LBE-certified subcontractors will perform at least 51% of contract work within Philadelphia's geographic limits.

The work covers inspections, scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, liaison coordination for specialty systems repairs, and computer tracking of required inspections and time-limited parts for the Philadelphia Police Department's two AS350B2 helicopters, projected at 1,200 flight hours annually. Work is performed at the Police Department's hangar at Northeast Philadelphia Airport (PNE). Qualified sellers must hold FAA certification as an Airbus Helicopters authorized repair station, maintain current Safran Arriel 1D1 and AS350B2 manuals, and submit technician qualification documentation with bids or face disqualification. Each technician must have completed Airbus Factory School AS350 training, hold current FAA certification, and have at least two years of field experience on the aircraft. The Seller Qualification Attachment requires a service facility within a thirty-minute drive of PNE, while the Invitation and Bid summary sets a maximum 10-mile driving distance. Required response times are 72 hours for scheduled maintenance, 12 hours for aircraft-on-ground at the hangar, 2 hours for aircraft-on-ground at unsecured locations, and 24 hours for other unscheduled maintenance. Missed response times trigger liquidated damages of $50.00 per hour per day.

The estimated expenditure is $480,000 for the contract period. The initial term runs January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2027, with up to two one-year renewals at the City's sole discretion and potential three-month extensions as needed. Insurance minimums include $10 million per occurrence general liability, $2 million per occurrence workers' compensation, and $5 million hangarkeeper's legal liability per aircraft. Sellers must pay a non-refundable $100 Annual Bid Security Program enrollment fee, a $25 bid processing fee per quote, and a $25 performance security fee, and must submit an executed Consent and Authorization Agreement before bid closing. Quotes must remain valid for at least 60 days, and pricing must be FOB Destination.