RFQ Selway Wilderness Suspension Trail Bridge Reconstruction Project, Bitterroot NF, USDA Forest Service

The USDA Forest Service, Intermountain Region (Bitterroot National Forest) is soliciting sealed bids for trail bridge maintenance and reconstruction on the Selway Suspension Bridge within the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, Montana, under RFQ 1240LU26Q0095, with bids due September 21, 2026. This is a Total Small Business Set-Aside under NAICS code 237310 (Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction); only small businesses qualify.

The scope encompasses furnishing, transporting, removing, installing, and disposing of treated timber floor beams, stringers, deck, curb, railing, and running plank materials and hardware on this remote suspension bridge, along with minor maintenance such as reclaiming staging and processing areas. The site is accessible only by air or pack transportation from Running Creek Ranch airstrip. The contractor must provide all labor, materials, and equipment. The performance period is June 1, 2027 to July 31, 2027, with work completion required within 60 calendar days of the notice to proceed.

Offerors must submit a firm fixed price and provide documentation of recent and relevant experience and past performance, including detailed information on five relevant contracts completed within the preceding five years. A bid bond guarantee equal to 20 percent of the quoted price is required. Performance and payment bonds, construction wage rates compliance, and Buy American provisions apply. Award will be made on best value to the Government, evaluated on experience relevancy and confidence assessment, past performance quality and timeliness, and price fairness and reasonableness. Questions are due September 14, 2026. The contractor must begin performance within 10 calendar days of award notice. The contracting officer is Wesley R. Dudley, wesley.dudley@usda.gov or 406-413-7005.