Johnsen Commercial Services

Johnsen Commercial Services, operating as 3J Water Delivery, is a woman-owned small business based in Nevada City, California, that provides water handling equipment, mobile chainsaw repair, chipper operations, and vehicle-with-driver services to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service as a prime contractor under total small business set-asides. The vendor holds ten indefinite delivery contracts (IDCs) and has placed fourteen prime awards across the National Interagency Fire Center and regional Forest Service offices, with all work concentrated in fire suppression, all-hazard incident response, and prescribed project work across western U.S. forest regions.

3J Water Delivery operates exclusively as a prime contractor (100% of recent awards), holding SBA-certified women-owned small business status and competing solely under total small business set-asides. All fourteen awards in the source footprint are with the Department of Agriculture Forest Service, split between the National Interagency Fire Center (ten awards, $3.3 million combined potential value) and regional Forest Service offices (four awards, $47 thousand combined potential value). The vendor's service portfolio aligns tightly with the Forest Service's Virtual Incident Procurement (VIPR) system, which awards multiple Incident Blanket Purchase Agreements to small businesses for rapid resource mobilization during fire seasons.

3J Water Delivery's contract position centers on six IDCs established between June 2022 and August 2026, each with ceilings of $250,000 to $500,000 and firm-fixed-price structures. Representative IDCs include a $500,000 water-handling contract for Region 5 (Pacific Southwest Region) awarded February 6, 2026, running through June 4, 2030; a $500,000 mobile chainsaw repair contract for Regions 5 and 6 awarded February 6, 2026, running through April 24, 2029; a $250,000 vehicle-with-driver IDC for Regions 5 and 6 awarded August 18, 2026, running through August 18, 2031; and a $250,000 chipper-services contract for Regions 5 and 6 awarded May 28, 2024, running through May 28, 2029. Task orders placed under these IDCs remain modest in individual value; recent delivery orders include a $14,613 water-services call issued August 12, 2026, and three delivery orders in the $12,000 to $13,900 range issued in September 2024. Combined obligated dollars across all awards total $47 thousand, representing 1% of the $3.3 million combined potential value, indicating early stages of IDIQ drawdown and significant unrealized contract capacity.

Activity has accelerated in the past two years — one award in 2022 and 2023 respectively, five in 2024, one in 2025, and six in 2026 — reflecting expanded VIPR vehicle positioning. Place of performance spans Forest Service Regions 3, 5, 6, and 10 across the western United States, with administrative oversight through the National Interagency Fire Center. The vendor provides trained and certified personnel, equipment, transportation, and lodging across 16-hour daily shift operations, meeting federal emergency response specifications for equipment types including Type 1, 2, and 3 water tenders and Type 3 and 6 fire engines. The VIPR system allows for annual on-ramping of additional contractors, creating inherent recompete risk as the Forest Service evaluates contractor performance and resource needs on an ongoing basis.