Leading Edge Aviation, Inc.

Leading Edge Aviation, Inc., a self-certified small disadvantaged business based in Bend, Oregon, provides Type III helicopter services for wildland fire suppression, aerial prescribed burns, short-haul operations, rappel support, search and rescue, and equipment transport to federal natural resource agencies as a prime contractor (100% of recent awards). The company operates helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft from multiple bases including Bend, Alexandria, Louisiana, and Missoula, Montana, performing missions across the continental United States.

Leading Edge's customer base is concentrated in natural resource management. The top five funding organizations account for 97% of combined potential value, anchored by the Department of the Interior (Interior Business Center, $62 million across four awards) and the Department of Agriculture Forest Service Fire and Aviation Management National Interagency Fire Center (60 awards, $53.8 million combined potential value). The Department of the Interior Office of Policy Management and Budget holds two awards valued at $40.1 million combined. By award count, the distribution is steeper: NIFC dominates with 60 awards, followed by the Department of Agriculture Forest Service R6-Pacific Northwest Region (16 awards, $484 thousand), and the Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Idaho Region (9 awards, $11.9 million). The vendor also holds a $285,000 total small business set-aside purchase order with the Air Force Materiel Command Test Center at Eglin Air Force Base for aerial prescribed fire services through 2024.

Leading Edge holds multiple indefinite delivery vehicles anchoring its federal footprint. The Type 3 Helicopter Support Services 2023–2032 IDIQ with the National Interagency Fire Center carries a $30 million ceiling and has generated nine task orders valued at $7.1 million combined. The Department of the Interior awarded a $49.5 million multiple-award indefinite delivery contract for on-call Type III helicopter flight services through April 30, 2027 under a total small business set-aside. Recent representative delivery orders include a $3.25 million firm fixed-price order for HSS MATOC Type 3 Alexandria and Hungry Horse operations awarded January 1, 2024 (performance through December 31, 2028), a $3.15 million order for HSS MATOC Type 3 Chattanooga and Missoula operations awarded the same date (performance through December 31, 2028), and a $147,391 delivery order issued September 1, 2026 for Type III helicopter support services through September 15, 2026. The vendor also placed work under legacy single-award indefinite delivery contracts valued at $1 million and $3.5 million, respectively.

Activity declined sharply after 2023. Awards per year fell from 20 in 2023 to 5 in 2024, 2 in 2025, and 3 in 2026. The combined potential value across the 116 prime awards totals $175 million, with only $19.2 million obligated (11% of combined potential value), reflecting the predominantly firm fixed-price, call-when-needed structure of delivery orders under the IDIQ vehicles. Four awards with ultimate completion dates in the next twenty-four months carry only $54 thousand in combined potential value, signaling minimal recompete exposure near term but substantial opportunity on the two largest vehicle renewals (Interior's $49.5 million contract and the $30 million NIFC Type 3 contract).

Service Contract Inventory reporting shows minimal SCI-reportable activity: $1.1 million invoiced in FY2022 across 2.5 FTEs delivered, with zero invoiced revenue reported in FY2023–FY2025 on the records present. The FY2022 data reflected median government-paid rates around $221.71 per hour, with rates ranging from $191.88 to $251.53 per hour across the recorded base. Across SCI-reportable prime contracts, the vendor performed 100% of hours with no named subcontractors, indicating direct delivery of helicopter operations and crew services. SCI coverage is partial: the dataset excludes goods, micro-purchases, and non-federal work, and Leading Edge's primary revenue model—delivery orders under indefinite delivery contracts for aircraft and flight operations—may not consistently cross the $150,000 reporting threshold or may be classified differently in federal systems.

Leading Edge competes full-and-open on its federal vehicle positions; no set-aside designations appear on the vast majority of delivery orders, though the vendor self-certifies as small disadvantaged and holds two set-aside vehicle positions (the $49.5 million Interior multiple-award contract under total small business set-aside and a legacy $1 million single-award contract under total small business set-aside). NAICS concentration reflects the core mission: Nonscheduled Chartered Freight Air Transportation (41 awards), Nonscheduled Chartered Passenger Air Transportation (37 awards), and Other Support Activities for Air Transportation (20 awards) account for the bulk of categorization. PSC coding emphasizes Natural Resources and Conservation work (36 awards in the "Other" category, 14 in Forest-Range Fire Suppression/Presuppression), with Transportation/Travel/Relocation passenger air charter accounting for 27 awards.

Aviation Services