RM Sutherland Const. & Mech LLC

RM Sutherland Const. & Mech LLC, a self-certified small disadvantaged business based in Nucla, Colorado, supplies heavy equipment, mechanical services, water handling resources, and personnel to the USDA Forest Service for wildland fire suppression and emergency response operations as a prime contractor exclusively (100% of recent awards). The company operates under total small business set-asides across the majority of its federal work and competes across multiple USDA Forest Service regional IDIQs and interagency blanket purchase agreements.

RM Sutherland's customer footprint is heavily concentrated in the USDA Forest Service Fire and Aviation Management National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), which accounts for 19 awards and $4.4 million in combined potential value—roughly 67% of the vendor's overall portfolio. The Forest Service Rocky Mountain Region (Region 2) places the second-largest volume, with 16 awards totaling $1.1 million. The Southwestern Region (Region 3), Bureau of Land Management Idaho Region, and agency-level USDA awards round out activity. The top two customers by award count and potential value align closely, indicating consistent ordering patterns rather than a divergence between volume and dollar concentration.

RM Sutherland holds positions on ten active indefinite delivery contracts awarded by NIFC, all carrying total small business set-asides and firm fixed price terms with ceilings ranging from $250 thousand to $500 thousand per vehicle. The largest parent vehicle by task-order count and dollars is IDC 1282X920T7039 (6 task orders, $1 million combined potential value), followed by BPA AG82X9B177040 (5 task orders, $159 thousand). These vehicles procure mechanic services with service trucks, heavy equipment (dozers, excavators, tractor plows), water handling equipment and personnel, and potable/gray water trailers mounted for rapid deployment to East Zone regions (1, 2, 4, and 9). Vehicles extend through 2030 and support the Forest Service's strategy of pre-positioning small business contractors for on-call incident response. Interagency use extends to the Department of Interior, National Park Service, and Bureau of Indian Affairs under optional provisions.

Representative work includes a $686 thousand delivery order awarded by the Forest Service Southwestern Region in August 2022 for construction and mechanical services performed in Santa Fe, New Mexico; a $71 thousand delivery order from the Rocky Mountain Region in October 2025 for equipment and support in Laramie, Wyoming; and recent 2026 delivery orders from Rocky Mountain and Intermountain regions (valued at $27 thousand, $33 thousand, and $25 thousand) for construction, mechanical, and vehicle services supporting fire suppression. Award scope spans dozers, excavators, trucks, trailers, service vehicles, tender water support, and certified technician labor accommodating up to 16-hour daily shifts during fire seasons and all-hazard incidents. RM Sutherland also holds a $46 thousand and $53 thousand purchase order from the Forest Service Idaho Region awarded in June 2025 for Type 1 tender water support and Type 3 dozers.

Activity has accelerated in the past two years: 2 awards in 2021 to 8 awards in 2026 (through August). The vendor has obligated $1.8 million against $6.5 million in combined potential value across its prime award portfolio (28% obligation rate), reflecting the on-call, task-order-driven structure of NIFC contracts. Work is performed across CONUS Forest Service regions and dispatch centers aligned with the vendor's resource locations, with administrative oversight at the National Interagency Fire Center and subordinate regional offices. RM Sutherland does not subcontract; it operates exclusively as a prime contractor supplying its own equipment, personnel, and field services. The company's capability portfolio centers on construction equipment operation, mobile mechanical repair, water handling logistics, and logistics coordination for wildland fire incident support, with no recorded defense or civilian agency exposure outside the Forest Service ecosystem.