Timberline Helicopters Inc.

Timberline Helicopters Inc., a woman-owned small disadvantaged business (WSDB) headquartered in Sandpoint, Idaho, provides Type 1 helicopter support services for wildland firefighting and aerial reconnaissance to federal agencies as a prime contractor on delivery orders. The company is a self-certified WSDB, Subchapter S corporation with a named subsidiary, Timberline Aerospace LLC, also carrying WSDB and woman-owned certifications. Timberline competes in the full-and-open market without set-aside protection, despite its qualification as a small disadvantaged business.

Timberline's federal footprint is almost entirely concentrated in wildland fire suppression and land management aviation. The company operates Type 1 helicopter fleets to deliver water and retardant drops, transport firefighters and equipment, conduct aerial reconnaissance, and perform fire management operations across federal lands. Recent representative work includes a $2.347 million delivery order from the Department of Agriculture Forest Service for helicopter flight services supporting DOI wildland fire suppression (July 2026, under the Type 1 Helicopter Support Services 2025-2034 IDIQ), and multiple delivery orders from the National Interagency Fire Center ranging from approximately $92 thousand to $753 thousand for seasonal aerial firefighting campaigns (August–September 2025). The company operates from Sandpoint, Idaho and has performed work at multiple geographic locations including Grand Junction, Colorado and Moab, Utah.

Customer concentration is extreme and single-threaded. The National Interagency Fire Center accounts for 113 of 119 awards and $157.5 million of $161.5 million combined potential value (99% of the portfolio). The Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Idaho Region and the Department of the Interior Departmental Offices hold two and one awards respectively, leaving Timberline with near-total dependency on NIFC. Timberline holds two parent indefinite delivery contracts: the Type 1 Helicopter Support Services 2025-2034 IDIQ ($50 million multiple award, running through December 31, 2034) and a Basic Ordering Agreement (12024B20G5063) valued at $27.7 million across 76 task orders. The Type 1 IDIQ has generated 33 delivery orders worth $17.2 million. All awards are firm fixed-price with no set-aside designation, despite the vendor's WSDB status.

Activity has averaged 18 awards per year over the past five years (2022–2026), with 24 awards in 2022, 22 in 2023, 30 in 2024, 23 in 2025, and 12 year-to-date in 2026. Combined potential value stands at $161.5 million with $82.5 million obligated (51% realization). The recompete exposure window is minimal: only one award ($2.3 million) faces completion within the next twenty-four months. Timberline operates almost exclusively as a prime (118 of 119 awards, 99%) and subcontracts minimally — the portfolio shows a single sub-award to Amentum Services, Inc. for aircraft maintenance and logistics support (May 2026). SCI-reported invoiced revenue totaled $820 thousand across FY2025 with 0.4 FTEs reported, reflecting the contract's capital-intensity (aircraft and pilot hours) relative to W-2 staffing in the SCI reporting scope.

Timberline Helicopters' competitive position rests on aircraft availability, geographic location in the Pacific Northwest, and established task-order velocity with NIFC during peak Western wildfire seasons (April through October). The vendor faces no meaningful recompete risk in the near term, holds stable access to both parent vehicles, and operates in a specialized niche with limited direct competition. Customer concentration and seasonal call-when-needed ordering create revenue volatility but stable year-round engagement.