Solicitation
Leadplane
Department of the Interior
AI summaryThe Department of the Interior (Interior Business Center, for the U.S. Wildland Fire Service) wants to lease five Beechcraft King Air B200 lead planes, with Government pilots, based at Boise International Airport, Idaho (solicitation 140D0426R0080). A lead plane is an aircraft that directs air tankers over wildfires. Each plane is on exclusive use for 240 days a year, with a performance period of February 1, 2027 to January 31, 2032. The response due date is November 9, 2026, 5:00 PM Eastern. More in the summary
AI summary Beta
Summary of the version posted Oct 22, 2026. The notice was amended Oct 27, 2026. Check what else changed on SAM.gov. This summary may miss requirements: 1 of 5 attachments weren't read (B26_SQA_Q_A_RFQ_140D0426R0080_(Lead_Plane)_0002.xlsx). Check the attachments on SAM.gov.
The Department of the Interior (Interior Business Center, for the U.S. Wildland Fire Service) wants to lease five Beechcraft King Air B200 lead planes, with Government pilots, based at Boise International Airport, Idaho (solicitation 140D0426R0080). A lead plane is an aircraft that directs air tankers over wildfires. Each plane is on exclusive use for 240 days a year, with a performance period of February 1, 2027 to January 31, 2032. The response due date is November 9, 2026, 5:00 PM Eastern.
Who can bid (5)
- Five Beechcraft King Air B200 aircraft, model years 1984-2013, serial numbers BB-1192 through BB-2019
- Aircraft that never had a cargo door or winglets
- A Standard Airworthiness Certificate for each aircraft
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- Aircraft cleared for instrument and visual flight rules, day and night, and known ice
- Minimum airspeed of 215 KTAS (knots true airspeed) at 15,000 feet, with a payload of 600 pounds and 4 hours of fuel plus a 30-minute reserve
Things to watch (5)
- Serious: Five specific brand-name aircraft are required. A bidder needs five King Air B200s from a narrow model-year and serial-number range, a fleet few small businesses own or can lease. The justification says one small business holds all five.
- Worth checking: One contract or several; fewer than five aircraft may still be considered. Amendment 0002 says the Government may award one contract for all five aircraft or several contracts. The justification says it may split the award if a vendor has fewer than five.
- Worth checking: Contractor maintains the aircraft for five wildfire seasons. The Government provides the pilots, but the contractor must keep every aircraft airworthy and available. Maintenance, mechanic and unavailability terms are in sections that were not read.
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- Minor: Exclusive-use end date differs between documents. Amendment 0002 ends each aircraft's exclusive-use period on September 28 (240 days). Amendment 0001 and the justification say September 27. Ask the contracting officer which date governs.
- Minor: Amendment 0002 changes are not visible. Amendment 0002 says its changes are shown in red and answers are in an attached spreadsheet. Check the amendment and the question-and-answer file on SAM.gov before pricing.
Read from the notice and 4 attachments. 1 of 5 not read. Show which files.
- Sol_140D0426R0080_Amd_0002.pdf (read)
- Sol_140D0426R0080_Amd_0001.pdf (read)
- Sol_140D0426R0080.pdf (read)
- A16_JOFOC_Leadplane_Signed_0002.pdf (read)
- B26_SQA_Q_A_RFQ_140D0426R0080_(Lead_Plane)_0002.xlsx: not read (the AI doesn't read this file type yet): open it on SAM.gov
Full summary
What they want
- Provide five Beechcraft King Air B200 aircraft (1984-2013 model years, serial numbers BB-1192 through BB-2019), each on exclusive use from February 1 through September 28 (240 days) every year
- Base the aircraft at Boise International Airport (KBOI), Boise, Idaho; the Government provides the flight crew
- Maintain the aircraft: the table of contents lists airworthiness directives (mandatory FAA safety orders), manufacturer service bulletins, records, test flights, and weight and balance
- Equip the aircraft to the avionics and equipment specifications in Section B and its exhibits (these sections were not read)
- Keep aircraft available on the schedule and reaction time in the contract; the table of contents lists damages for unavailability
- Possible day-by-day extension of the exclusive-use period in a busy fire season, if the Government and the contractor agree
- Other duties listed in the table of contents: aircraft use reports, electronic invoicing through the Invoice Processing Platform (IPP), a prework meeting, and mobilization and demobilization
- Contract type
- Indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract: the Government places task orders as needs arise. Pay is a daily availability rate plus a dry-hour flight rate for actual flight time.
- Period of performance
- February 1, 2027 to January 31, 2032 (five-year ordering period), with FAR 52.217-8, Option to Extend Services, for up to six more months
- Place of performance
- Designated base: Boise International Airport (KBOI), Boise, ID
- Estimated value
- $36,900,000 is the Government's estimate in the justification for other than full and open competition. It covers the brand-name requirement and includes the possible six-month extension.
- How they'll choose
- Tradeoff analysis (the table of contents lists "D6 Tradeoff Analysis and Contractor Selection"); the factors are in a part of the solicitation that was not read
- Offers due
- November 9, 2026, 5:00 PM Eastern (from the version posted Oct 22, 2026; amended since)
What to include when you submit
- Acknowledge receipt of each amendment (0001 and 0002) before the response due date: complete items 8 and 15 of the amendment form and return copies, note it on your offer, or send a separate letter or email that cites the solicitation and amendment numbers.
- The offeror completes blocks 12, 17, 23, 24 and 30 of Standard Form 1449 (SF 1449, the form you sign and return as your offer).
- The table of contents lists offeror exhibits to fill in: E-1 miscellaneous information, E-2 aircraft questionnaire, E-3 aircraft information form and E-4 past performance questionnaire.
- Amendment 0001 removed the requirement to send FAA Part 135 certificates and operations specifications with the proposal.
Current contractor
No incumbent is named; the justification calls this a follow-on lease. The sources sought notice issued July 14, 2026 drew three responses: two large businesses (Greenwood Group and Yingling) and one small business (J. Mack Enterprises, which the justification says holds all five required aircraft). The Government intends one single-award IDIQ.
Not in the notice text
- Large parts were left out: about 210,000 characters from the middle of the solicitation and each amendment (including the price schedule, Section B specifications, contract clauses, and the Section D proposal instructions and evaluation factors). The question-and-answer spreadsheet B26_SQA_Q_A_RFQ_140D0426R0080_(Lead_Plane)_0002.xlsx is attached but not read.
- How to submit offers, page limits, the evaluation factors and their order, and any site visit or question deadline.
- The daily availability and flight-hour prices, the economic price adjustment terms, and the damages for unavailability.
- Aircraft insurance amounts and mechanic qualifications (listed in the table of contents, not read).
- Set-aside: SAM.gov does not state one, and the SF 1449 set-aside boxes could not be read; check the form on SAM.gov.
- Exactly what Amendment 0002 changed beyond the exclusive-use end date; its changes are marked in red in the PDF.
Eligibility and how to respond
- No set-aside: any business, large or small, can bid unless the notice says otherwise.
- How and where to submit is in the notice text and its attachments on SAM.gov.
- Service contracts usually set minimum pay rates (the Service Contract Act). Price the labor with the SCA price calculator.
Notice details
- Posted
- Oct 27, 2026
- Notice type
- Solicitation
- Office
- Ibc Acq SVCS Directorate (00004), Herndon, VA
- Product/service code
- W015 · Lease or Rental of Equipment – Aircraft and Airframe Structural Components
- Business type
- Real estate, rentals & leasing (FedReady's grouping, from NAICS 532411)
- Versions
4 versions have been posted, newest first.
- Oct 27, 2026 · Amendment 0003 (this version)Due Nov 9, 2026
- Oct 22, 2026 · Amendment 0002Due Nov 9, 2026
- Oct 7, 2026 · Amendment 0001Due Nov 9, 2026
- Oct 5, 2026 · SolicitationDue Nov 9, 2026
- Attachments
Past awards and competition
Who has won work like this before, the likely incumbent, and what similar contracts paid, from USAspending.gov.
Before you respond
- How to respond to a solicitation (8 steps)
- How to read a government solicitation
- How to price a government contract
Terms on this notice: Solicitation
Full notice text from SAM.gov
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