Solicitation
Amphibious Water Scooper Aircraft Services
Department of Agriculture · Forest Service
More open Forest Service contracts
AI summaryThe U.S. Forest Service wants contractor-owned, crewed and maintained amphibious (scooping) fixed-wing aircraft to fight wildland fires, mainly initial attack, dispatched anywhere in the country. It plans several fixed-price IDIQ contracts, each with a 1-year base period starting in 2027 plus nine 1-year options. This is a total small business set-aside, but the aircraft, tank approval, maintenance and pilot rules are very demanding. More in the summary
AI summary Beta
Summary of the version posted Sep 22, 2026. The notice was amended Nov 5, 2026. The due date moved from Oct 29, 2026 to Nov 11, 2026. Check what else changed on SAM.gov. The notice looks incomplete: About 76,900 characters in the middle of the solicitation were not provided, covering the rest of Section C (personnel, tracking and later paragraphs) and Sections D through H and part of I (inspection, delivery, administration and special requirements). Check the attachments on SAM.gov.
The U.S. Forest Service wants contractor-owned, crewed and maintained amphibious (scooping) fixed-wing aircraft to fight wildland fires, mainly initial attack, dispatched anywhere in the country. It plans several fixed-price IDIQ contracts, each with a 1-year base period starting in 2027 plus nine 1-year options. This is a total small business set-aside, but the aircraft, tank approval, maintenance and pilot rules are very demanding.
Who can bid (9)
- Small business set-aside (total). NAICS 481212 with a 1,500-employee size standard.
- Hold a current FAA 14 CFR Part 137 (Agricultural Aircraft Operations) certificate
- Hold a 14 CFR Part 145 Repair Station Certificate with an airframe rating covering the offered aircraft
Show all 9Show fewer
- Already have at least one aircraft of the same make and model as the one offered on your operating certificate when you submit the proposal
- Offered aircraft must have full or interim IAB approval as a multi-engine water scooper
- Aircraft must be multi-engine turbine powered with at least 1,400 U.S. gallons of tank capacity
- One full-time FAA-certificated mechanic (crew chief) per aircraft, on duty whenever the aircraft is available
- Pilots need roughly 1,500 total hours and 1,200 pilot-in-command hours plus fire-specific training and checks (initial attack pilots carry extra qualifications)
- Aircraft public liability insurance under 14 CFR 298, naming the United States as an insured; proof required before work starts
How to submit: Electronically through the IIPA application (Forest Service Appian vendor portal); needs an active Login.gov account, due Oct 29, 2026, 4:30 AM (as listed in the SAM fields; no time zone given). What to include is under Full summary below. Check the solicitation's instructions on SAM.gov.
Things to watch (9)
- Serious: Specialized aircraft and tank approval needed up front. Only firms that already operate or can field an IAB-approved amphibious scooper, with FAA Part 137 and Part 145 credentials, can compete, which rules out most small businesses without existing fire aircraft.
- Serious: No guaranteed flight hours. You carry aircraft, crew and mechanic costs, but the Government guarantees only a $10,000 minimum in the base year, so income depends on fire activity.
- Serious: Termination for default if aircraft is not ready. Awarded aircraft that are not ready when a mandatory availability period starts can be terminated for default, so aircraft must be ready in 2027.
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- Serious: Structural integrity program is a make-or-break item. Failing to keep up the required structural integrity and maintenance program can end the contract, and the proposal needs OEM engineering support or an FAA-approved alternative.
- Worth checking: Conflicting performance numbers in the solicitation. The evaluation section asks for a 300-knot cruise speed and 9 pounds per gallon, while the specifications ask for 180 knots and 8.34 pounds per gallon, which looks like language copied from an airtanker contract and should be clarified with the contracting officer.
- Worth checking: Payload evaluation method not yet written. A part of the aircraft evaluation is still pending, so scoring rules may change by amendment.
- Worth checking: Heavy pilot and mechanic qualification rules. Minimum flight hours, annual simulator training, agency pilot inspections, and mechanic training and certificate rules add cost and lead time, and pilots must be fire-carded.
- Minor: Fuel cash-flow risk. You must have a backup way to pay for fuel when the Government card is not accepted and wait for reimbursement.
- Minor: Contract minimums do not match. Section B states a $10,000 guaranteed minimum while Section I.7 states $25,000 in minimum orders per contract, so the real guarantee is unclear.
Read from the notice and 1 attachment. Show which files.
- Solicitation - 1202SA26R9100.pdf (read)
Full summary
What they want
- Provide contractor-operated, contractor-maintained turbine, multi-engine amphibious water scooper aircraft with full or interim Interagency Airtanker Board (IAB) approval
- Aircraft must carry at least 1,400 deliverable gallons of water, cruise at 180+ knots, and be IFR certified
- Keep aircraft and crew on standby 7 days a week (9 hours minimum, up to 14) and be airborne within 15 minutes of an order
- Provide qualified, fire-carded pilots plus one full-time mechanic (crew chief) per aircraft
- Meet FAA Part 137 and Part 145 repair station rules, a structural integrity program, and required avionics (flight following and telemetry units)
- Prepare lake plans on a vendor-provided tablet to prevent spread of invasive aquatic species
- Pay for fuel on a second card when the Government DLA fuel card is not accepted (Government reimburses fuel for revenue flights)
- Have offered aircraft ready to perform starting in calendar year 2027
- Contract type
- Multiple-award firm-fixed-price IDIQ (task orders for exclusive-use and call-when-needed service)
- Period of performance
- 1 base year (2027) + 9 one-year options (2028 to 2036); total not to exceed 10 years
- Place of performance
- Not stated in the SAM fields. Aircraft are dispatched to wildland fires nationwide; offeror lists its own operating bases. Exhibit list includes an Alaska, Caribbean, Canada and Mexico supplement.
- Estimated value
- No estimate stated. Combined ceiling for all awards and orders is $2,500,000,000; minimum orders of $25,000 per contract (Section I.7); guaranteed minimum of $10,000 per contract, base period only (Section B).
- Contract vehicle
- New multiple-award IDIQ (MATOC) created by this solicitation; no existing schedule or vehicle is required
- How they'll choose
- Technically acceptable with a price reasonableness check (no best-value tradeoff). Award goes to offerors whose proposals are technically acceptable and whose prices are reasonable; multiple awards are planned.
- Offers due
- Oct 29, 2026, 4:30 AM (as listed in the SAM fields; no time zone given) (from the version posted Sep 22, 2026; amended since)
- How to submit
- Electronically through the IIPA application (Forest Service Appian vendor portal); needs an active Login.gov account
What they'll judge offers on
- Structural Integrity and Maintenance
- Equipment (aircraft performance, tank system, records)
- Safety Elements (company safety record, SMS program, flight hours and accident summary)
- Past Performance (neutral rating if none)
- Organizational Experience (pilots, firm, non-pilot personnel; wildland fire experience preferred)
- Price (daily availability rate and hourly flight rate reviewed for reasonableness)
What to include when you submit
- Submit 1 signed offer (Sections A through K), 1 technical proposal (Part I) and 1 business/price proposal (Part II); keep the technical and price parts separate, with no cost data in the technical part
- Technical proposal must address Structural Integrity/Maintenance/Equipment, Safety Elements, Past Performance and Organizational Experience, in that order
- Fill out Section B-1 Schedule of Items (daily availability and hourly dry flight rates for the base year and each option year) and B-2 Offered Aircraft for each aircraft
- State the maximum number of aircraft you can provide and list the amphibious scooper bases you can operate from
- Include maintenance records, weight and balance, tank FAA approvals, Exhibit 23 aircraft charts, Exhibit 13 Safety Management System questionnaire and five-year flight hours and accident summary
- Include a list of qualified mechanics, crew qualification records (Exhibit 30), and a signed strategic risk assessment for extra personnel onboard
- Offerors with no scooper contract history must give related aviation references with phone numbers
- Proposal changes after first submission must use replacement pages with changes marked by vertical lines and dated
Not in the notice text
- About 76,900 characters in the middle of the solicitation were not provided, covering the rest of Section C (personnel, tracking and later paragraphs) and Sections D through H and part of I (inspection, delivery, administration and special requirements).
- The Section J exhibits (aircraft equipment list, Structural Integrity Program, scooper requirements, weight and balance forms, safety questionnaire, task order competition procedures) are listed but their text was not provided.
- How task orders are competed and priced (Exhibits 28 and 29) and the dates of mandatory availability periods are not given.
- Final payload performance evaluation method is marked pending.
- No page limit for the proposal is stated.
- The place of performance field in the SAM data is blank, and the response deadline has no time zone.
- No estimate of expected flight hours or order volume is given.
- Site visit and pre-use inspection details are not in the text provided (a site visit clause is only listed by reference).
Eligibility and how to respond
- Set aside for small businesses: only a business that counts as small under this notice's NAICS code can bid as the prime contractor. More open small business set-asides under NAICS 481212
- How to submit, from the AI summary: Electronically through the IIPA application (Forest Service Appian vendor portal); needs an active Login.gov account. Check it in the notice before you send anything.
- Service contracts usually set minimum pay rates (the Service Contract Act). Price the labor with the SCA price calculator.
Notice details
- Posted
- Nov 5, 2026
- Notice type
- Solicitation
- Office
- Incident Procurement Aviation Branch, Boise, ID
- Product/service code
- F003 · Natural Resources/Conservation – Forest – Range Fire Suppression/Presuppression
- Business type
- Transportation, logistics & vehicles (FedReady's grouping, from NAICS 481212)
- Versions
7 versions have been posted, newest first.
- Nov 5, 2026 · Amendment 0006 (this version)Due Nov 11, 2026 (changed)
- Nov 4, 2026 · Amendment 0005Due Nov 14, 2026 (changed)
- Nov 2, 2026 · Amendment 0004Due Nov 4, 2026
- Oct 29, 2026 · Amendment 0003Due Nov 4, 2026
- Oct 29, 2026 · Amendment 0002Due Nov 4, 2026 (changed)
- Sep 22, 2026 · Amendment 0001Due Oct 29, 2026
- Sep 22, 2026 · SolicitationDue Oct 29, 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
- Set-aside contracts explained
Terms on this notice: Solicitation, Set-aside
Full notice text from SAM.gov
The intent of this acquisition and the resultant contract(s) are to obtain Contractor operated and maintained Turbine powered, Multi-engine, Amphibious, Fixed-Wing, Water Scooping Aircraft services. The aircraft shall have full or interim Interagency Airtanker Board (IAB) approval as a multi-engine water scooper. The primary use of water scooping aircraft under this contract will be for initial attack (IA) and extended attack of wildland fires.
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