Sources Sought - Alaskan Vendors for Type 3 Multiple Award Task Order Contract for Helicopter Support Services
Updated
Sources Sought from the Forest Service, for work in Alaska. Due Nov 16, 2026, 12:00 PM (UTC-9), 16 days left.
| Solicitation number | 1202SA-2026-IPAB-001 |
|---|---|
| Agency | Forest Service |
| Office | Incident Procurement Aviation Branch |
| Notice type | Sources Sought |
| Set-aside | None |
| Trade (NAICS) | Nonscheduled Chartered Passenger Air Transportation (481211) |
| Product or service code | F003 |
| Place of performance | Alaska |
| Posted | Oct 30, 2026 |
| Response deadline | Nov 16, 2026, 12:00 PM (UTC-9) (16 days left) |
| Add the deadline to | Google Calendar · Apple / Outlook (.ics) |
Federal prevailing wage rates for this place: Alaska Davis-Bacon and SCA wage determinations.
Description
1. PURPOSE This is a Sources Sought Notice for market research only. It is NOT a solicitation, request for proposal, or request for quote, and it does not commit the Government to issue a solicitation or award a contract.
In accordance with FAR 15.201(e), responses are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. The Government will not pay for any information submitted or for costs incurred in responding. The US Forest Service Helicopter Program is seeking to identify Alaskan vendors that can provide helicopter services.
The Government will use responses to determine the possibility of issuing an on-ramp opportunity for its current Multiple Award Task Order Contract (MATOC). 2. BACKGROUND Missions will include, but are not limited to, fire suppression, fire monitoring, initial attack, prescribed fire and aerial ignition, short-haul, rappel, law enforcement limited to non-threatening surveillance, reconnaissance, and other administrative and related resource activities.
The Forest Service Helicopter Program contracts helicopter support in Alaska and the rest of the United States under two contract types: - Call-When-Needed (CWN): Aircraft and crews are available on an as-needed basis at pre-negotiated rates, with no guaranteed minimum usage. - Exclusive Use: Aircraft and crews are dedicated solely to the Government for a defined period, with guaranteed availability and fixed daily or availability rates plus flight-hour charges.
3. REQUESTED INFORMATION Company Information.
- Company name
- Company mailing address
- Company point of contact (name & title)
- Point of contact's telephone numbers and email address 4.
RESPONSE GUIDELINES Companies who wish to respond to this Sources Sought should send responses via email no later than Noon, Alaskan Standard Time, November 16, 2026 to [email protected]. Please use the following subject line when sending email: Sources Sought - Alaskan Vendors.
Contracting contact
- Jermain Compton · [email protected]
As published on the official notice. Ask questions in writing and before any questions deadline the notice sets.
Is your business small enough?
For NAICS 481211, a business counts as small if it has no more than 1,500 employees (SBA size standard). This notice is set aside, so only businesses under that size, or in the named program, can bid. SBA table, current as of Oct 15, 2026.
Companies that win this kind of work
Federal contractors paid for nonscheduled chartered passenger air transportation work, who also hold Forest Service contracts (last 12 months): possible competitors, or partners to team with.
- Bighorn Airways Inc $22.9 million in this trade
- Helicopter Express LLC $16.3 million in this trade
- Spur Aviation Services, LC $16.1 million in this trade
- Brainerd Helicopters, Inc $13.9 million in this trade
- Bode Aviation, Inc. $13.4 million in this trade
About the buyer
The USDA Forest Service awarded $4.3 billion in contracts in the last 12 months; its biggest suppliers were Kiewit Infrastructure South Co, Perimeter Solutions LP and Aero-Flite, Inc.. See what Forest Service is buying now.
Nonscheduled Chartered Passenger Air Transportation contracts right now
There are 20 open government contract opportunities in this trade (NAICS 481211), 8 posted in the last 7 days; 85% are set aside for small businesses. The agencies buying the most are Departmental Offices, Department of the Army and Office of Procurement Operations. Most of the work with a stated place is in Alaska, North Carolina and District of Columbia. A notice in this trade gives a median of 31 days from posting to deadline; this one gives 17 days.
All open nonscheduled chartered passenger air transportation contracts
Coming up in this trade
Planned contracts from the agencies' procurement forecasts, often months before a solicitation. Plans can change.
Recent awards in this trade
- Defense Consulting Services LLC $4.2 million · Department of Veterans Affairs · Oct 27, 2026
From the award notices agencies publish.