Faller for East Zone (Regions 1, 2, and 4)

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This solicitation seeks to establish multiple Indefinite Blanket Purchase Agreements (I-BPAs) for "Faller" services, including "Faller Module" and "Faller Single" categories. The services are intended for local, regional, and nationwide use for wildland fire suppression, all-hazard incidents, and prescribed fire project work, as well as Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) project work. The agreements will be used by the USDA Forest Service and may also be utilized by other State and Federal wildland fire agencies.

• Services required include timber falling for wildland fire incidents and related projects.

• Specific Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is mandated, including specific types of boots, hard hats, gloves, chaps, eye and hearing protection, headlamps, fire shelters, and flame-resistant clothing (shirts and pants).

• Chainsaws (two per faller) with specific power head and bar length requirements are necessary.

• All personnel must meet minimum training and experience requirements, including 3 years of commercial logging or wildfire faller experience, RT-130 Annual Fireline Refresher, and an Arduous Work Capacity Fitness Test.

• Personnel must be able to communicate proficiently in English.

• The solicitation will result in multiple I-BPAs.

• The estimated dollar limitation for any individual order is the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT).

• The estimated award date is June 2026, with annual review modifications for the VIPR agreement duration.

• The agreement period is for 2 years from the date of award.

• No orders or payments are guaranteed during the agreement period.

• Quotes must be submitted through the Virtual Incident Procurement (VIPR) Next Gen System.

• Evaluation factors include: Operational acceptability of equipment/resource, price reasonableness, and past performance dependability risk.

• A 5% advantage will be applied for each socioeconomic category checked (e.g., HUBZone, SDVOSB, 8(a)), up to a 10% cap.

• Offers must be held firm for 60 calendar days from the receipt date.

• The acquisition is set aside for small business concerns.

• Awards will be made to responsible quoters whose quotes are advantageous to the Government.

• Awards to a "U.S. Government Entity" business type are prohibited.

• Exhibit H contains Geographic Area Terms and Conditions.

• Exhibit K provides the Faller Resume template and requirements.

• The solicitation incorporates FAR clauses by reference, including those related to terms and conditions, disputes, and termination.

Amendment / Modification

• The Government is re-opening Solicitation 1202SB23Q7019 for an open season Onboarding period.

• Vendor quote responses are now due no later than 04/23/2026 at 16:00 MST.

• This amendment re-opens the original solicitation to conduct Onboarding in accordance with Exhibit H Special Contract Requirements.

• Onboarding is not a new procurement action but is conducted under the terms of the original solicitation.

• Award decisions during open season Onboarding will use the same evaluation factors and sub-factors as the original solicitation.

• Any new I BPA awards issued through Onboarding will be identical to the original awards, including terms, conditions, and period of performance.

• Significant changes to evaluation factors or contract terms are not anticipated.

• This amendment applies to a Multiple Award Incident Blanket Purchase Agreement (I BPA) issued as a 100% Small Business Set Aside.

• The open season Onboarding period will run concurrently with the USFS Contracting Officer's annual I BPA review (commonly referred to as the "Rollover" modification process).

• During this period, existing I BPA awardees may revise rates, modify resources, or add new resources.

• New Offerors who meet all eligibility requirements may submit quotes for consideration.

• All proposed resources must meet the criteria established in the original solicitation.

• New quote submissions must meet all Acceptability Pass/Fail requirements and will be evaluated using the same evaluation factors as the original solicitation.

• Any resulting new I BPA awards will be identical in terms and conditions to the original agreements.

• Newly awarded Contractors or newly accepted resources added to existing agreements will be eligible for dispatch and BPA Calls in accordance with the ordering procedures in the agreements.

• The solicitation opening date has been extended.

• The purpose of the amendment is to re-open the solicitation for an open season Onboarding period.

• The deadline for vendor quote responses has been extended to 04/23/2026 at 16:00 MST.

• The evaluation factors and sub-factors for award decisions remain the same as the original solicitation.