VIPR I-BPA for Fallers for West Zone Regions 5 and 6

Quick Summary

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service (USFS) is re-opening Solicitation 12569R23Q7002 for an open season Onboarding period for Fallers and Faller Modules to support local, regional, and national fire suppression and all-hazard incidents in Regions 5 (Pacific Southwest) and 6 (Pacific Northwest). This is a 100% Small Business Set-Aside. Vendor quotes are due no later than April 23, 2026, at 17:00 MST.

Purpose & Scope

This opportunity seeks to establish Multiple Award Incident Blanket Purchase Agreements (I-BPAs) for faller module services, with an estimated value of $34,000,000.00. Services include wildland fire suppression, all-hazard incidents, prescribed fire, and Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) projects. The agreement period is for two years from the date of award, subject to annual review modifications, with no guaranteed orders or payments.

Key Requirements

Resources furnished must meet specified standards and be capable of operating in strenuous environmental conditions. Contractors must comply with NWCG Standards for Interagency Incident Business Management (Work/Rest Guidelines). Required Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) includes boots, hard hats, gloves, chaps, eye and hearing protection, headlamps, and fire shelters. Chainsaws (minimum 30" bar, 67cc, functional chainbrake, spark arrester) and wedges are mandatory. Dependable ground transportation, meeting State and Federal laws, with 4-wheel or all-wheel drive capability and a securely mounted fire extinguisher, is required. Personnel must possess a minimum of 3 years of commercial logging or wildfire faller experience, current RT-130 Annual Fireline Refresher, and pass an Arduous Work Capacity Fitness Test. English proficiency is essential for communication.

Contract Details

• Type: Multiple Award Incident Blanket Purchase Agreement (I-BPA)
• Set-Aside: 100% Small Business Set-Aside (FAR 19.5)
• Estimated Value: $34,000,000.00
• Period of Performance: 2 years from award, with annual review.

Submission & Evaluation

Quotes must be submitted through the Virtual Incident Procurement (VIPR) Next Gen System at https://www.fs.usda.gov/business/incident/vendorapp.php?tab=tab_d. The deadline for responses is April 23, 2026, at 17:00 MST. Evaluation will be based on operational acceptability, price reasonableness, and past performance dependability risk. Awards will be made to responsible quoters whose submissions are most advantageous to the Government. Socioeconomic status (small business, HUBZone, SDVOSB, EDWOSB) provides a dispatch priority advantage. New quote submissions must meet all Acceptability Pass/Fail requirements and include technical quotes (with pictures and documents) and resumes for each faller.

Qualification Verification

Vendors will receive an email from vendor.verification@usda.gov with instructions for submitting training verification. For Region 6 (Oregon and Washington), wildland fire training must be obtained from accepted MOU Training Providers or vetted through the PNWCG Training Committee. FFT2 records require verification by an MOU Provider, and Incident Identification Qualification Cards must be signed by both the MOU Provider and VIPR Vendor before an employee can accept an assignment.