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

Quick Summary

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service is re-opening Solicitation 12569R23Q7002 for an open season Onboarding period to acquire Faller and Faller Module services for wildland fire suppression and all-hazard incidents in Regions 5 (Pacific Southwest) and 6 (Pacific Northwest). This is a Total Small Business Set-Aside. Quotes are due May 4, 2026, at 17:00 MST.

Purpose & Scope

This opportunity seeks to establish Multiple Award Incident Blanket Purchase Agreements (I-BPAs) for faller module(s) to support local, regional, and national fire suppression, all-hazard incidents, and prescribed fire project work, including Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) projects. The re-opened solicitation allows both existing I-BPA awardees to revise rates, modify resources, or add new resources, and new Offerors to submit quotes for consideration. Onboarding is conducted under the terms of the original solicitation, with new awards being identical in terms, conditions, and period of performance to the original agreements.

Key Requirements

• Services: Wildland fire suppression, all-hazard incidents, prescribed fire, and BAER projects.
• Personnel: Minimum 3 years commercial logging or wildfire faller experience, RT-130 Annual Fireline Refresher, Arduous Work Capacity Fitness Test, and English proficiency.
• Equipment: Chainsaws (min 30" bar, 67cc, functional chainbrake, spark arrester) and wedges.
• Vehicles: Dependable ground transportation with 4-wheel or all-wheel drive capability, appropriate tires, and a securely mounted fire extinguisher.
• Compliance: Adherence to NWCG Standards for Interagency Incident Business Management (Work/Rest Guidelines) and specific Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) requirements (boots, hard hats, gloves, chaps, eye/hearing protection, headlamps, fire shelters).
• Region 6 Specifics: Wildland fire training must be from accepted MOU Training Providers or vetted by the PNWCG Training Committee. FFT2 records require verification by an MOU Provider (vendor-borne cost), and Incident Identification Qualification Cards must be signed by both the MOU Provider and VIPR Vendor before employee assignment. Failure to validate employees could result in equipment release at the incident and non-payment of travel.

Contract Details

• Type: Multiple Award Incident Blanket Purchase Agreement (I-BPA)
• Estimated Value: $34,000,000.00
• Duration: 2 years from the date of award, with annual review modifications. No orders or payments are guaranteed.
• Set-Aside: 100% Small Business Set-Aside. Socioeconomic status (HUBZone, SDVOSB, EDWOSB) provides a dispatch priority advantage.

Submission & Evaluation

Quotes must be submitted through the VIPR NextGen application (https://www.fs.usda.gov/business/incident/vendorapp.php?tab=tab_d). Submissions will be evaluated based on operational acceptability, price reasonableness, and past performance dependability risk, using the same factors as the original solicitation. Required submissions include technical quotes, pictures, documents, and resumes for each faller.

Important Notes

The open season Onboarding period runs concurrently with the USFS Contracting Officer’s annual I-BPA review. Vendors will receive an email from vendor.verification@usda.gov for training verification instructions. Contact Charles Stuart at charles.stuart@usda.gov or 406-329-3743 for inquiries.