My Florida Marketplace #ITB FFS 26 27 64

Helicopter and pilot services for prescribed burning at Tate’s Hell State Forest

Florida is seeking helicopter and pilot services to support prescribed burning at Tate’s Hell State Forest. - Government buyer: Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), through the Florida Forest Service (FFS). - Location: Tate’s Hell State Forest, Franklin County, Florida. - Requested service: Provide helicopter and pilot services for prescribed burns. The solicitation does not specify a number of flights, billable hours, or other service-unit quantity. - Contractor provides an operational helicopter and fuel, a qualified and licensed experienced pilot, a fuel truck during scheduled burn activities, and the labor, equipment, and materials needed to perform the work. - Aircraft must meet the solicitation’s capacity, avionics, safety, airworthiness, and ignition-sphere deployment requirements. - Payment is for completed flight hours; grounded standby time is not billable. - Equipment furnished by FFS: Red Dragon helicopter-mounted ignition sphere dispenser, trained operator, and ignition spheres. Red Dragon is a named system; the documents do not identify its manufacturer. - Planning context: The map appendix lists 37,857 prescribed-burn acres across dormant- and growing-season areas, plus 12,803 acres of opportunity burns. These are planning figures, not quantities of contracted flight or helicopter services. - OEMs and vendors: No helicopter manufacturer, OEM, or prospective service vendor is named. No product part numbers are provided. - Award basis: The stated basis is the lowest initial-term hourly price among responsive and responsible bidders; FDACS anticipates making one award or no award. - Contract term: One-year initial term, with up to three additional years of renewal by mutual agreement at the same terms and conditions. The draft also provides for a written extension of up to six months, subject to its terms.

Description

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, through the Florida Forest Service, is seeking competitive bids for helicopter and pilot services for prescribed burning within Tate’s Hell State Forest in Franklin County, Florida. The solicitation seeks a single award or no award, as determined to be in the best interest of the State. Sealed bids are due November 13, 2026, by 5:00 P.M. Eastern Time, with a public bid opening scheduled for November 16, 2026, at 9:00 A.M.

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