F -- Inspection Services for Wildland Firefighting Equipment

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION – Purpose: The purpose of this inquiry is to determine the interest in providing vehicle inspection services necessary for the U. S. Forest Service to acquire wildland firefighting engines and water tenders as described in this Request for Information (RFI) through formal contracting procedures. We anticipate that engine and water tender inspection sites will be located in two locations in Oregon (one eastside and one westside), and one location in Washington. Locations will be determined at a later date. The one Washington inspection site will service the entire state of Washington and will require inspections for approximately 100 wildland engines and 60 water tenders. One inspection site in western Oregon will service all wildland engines and water tenders in western Oregon from a line along the crest of the Cascade Mountains from the Columbia River to the California border, and will require inspections for approximately 70 wildland engines and 80 water tenders. The eastern Oregon inspections site will service all wildland engines and water tenders in all of eastern Oregon from the crest of the Cascades and will require inspections for approximately 250 wildland engines and 165 water tenders. Total of all inspection may reach 900 pieces of equipment. Services To Be Performed: The U. S. Forest Service Regional Office, Portland, Oregon, annually solicits the services of wildland firefighting engines and water tenders for use in suppressing wildland fires on an as-needed basis. These services are acquired through the Pacific Northwest Interagency Engine and Tender Agreement. Prior to awarding an agreement to the contractor, each wildland engine and water tender must pass an initial inspection to ensure that the vehicle and equipment meet all requirements of the Interagency Engine and Tender Agreement. Each vehicle inspection involves checking the vehicle to ensure it is mechanically sound; is within the manufacturer’s gross vehicle weight limitations when fully loaded; has the required compliment of tools, accessories, and personal protective equipment; and the pump and tank meet all requirements of the agreement. The period for conducting these inspections will generally be from April 1 through May 15. Detailed information on the inspection requirements and forms for completing these inspections can be found on the U. S. Forest Service website at www.fs.fed.us/r6/ppm/fire_procurement.htm, Interagency Engine and Tender Agreements, 2003 Interagency Engine and Tender Solicitation RFQ R6-03-004, Appendix J. Electronic Training Data Base Maintenance—All firefighter contractor employees’ incident qualification will be maintained in an electronic database and provided to the Forest Service. The electronic database format will be Microsoft XLS or Microsoft ACCESS program compatible. Information Requested: Companies interested in providing wildland engine and water tender inspection services in one or more of the three inspection sites are requested to provide the following information: a) Company Name, Mailing Address, Phone Number, and Email Address, b) Describe the nature of your company business; qualifications; capability, including facilities, to provide the inspection services and any experience, c) Identify whether you are interested in these services for Washington, Western Oregon, or Eastern Oregon (interest may be expressed for any or all areas). Companies that furnish engines and tenders for wildland firefighting, or that have conflicts of interest with companies that provide engines and tenders for wildland firefighting will not be considered for providing these inspection services as outlined in the Federal Acquisition Regulation, Part 3. Responses to this inquiry should be mailed to: USDA-Forest Service, Acquisition Management, 333 SW First Avenue, P.O. Box 3623, Portland, OR 97208-3623. Questions concerning this inquiry should be referred to Vi Ta, phone number 503-808-2874 or email [email protected].