Smokejumper Program Consulting Services

This PRE-SOLICITATION SYNOPSIS NOTICE is for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a formal Request for Quote (RFQ). This PRE-SOLICITATION SYNOPSIS NOTICE is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government. This is not a solicitation and does not obligate the Government to issue a solicitation, nor will the Government be liable for any costs involved in submission of information in response to this notice. Release of an official solicitation is anticipated to occur in August 2023. Interested parties are encouraged to monitor https://sam.gov/content/home for the release of the solicitation.

The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) anticipates issuing a request for quote (RFQ), 1202SA23Q9809, to acquire consulting services to review the USFS smokejumper program. The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) made the determination to convert from the mix of round parachutes and Ram-Air parachutes, in its smokejumper program, to one that consists solely of Ram-Air parachutes. In December 2011 and updated in 2015, the USFS adopted a Change Management and Implementation Guide. The USFS completed a Change Management and Implementation Plan (V3) to guide this transition from the round parachute system to exclusive use of the USFS Ram-Air parachute system.

The objective of these services is to complete an external review, analysis, and evaluation of the USFS Smokejumper Program’s change management and transition processes for the Ram-Air parachute transition and the current state of the program in the Ram-Air parachute transition to ensure future operational success. The Safety Management Systems (SMS) approach shall be utilized throughout the review, analysis, evaluation, and recommendation(s) of work performed under this purchase order.

In addition, this purchase order is intended to obtain contractor services to provide coordination and communication with smokejumer participants; participate in meetings and document issues, take meeting minutes, and review status of the program; attend meetings/conference calls to provide technical analysis and consultation on program issues; review reports from meetings and provide an analysis on reports; travel to designated locations to observe and interview smokejumpers; distribute write-ups (e.g., reports, meeting minutes, technical data); and foster communication and sharing among the smokejumer program.

Solicitation 1202SA23Q9809 will be competed as a total small business set-aside. The Government reserves the right to award with or without discussions. The Government intends to award this requirement as a Firm Fixed Price (FFP) purchase order with a base year, plus one (1) six-month option for additional meetings or site visits, if required. If the Government does not receive an acceptable quote from a responsible small business, the Government reserves the right to award on an unrestricted (full and open competition) basis.