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Contract Opportunity

This is a sources sought notice as a means of conducting market research. The USDA APHIS is seeking all interested and capable sources of providing aerial release of sterilized flies mostly in Los Angeles Basin and as needed to support additional fruit fly aerial release programs in California.

USDA APHIS intends to issue one IDIQ contract for these services. The result of this market research will contribute to determining the method of procurement. The applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code assigned to this procurement is 481219 Other Nonscheduled Air Transportation. The small business size standard for this NAICS code is $25M.

There is no solicitation currently. This is only a source’s sought notice for market research purposes; responses will be used to determine whether this requirement may be set-aside for small business or procured through full and open competition. This request for capability information does not constitute a request for quote; submission of any information in response to this market survey is purely voluntary; the government assumes no financial responsibility for any costs incurred. Interested business (small and large) must provide the following information:

1) Business name and contact information

2) Business Size and confirmation of registration in SAM.gov by providing your SAM UEI Code

3) Capability statements addressing all requirements mentioned in Specification/requirements outlined below, with appropriate documentation supporting if necessary (pictures, resumes, etc.).

Electronic responses are required. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted or acknowledged, and no feedback or evaluations will be provided to companies regarding their submissions. Interested parties who can provide these services with the specifications provided are invited to submit a response to this Sources Sought Notice no later than 04/08/2024 at 1:00PM CT. All responses under this Sources Sought Notice must be emailed to Kim Yen Tu at, Kimyen.n.tu@usda.gov

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SPECIFICATIONS/REQUIREMENTS of interested parties:

1. Period of Performance: Must be able to begin services by 12/01/2024 (Estimated contract award to be in July; provides 3-4 months to get aircraft FAA approval)


2. State/Federal Requirements: The contractor will be required to comply with applicable Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) and any other Federal/State/County regulations/requirements covering operations that will be conducted. California regulations require Contractors to be licensed to do business in the state of California. The contractor and it’s pilots must be licensed to apply pesticides in the State of California. The contractor's pilots are licensed and certified by the FAA, the State of California, and counties within the State of California in which applications are conducted.


3. Relevant Experience: Evidence that the contractor has experience of flight navigation within Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Kern and San Diego counties. (Can provide past or current state, federal, and commercial contracts that are similar to this requirement)


4. Aircraft Requirements:

• Minimum 6 Fixed Wing Airplanes/crews. 4 aircraft onsite at Los Alamitos Army Airfield (KSLI) and another 2 aircraft for on demand. The number of aircraft and crew required may vary from 0 to 6. Must always maintain 6 aircraft/crews for back-up and in case it is needed for emergency purposes.


• Must perform special purpose modifications to aircrafts: The cabin space behind the crew must be large enough to accommodate installation of the insect release machine furnished by the Government and access large enough for loading / unloading the insect holding boxes. The insect release machine dimensions and weight of each component are described in Attachment I.


• Aircraft being equipped for night and IFR flights as described in Federal Aviation Regulation, 14 CFR 91.205, and equipped for operations conducted within Class B Airspace.


• shall have the following: a. Dual VHF NAV-COM's, b. ADS-B Transponder, c. An intercom system with compatible headsets for communications between the pilot and disperser.


• Aircraft shall have a recorder (MASTER SWITCH ACTIVATED NOT ACCEPTED) that will automatically record flight time in hours and tenths of hours.


• Aircraft shall be equipped with a 28-volt electrical system to provide a minimum 50 amperes of electrical power in addition to the normal electrical load required for the aircraft radios and other components. The additional electrical power is needed to operate the release machine (50 amps).

1. Flight Logging System Requirements:

• An operational Global Positioning System (GPS) and flight data logging software that will log and display the date and time of the entire flight from takeoff to landing and differentiate between standard flight and flight when the dispersal system is on/off. The system shall provide immediate deviation indications and sufficiently accurate to keep the aircraft on the desired flight path.


• Compact moving map display with polygon feature that will alert the pilot when the aircraft is entering or exiting a specific geographic polygon.


• Software designed for parallel offset in increments equal to the assigned swath width of the application aircraft.


• A course deviation indicator (CDI) or a course deviation light bar, also a CDI, must be installed on the aircraft and in a location that will allow the pilot to view the indicator with direct or peripheral vision without looking down. The CDI must be capable of pilot selected adjustments for course deviation indication with the first indication at 3 feet or less.


• The system must display to the pilot the current swath number and cross-track error. The swath advance may be set manually or automatically. If automatic is selected, the pilot must be able to override the advance mode to allow repeat applications of single or multiple swaths.


• The system must be equipped with software for flight data logging that has a system memory capable of storing a minimum of 4 hours of continuous flight log data with the logging rate set at one second intervals. The full logging record will include position, time, date, altitude, ground speed, cross-track error, dispersal on/off, insect release machine auger or motor RPM, aircraft registration number, pilot name, and job name or number. The flight data log software shall be, at a minimum, compatible with Windows 7 PC computers, desk jet, laser, or inkjet printers and plotters. The system must compensate for the lag in logging dispersal on/off. The system will display dispersal on/off at the boundary without a saw tooth effect. Must be capable to end log files, rename, and start a new log in flight.


• The software must generate a map of the entire flight within a reasonable time. Systems that require more than one minute to generate a map of a four hour flight on a Windows 7 compatible computer will NOT be accepted. When viewed on the monitor or the printed hard copy, the flight path will clearly differentiate between dispersal on/off. The software must be capable of replaying the entire flight in slow motion and stop and restart the replay at any point during the flight. Must be able to zoom to any portion of the flight for viewing in greater detail and print the entire flight or the zoomed-in portion. Must have a measure feature that will measure distance in feet between swaths or any portion of the screen. Must be able to determine the exact latitude/longitude at any point on the monitor.

Attachments/Links