Sole Source Contract for Helicopter Services

NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE This notice is being published in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 5.101 requiring dissemination of information for proposed contract actions. This is a notice of intent to award a sole source contract and is not a request for competitive quotes/proposals. The statutory authority for this sole source procurement is prescribed by 13.106-1(b). The Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) intends to issue a five year (one 12-month base year; and four 12-month option years); firm fixed prices; sole source award contract to Silverhawk Aviation Academy LLC, Caldwell, ID. However, all responsible sources may submit a capability statement demonstrating the ability to provide the requested services, which shall be considered by the agency before the intended award date. Interested sources who submit data are responsible for appropriately marking information if it is proprietary in nature. The Government shall not reimburse interested sources for any information provided. No requests for capability briefings will be honored. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Interested vendors must respond to this notice prior to 17 November 2023 at 5:00 pm Central Time by sending an email to william.t.rawe@usace.army.mil AND chl-ct-quotes@usace.army.mil. NAICS Code: 541360 - Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services. NO ALTERNATES OR LIKE ITEMS SPECIFIED IN THIS NOTICE WILL BE CONSIDERED. Background: The US Army Corps of Engineers Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) requires the services of a helicopter with an installed Meeker Aviation BRAND Utility Mount Faceplate (version for the R44/R66) to fly flight lines over areas of interest in Idaho ranging in elevation from 6000-9000 feet carrying a CRREL geophysical payload to support airborne surveys. The Helicopters Payload Mount Faceplate: The CRREL payload is designed and packaged to be flown in a specific pod that attaches to a specific kind of Meeker Aviation Utility Mount Faceplate (Airfilm Utility Mount System) described in FAA approval guidance documents as the Nose Utility Mount AF-R44-1, Robinson Helicopter Model R44/R44II and R66 for the Airfilm Camera Systems AF-R44-1 Utility Mount System, as installed in accordance with STC SR02660LA, Supplement No. AF-R44NM-007. In the afore-referenced guidance, this specific version of the Meeker Aviation Utility Mount Faceplate is approved by the FAA to be flown on Robinson Helicopter Models R44, R44II, and R66. No other helicopter is FAA approved to carry this specific version of the Meeker Aviation Utility Mount Faceplate. Given CRRELs payload hardware requirements, no other kinds of mounts are acceptable and thus no other kinds of helicopters are acceptable. The Helicopter: While the payload mount faceplate (described above) required to carry CRRELs payload pod may be installed on the Robinson Helicopter Models R44, R44II, and R66, we draw attention to the operational conditions required for this mission. The operation requires repeated flightlines over study sites in Figure 1 ranging in elevation from 6000-9000 feet. The helicopter will need to safely achieve altitudes of 1,000 to 4,000 feet above this 6000-9000 ft ground elevation in order to accomplish this mission. This means that this requirement can only be fulfilled by a helicopter capable of flying up to 4,000 feet above ground elevations up to 9000 feet.