About this opportunity
AI summaryThe United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service is conducting market research to explore independent, nationwide verification of wildfire contractor personnel qualifications for ground-based response assets, incident support services, and logistical support. The contemplated service involves reviewing training records, certifications, licenses, and experience against government requirements while excluding all aircraft assets and training delivery. This notice is strictly for planning and acquisition purposes to assess industry capabilities, pricing models, and implementation structures for a potential one-year pilot program. The government does not solicit formal proposals, offers, or binding pricing at this time, and participation remains entirely voluntary.
Scope of work
- Review contractor qualification documentation against Government-established requirements
- Provide documented verification status results using Government-approved terminology
- Identify missing, duplicate, incomplete, expired, or deficient documentation and check authenticity
- Maintain an auditable review record using Government-designated methods
- Coordinate contractor submissions, correction requests, and result delivery
- Provide standardized Government reporting, deficiency summaries, and workload reports
- Scale review capacity nationwide for geographically dispersed contractors and seasonal surges
- Perform objective verification of training providers, instructors, and course completion records
Documents to include with your response
- Capability statement or stakeholder feedback addressing numbered RFI sections
- Small business information including business name, UEI, address, POC, phone, email, and website
- Applicable NAICS codes, business size, and socioeconomic status
- Relevant Federal contract vehicles and relevant past performance
- Nonbinding planning pricing estimates
Key dates
- Questions due
- November 6, 2026 at 1700 MT
- Q&A document posted to SAM.gov
- November 9, 2026
- Responses due
- November 13, 2026 at 1700 MT
How to submit
- Method
- Instructions
- Submit electronically to the designated email address with subject line including Company Name and 'National Third-Party Wildfire Contractor Qualification Verification Services'. Responses are limited to approximately 15 pages.
Contract details
- Term
- one-year pilot program
- Place of performance
- nationwide
Federal notice details
- Solicitation number
- USFS-IPO-2027-RFI-001
- Agency
- Department of Agriculture
- Buying office
- Forest Service › Usda-FS PPS Incident Procurement
- Notice type
- Sources Sought
- Responses due
- Nov 13, 2026, 7:00 PM ET
- Posted on SAM.gov
- Nov 2, 2026
- Place of performance
- MT, 59804
- Contracting contact
- Jeffrey Gardner
SM.FS.WOAIMSSURGE@usda.gov - Additional contact
- Kimberly Luft
SM.FS.WOAIMSSURGE@usda.gov
Source: SAM.gov. Read the official notice for the complete description and current instructions.