F -- Log Placement-Helicopter Services

The contract involves helicopter services using a Boeing 234 helicopter equipped with ground crew to handle the placement of log loads up to 25,500 pounds. These logs are to be transported via external sling to both in-stream and on-land sites within the Umpqua National Forest. The work is scheduled to begin in mid-summer 2006 and continue through October 31, 2009. This agreement is structured as an indefinite quantity contract, anticipating approximately 30 flight hours, with a minimum contract value of $250,000 and a maximum ceiling set at $1 billion. Negotiations for the contract will occur directly with Columbia Helicopters, Inc., based in Portland, Oregon, under the provisions of FAR 6.302-1, indicating a sole-source acquisition rather than a competitive bidding process. Hard copies of the solicitation will not be distributed. The contracting agency is the Umpqua National Forest office within the Department of Agriculture, located in Roseburg, Oregon. The contract falls under NAICS code 115310, which covers support activities for forestry.