Smokejumper DC-7 Main Canopies, MT1S Reserve Canopies with Deployment Systems

Forest Service intends to award a sole source firm-fixed price purchase order to Airborne Systems North America of NJ Inc. (UEI: WEYALM4WUT46) for the specialized parachutes as listed in Table 1 below. This action is being conducted on behalf of the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) and the National Technology & Development Program (NTDP).

This action falls under the Authority of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 12 conducted in conjunction with FAR Part 13.106-1(b)(1), “soliciting from a single source for purchases not exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold”. The Government requires proprietary parachute components to maintain mission-critical inventory for the National Smokejumper Program. These items must be compatible with existing USFS-approved deployment systems (MTDC-1126, 1127, and 1129). Airborne Systems is the sole manufacturer of these specialized life-safety components.