It’s that time of year again – time to get ready for contracting in the upcoming fire season.
Be prepared ahead of time:
- Verify that your equipment or services are being solicited and can comply with requirements.
- Complete or update your SAM registration – your account must be active.
- Set up your VIPR account and verify your identity during registration (website currently down for updates-see below).
- Conduct market research on the categories you want to bid on.
- Attend Vendor engagement sessions – more information below.
- Need help – register for our services here.
Each year the US Forest Service opens different equipment categories for new solicitations. This occurs on a rotating basis. Once the business is awarded an I-BPA (Incident Blanket Purchase Agreement) based on one of these solicitations, the business has the agreement for five years, unless the business is terminated or suspended. VIPR previously operated on a three-year agreement but moved to a five-year agreement in 2023.
Solicitations (or new) for 2026 will be the following:
- Vehicle with Driver
- Fuel Tender
- Mechanic with Service Truck
- OHVs (UTVs)
- REMS Teams
If you currently have an I-BPA (VIPR) agreement, then you can change the details (adjust price, replace equipment, change dispatch center within the region) of your agreement during the “rollover modification” period.
The Forest Service conducts an annual “onboarding” process outside of the standard five-year rotations based on end-of-year evaluations. This means that if you missed the standard deadline for any of the above equipment types in previous years, you may be able to bid on a shorter-term VIPR I-BPA this year.
Onboarding will be in the following categories:
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The US Forest Service will be hosting virtual and potentially in-person vendor engagement sessions for those interested in the VIPR I-BPA Program. The Forest Service Equipment & Service Branch will go over the current rollover modifications, open solicitations, and the onboarding process. You will be able to ask specific questions in the Q&A portion. The dates of the sessions are undetermined currently. Please check the Region 6 website or the WA APEX Events Calendar as they will be updated once the dates are announced.
The VIPR (Virtual Incident Procurement) website is undergoing updates. On December 1, 2025, the VIPR website went offline to implement the VIPR Next Gen system which will be a more efficient and user-friendly system. VIPR Next Gen is anticipated for release early 2026 and all 2026 solicitations and agreements will be issued in the new system. WA APEX has postponed the currently scheduled VIPR training until the new system has been released in order to give clients the most up-to-date training.
If you have any questions regarding VIPR or any other government contracting questions, please contact your APEX Accelerator Advisor.
Not a client? Find our local program at https://www.apexaccelerators.us/#/ or https://www.napex.us/
