B-180969, JUN 4, 1974

B-180969, JUN 4, 1974

1. REQUIREMENT IN FOREST SERVICE IFB FOR HELICOPTER SERVICES TO CARRY MEN AND EQUIPMENT THAT HELICOPTER PROVIDED HAVE MAXIMUM AIR SPEED (VNE) OF NOT LESS THAN 130 MILES PER HOUR (MPH) SHOULD BE DELETED SINCE OF TWO HELICOPTERS OF TYPE REQUIRED ONLY ONE CAN MEET 130-MPH VNE SPEED AND THAT IS ONLY IF IT WERE TO DIVE AT FULL POWER. THUS, GAO FAILS TO SEE ANY REASONABLE BASIS FOR INCLUSION OF REQUIREMENT IN IFB. 2. REQUIREMENT, IN IFB ISSUED BY REGION 4 OF FOREST SERVICE, FOR 37 FOOT MAXIMUM HELICOPTER ROTOR SHOULD BE REVIEWED IN LIGHT OF TESTS CONDUCTED BY ANOTHER REGION. FOREST SERVICE MIGHT ALSO CONSIDER CONDUCTING SIMILAR TESTS IN REGION 4 TO DETERMINE PRECISE REQUIREMENTS FOR HELICOPTERS IN THAT AREA.

TO GLOBE AIR, INC.:

ON MARCH 6, 1974, THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, FOREST SERVICE (FOREST SERVICE), ISSUED INVITATION FOR BIDS (IFB) R4-74-17 FOR HELICOPTER SERVICES IN THE CHALLIS, PAYETTE AND SALMON NATIONAL FORESTS OF IDAHO. THESE SERVICES WERE REQUIRED PRIMARILY TO DELIVER FIREFIGHTERS, EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES TO FOREST FIRE LOCATIONS.

THE IFB, AS ISSUED, REQUIRED THAT THE TYPE HELICOPTER (TYPE "D" - MEDIUM SIZE) PROVIDED HAVE A NORMAL CRUISING SPEED OF 115 MILES PER HOUR (MPH). HOWEVER, THIS PROVISION WAS SUBSEQUENTLY AMENDED TO REQUIRE THAT THE HELICOPTER FURNISHED HAVE INSTEAD A MAXIMUM AIR SPEED (VNE) AT SEA LEVEL OF NOT LESS THAN 130 MPH.

THE IFB ALSO REQUIRES THAT THE TYPE "D" HELICOPTER HAVE A SEA LEVEL RATE OF CLIMB OF NOT LESS THAN 850 FEET PER MINUTE AT SEA LEVEL, A 7 PLACE CONFIGURATION, A USEFUL LOAD OF NOT LESS THAN 2,100 POUNDS WITH STANDARD EQUIPMENT AT SEA LEVEL, AND A MAIN ROTOR DIAMETER OF NOT GREATER THAN 37 FEET.

THE PROTESTER, A POTENTIAL SUPPLIER OF THESE SERVICES, UTILIZES THE SIKORSKY S-55T HELICOPTER. THERE ARE ONLY TWO HELICOPTERS OF ROUGHLY THE SIZE REQUIRED BY THE FOREST SERVICE (A FACT WITH WHICH THE FOREST SERVICE AGREES) BUT THE PROTESTER CONTENDS THAT THE SPECIFICATIONS HAVE BEEN DRAFTED TO ALLOW BIDDERS TO USE ONLY THE ALOUETTE III HELICOPTER.

A COMPARISON OF THE TWO CRAFT IS AS FOLLOWS:

S-55T ALOUETTE III

ROTOR DIAMETER 53 FEET 36 FEET 2 INCHES

USEFUL LOAD 2,500 POUNDS 2,080 POUNDS

AIR SPEED

8,000' DENSITY

ALTITUDE 66 KNOTS 75 KNOTS

10,000' DENSITY

ALTITUDE 58 KNOTS 64 KNOTS

TIME TO TRAVEL 45

NAUTICAL MILES

8,000 FEET* 41 MINUTES 36 MINUTES

10,000 FEET* 46.5 MINUTES 42.2 MINUTES

VNE AT SEA LEVEL 113.8 MPH 129.95 MPH

*BOTH AIRCRAFT CARRYING LOADS OF 2,080 POUNDS.

GLOBE CONTENDS THAT THE 130-MPH VNE SPEED IS AN IMPROPER CRITERION SINCE IT IS NOT AN ACTUAL MEASURE OF AN AIRCRAFT'S TRUE SPEED CAPABILITY. SPECIFICALLY, IT IS ALLEGED THAT NOT EVEN THE ALOUETTE CAN ATTAIN A VNE SPEED OF 130 MPH. THE REASON FOR THIS SPEED LIMITATION RESULTS FROM A PHYSICAL LIMITATION ON THE AIRCRAFT'S TRANSMISSION. COUNSEL FOR GLOBE SUBMITS, IN SUPPORT OF ITS POSITION, A PORTION OF THE ALOUETTE III FLIGHT MANUAL REFERENCING VNE SPEEDS, WHICH STATES THAT: "NOTE: THESE VNE (SPEEDS) ARE ALWAYS GREATER THAN LEVEL FLIGHT SPEED AT MAXIMUM COLLECTIVE PITCH (OF ROTOR BLADES)."

IT IS ASSERTED, WITHOUT CONTRADICTION, THAT THE ALOUETTE CANNOT REACH A VNE SPEED OF 130 MPH UNLESS IT WERE TO DIVE AT FULL POWER. WE THEREFORE FAIL TO SEE ANY REASONABLE BASIS FOR THE INCLUSION IN THE IFB, AS A REQUIREMENT, A SPEED CHARACTERISTIC WHICH IS ATTAINABLE BY HELICOPTERS DELIVERING MEN AND EQUIPMENT ONLY IN A POWERDIVE CONFIGURATION, ESPECIALLY SINCE ADEQUATE SAFETY MARGINS ARE A NATURAL CONCERN OF THE FOREST SERVICE. ACCORDINGLY, WE FEEL THAT THE 130 MPH VNE REQUIREMENT SHOULD BE DELETED FROM THE SPECIFICATIONS.

THE SECOND MAJOR CONTENTION RAISED BY GLOBE IS THAT THE 37-FOOT MAXIMUM ROTOR REQUIREMENT OF THE IFB IS RESTRICTIVE IN THAT THE SPECIFICATION UNDULY RESTRICTS AWARD TO THE ALOUETTE III.

IN B-178158, MAY 23, 1973, WE STATED THAT WHERE SPECIFICATIONS APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN UNREASONABLY DERIVED, OUR OFFICE WOULD FIND THOSE SPECIFICATIONS UNDULY RESTRICTIVE OF COMPETITION. HERE, THE FOREST SERVICE INITIALLY STATED THAT A NUMBER OF ITS MANMADE HELISPOTS IN THE REGION HAVE 60-FOOT APPROACH DIMENSIONS (BEING BUILT AT A TIME WHEN SMALL HELICOPTERS WERE USED TO PERFORM THE TASKS IN QUESTION) WHILE THE S-55T HAS A ROTOR DIAMETER OF 53 FEET. THE 7-FOOT MARGIN BETWEEN THE ROTOR AND THE EDGES OF THE HELISPOTS WAS CONSIDERED TOO SMALL FOR SAFE OPERATION OF THE S-55T. THE ALOUETTE WITH ITS 37-FOOT ROTOR DOES, HOWEVER, HAVE A SIGNIFICANTLY LARGER SAFETY MARGIN RELATIVE TO THESE HELISPOTS.

COUNSEL FOR GLOBE CITES THE INTERAGENCY HELICOPTER MANAGEMENT TRAINING GUIDE (FEBRUARY 1973 EDITION) (INTERAGENCY GUIDE) WHICH STATES THAT: "FOR MEDIUM SIZE HELICOPTERS (ALOUETTE III, BELL 204-B AND 205 A) (APPROACH AND DEPARTURE) CLEARANCE SHOULD BE 75 FT. ***." THE FOREST SERVICE'S POSITION IS THAT THE 75-FOOT HELISPOTS REFERENCED IN THE HELICOPTER HANDBOOK ARE MERELY A GUIDELINE FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF NEW HELISPOTS.

THE FOREST SERVICE STATES THAT THERE ARE IN EXCESS OF 450 CONSTRUCTED HELISPOTS IN THE PAYETTE FOREST AND MANY MORE NATURAL LANDING SPOTS. ALSO INDICATES THAT OUT OF 237 INVENTORIED HELISPOTS, 31 (13 PERCENT) HAVE A ROTOR CLEARANCE OF 75 FEET OR LESS. (WE NOTE THAT AT LEAST FOUR OF THESE SPOTS HAVE ONE OR MORE DIMENSIONS THAT WOULD PRECLUDE USE OF EITHER THE ALOUETTE III OR THE S-55T.) MOREOVER, THE AGENCY SETS OUT THAT:

"IN ADDITION TO LANDING THAT MIGHT BE REQUIRED AT THE ABOVE IMPROVED HELISPOTS, IT IS OUR PRACTICE TO LAND FIRE FIGHTERS AS CLOSE TO A FIRE AS PRACTICAL, USUALLY WITHIN 1/2 MILE. NATURAL OPENINGS, RIDGE TOPS, ETC. ARE USED FOR LANDING SPOTS. ALTHOUGH AN ACTUAL COUNT OF THESE LANDINGS IN 1973 IS NOT AVAILABLE, IT IS ESTIMATED, THROUGH ACTUAL OBSERVATION BY FOREST SERVICE PERSONNEL OR HELICOPTER CONTRACTORS THAT ABOUT 43% WERE IN SPOTS OF 75 FEET OR LESS ROTOR CLEARANCE."

WHILE WE FEEL THAT OUR OFFICE IS NOT IN A POSITION TO REFUTE THE ABOVE- NOTED FIGURES, WE DO NOTE WITH INTEREST A SOMEWHAT SIMILAR SITUATION WITH RESPECT TO THE FOREST SERVICE'S REGION 5. FOREST SERVICE OFFICIALS IN THAT REGION, WHICH ENCOMPASSES THE SIERRA-NEVADA MOUNTAIN FORESTS, HAD ALSO EXPRESSED DOUBT AS TO THE FEASIBILITY OF USING THE S-55T. THEY PRECISELY QUESTIONED THE S-55T'S ABILITY TO LAND IN SEEMINGLY SMALL LANDING SPOTS.

IN RESPONSE TO THESE DOUBTS, GLOBE PROPOSED AND AGREED TO PAY FOR ONSITE TESTING OF THE S-55T'S LANDING CAPABILITIES AND LIMITATIONS. GLOBE INVITED OFFICIALS FROM REGION 4 TO ATTEND THESE TESTS AND ALSO PROPOSED SIMILAR TESTING IN REGION 4 ITSELF. BOTH PROPOSALS WERE APPARENTLY REJECTED BY REGION 4 OFFICIALS.

THE REGION 5 TESTING ESSENTIALLY INVOLVED THE S-55T ATTEMPTING TO LAND AT A NUMBER OF LANDING SPOTS DESIGNATED BY FOREST SERVICE OFFICIALS. WE HAVE BEEN IN INFORMAL CONTACT WITH OFFICIALS RESPONSIBLE FOR THESE TESTS AND CAN REPORT THAT THE S-55T HAS APPARENTLY BEEN FOUND QUITE ACCEPTABLE FOR USE SINCE IT WAS ABLE TO LAND IN ALMOST EVERY SPOT DESIGNATED. THEREFORE, THE SOLICITATION IN REGION 5 WILL CONTAIN NO ROTOR BLADE LIMITATION SIMILAR TO THE 37-FOOT ROTOR LIMIT IN THE INSTANT SOLICITATION, EVEN THOUGH PRIOR TO THE TESTS SUCH A LIMITATION WAS BEING CONSIDERED BY REGION 5.

ACCORDINGLY, WE WOULD SUGGEST THAT OFFICIALS OF REGION 4 REVIEW THE NEED FOR THE IFB'S 37-FOOT ROTOR LIMITATION IN LIGHT OF THE REGION 5 TESTS AND FURTHER SUGGEST THESE OFFICIALS MIGHT CONSIDER CONDUCTING SIMILAR TESTS TO DETERMINE THE PRECISE REQUIREMENTS FOR HELICOPTERS IN THEIR REGION. SEE 53 COMP. GEN. (B-178740, JANUARY 18, 1974). SHOULD IT BE DETERMINED THEREAFTER THAT THE S-55T IS ADEQUATE FOR USE IN REGION 4, WE WOULD ASSUME THAT THE FOREST SERVICE WOULD TAKE THE STEPS NECESSARY TO REFLECT THIS FACT IN THE SPECIFICATIONS.

WE HAVE BY SEPARATE LETTER OF TODAY ADVISED THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE OF OUR FINDINGS, TOGETHER WITH A REQUEST THAT WE BE ADVISED OF THE ACTIONS TAKEN IN FURTHERANCE OF THIS DECISION.