Aerial Services for Northern Ontario Bird Surveys

Environment and Climate Change Canada has a requirement for air charter services in northern Ontario as detailed in the Statement of Work, Annex A to the bid solicitation. The period of the contract is from contract award to March 31, 2025 with an option to extend the contract for a one-year period.

Breakdown of requirements

Details of requirements

ClientDepartment; Branch; Division; Unit Environment and Climate Change Canada; Canadian Wildlife Service; Ontario Region; Terrestrial Assessment Unit

Purpose of air charter services Supply, within northern Ontario, of each of the following: - A helicopter of suitable capacity for the Work, - helicopter services to transport field crews to survey sites, - a PIC with the required experience, - fuel purchase, - fuel transport* to fuel caches, and - removal of empty fuel drums from caches. *Contractor will be responsible for purchase and transport of fuel, by truck, fixed wing aircraft and/or helicopter, to fuel caches.

No. of Passengers: Four survey crew members with field and survey equipment

Dangerous goods on board: 1. Lithium-ion batteries (UN3481), contained in secured waterproof cases of environmental monitoring units (each approx. 2.5 lbs and measuring 4” x 6” x 3”). 2. Bear spray canisters may be worn by survey crew during ground work at some survey plots and will need to be stowed in external ski basket or cargo cheek.

Max weight of passengers and cargo: 1,000 lbs (454 kg)

Preferred Aircraft Rotary Wing Airbus AS350-B2 or equivalent To be equivalent, the aircraft must safely (i.e., without exceeding certified gross weight limit of aircraft type): have a range of at least 250 nautical miles (463 km) while carrying 1,000 lbs (454 kg) of crew and/or cargo; have a sling capacity of at least 2,000 lbs (908 kg); and have an internal cargo stowage capacity, e.g., cargo pods but not including external cage, of at least 29 cubic feet (821 L)

Flight Path/Route (include all destination points) For each project, daily helicopter flights from Operations Base to Survey Plots, and between Sites within Plots. Coordinates for designated Survey Plots are provided in Table 2, found below.

Estimated fuel usage Airbus AS350-B2: Approximately 180 litres per hour

Aircraft safety requirements 1. Satellite flight following 2. Satellite phone 3. Set of at least 5 handheld 2-way radios for communication between pilot and crew when surveyors are on the ground

Other aircraft requirements 1. External, skid-mounted cage of at least 3.0 m x 0.5 m x 0.5 m, and must be certified to carry up to 250 lbs (113 kg) 2. Cargo pods, one per side of aircraft 3. Slinging equipment

Anticipated accommodation requirements for carrier’s crew The Contractor’s crew is responsible for coordinating accommodations and meals during positioning, de-positioning, and during periods that the operations base is accessible by road from commercial accommodations. The Contractor will be reimbursed per NJS travel directives.

Other specific requirements a. Pilot-in-Command Experience The planned pilot, and each of the pilots within the Team-of-Pilots, must have been the PIC for a helicopter for at least 3,000 hours. These hours must include at least 2,000 hours as PIC in a Airbus AS350-B2. b. Replacement of Pilot-in-Command In the event of an emergency or illness concerning the PIC, the Contractor must have the ability to replace a PIC within two days. c. Replacement and repair of aircraft In the event of an equipment or mechanical breakdown, or a safety issue, the Contractor must have the ability to replace the helicopter. If the helicopter experiences a mechanical breakdown during operations, the Contractor must agree to repair it within two days or provide a replacement helicopter of the same type. d. Temporary caches of fuel drums must be established at (and removed from) strategic, remote locations across the study area during the operations, therefore slinging equipment will be required. e. GPS tracklogs from the helicopter, and GPS waypoints of remote fuel cache locations must be saved daily and provided to CWS, exported from the helicopter’s GPS in ‘.gpx’ digital file format.