SILVER CITY, N.M.; Dec. 3, 2014 – The USDA Forest Service Southwestern Region announces an information meeting for vendors interested in providing resources to support wildfires and other emergency incidents.

The meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015, from 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. MST via video teleconference at Forest Service offices throughout Arizona and New Mexico.

The meeting will discuss a variety of topics including:
· How to become a government vendor

· How to locate and respond to solicitations through the Virtual Incident Procurement (VIPR) system

· How to read and understand contract requirements for specific equipment

The Southwestern Region is seeking competitive quotations for the following resources for FY2015: Miscellaneous Heavy Equipment (Feller Bunchers, Masticators, Road Graders, Skidders); Mobile Laundry Units; and Potable & Gray Water Trucks and Trailer-Mounted Hand washing Stations.

Interested vendors can obtain copies of the solicitations at https://www.fbo.gov . Type VIPR into the keyword search box and press Search to obtain a list of VIPR solicitations from all over the country. Look for the ones from the Southwestern Region, Region 3.

Vendors can attend the meeting at the following Gila National Forest locations:

Gila NF — Supervisor's Office
3005 E. Camino del Bosque
Silver City, NM
575-388-8201

Gila NF — Quemado Ranger Station
Quemado, NM
575-773-4678

For information about VIPR go to: http://www.fs.fed.us/business/incident/vipr.php  or contact Anne Weiskircher, Region 3 Fire Contracting Officer at aweiskircher@fs.fed.us.