SEEKING KC-46 SUSTAINMENT ENGINEERING SUPPORT

THIS DOCUMENT IS FOR MARKET RESEARCH PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL/QUOTE.

Sources Sought Solicitation for Planning Purposes
(a) The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this solicitation or to otherwise pay for the information solicited except as an allowable cost under other contracts as provided in subsection 31.205-18, Bid and proposal costs, of the Federal Acquisition Regulation.
(b) Although “proposal” and “offeror” are used in this Sources Sought, your response will be treated as information only. It shall not be used as a proposal.
(c) This solicitation is issued for the purpose of:
This Sources Sought is for planning purposes only and shall not be considered as an invitation for bid, request for quotation, request for proposal, or as an obligation on the part of the Government to acquire any products or services. Your response to this Sources Sought will be treated as information only. No entitlement for payment of direct or indirect costs or charges by the Government will arise as a result of contractor responses to this announcement or use of such information. This request does not constitute a solicitation for proposal or the authority to enter into negotiations to award a contract. No funds have been authorized, appropriated or received for this effort. The information provided may be used by the Air Force in developing its acquisition strategy and statement of work/statement of objectives and performance specifications. Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary or competition sensitive information contained in their response. The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of the Sources Sought or to otherwise pay for the information submitted in response to this Sources Sought.
The purpose of publicizing notices for potential actions is to increase competition, to broaden industry participation in meeting Government requirements, and to assist small businesses in general to obtain contracts and subcontracts.

1. Description

A. Introduction

The United States Air Force (USAF) is seeking information from qualified contractors regarding their capabilities to provide comprehensive sustainment engineering support for the KC-46 aircraft. This Sources Sought aims to identify potential sources with the experience, expertise, and resources to ensure the long-term operational readiness and mission effectiveness of the KC-46 fleet.

B. Scope of Work

The contractor shall provide a full range of sustainment engineering services, including but not limited to:

• Technical Assistance and Resolution: Provide timely and accurate responses to Technical Assistance Requests/Maintenance Assistance Requests (TARs/MARs), Technical Inquiries (TIs), and in-flight emergencies.
• On-Site Support: Deploy and manage Field Service Representatives (FSRs) and engineering staff at military installations to provide on-site technical expertise and support.
• Maintenance Support: Provide expertise and support for Unscheduled Depot Level Maintenance (UDLM), C-Checks, and the development of on-site dispositions.
• Parts Support: Manage a robust supply chain for KC-46 parts, including OEM parts, ensuring timely delivery, authenticity, traceability, and obsolescence management.
• Software Sustainment: Provide comprehensive software sustainment services, including the ability to work with software subject to complex data rights restrictions, potentially involving multiple stakeholders. This includes the capability to create, modify, and test software, potentially requiring the development or utilization of a dedicated software development environment and Systems Integration Lab (SIL).
• Data Management and Analysis: Manage and analyze critical aircraft data, including G081, BLADE, PFMT, and aircraft configuration data. Develop and manage Maintenance Equipment and Component Structural Integrity Programs (MECSIPs) and Aircraft Structural Integrity Programs (ASIPs) in compliance with relevant regulations and standards.
• Training and Documentation: Develop and deliver training programs for USAF personnel on the operation and maintenance of relevant systems and equipment. Provide comprehensive documentation, including updates to Flight Manuals and Illustrated Parts Catalogs (IPCs).
• Diminishing Manufacturing Sources and Materiel Shortages (DMSMS) Management: Implement proactive processes for identifying and mitigating potential DMSMS issues.

C. Required Capabilities

Interested contractors should possess the following capabilities:

• Extensive experience in providing sustainment engineering support for complex aircraft systems, comparable in scope and complexity to the KC-46.
• Proven ability to manage and execute all required sustainment engineering tasks, including experience working with OEMs and other vendors.
• In-depth knowledge of KC-46 systems and subsystems, including general aircraft, avionics/electrical, engines/propulsion integration, fuel, and structures.
• A robust supply chain management system for parts support, including experience with OEM parts management and DMSMS mitigation.
• Demonstrated expertise in software sustainment, including the ability to work with complex data rights arrangements and develop and utilize specialized software development and testing environments.
• Experience with managing and analyzing critical aircraft data, including G081, BLADE, PFMT, and aircraft configuration data.
• Capability to develop and manage MECSIPs and ASIPs in compliance with relevant regulations and standards.
• Ability to rapidly deploy qualified FSRs and engineering staff to support domestic and international missions.
• Proven experience in providing Over and Above support, including the management of Contract Field Teams (CFTs) and responding to Aircraft on Ground (AOG) situations.

2. Capabilities Package
Responses to this announcement should indicate whether respondents are an other than small business, small business, small disadvantaged business (SDB), woman-owned small business (WOSB), economically disadvantaged women-owned small business (EDWOSB), 8(a)-certified business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB), veteran-owned small business (VOSB), or Historically Underutilized Business Zone small business (HUBZone). The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this action is 488190 , “Other Support Activities for Air Transportation ”, with a size standard of $45M. All prospective contractors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) database to be awarded a DoD contract.
All respondents should submit capability packages that outline their capability to address the Government requirement. The capabilities package should be brief and concise, yet clearly demonstrate an ability to meet the stated requirements, addressing the following areas:
     A.      Attachment 1: Sources Sought Questions

                  - Please fill out response column. Please also fill in comments if applicable.

3. General Requirements of Package
Recent, relevant experience and/or capabilities in all areas should be provided. Teaming and/or subcontracting arrangements should be clearly delineated and previous experience in teaming must be provided. The response must not exceed 10 pages.
A. Page size shall be 8.5 x 11 inches; foldouts are permitted but will be assessed towards total page count.
B. Pages shall be single-spaced. The font shall be Times New Roman and the font size shall be no less than twelve (12) point. Use at least 1-inch margins on the top and bottom and ¾ inch side margins.
C. Capability statements need to address fully the Sources Sought statements in Attachment 1.

4. Submittal Information
Submit capabilities packages to Justin Rector, USAF, Contracting Officer, Steven Reyes, Contracts Specialist, and Jonathan Bowers, Program Manager at the following email addresses: justin.rector.1@us.af.mil; steven.reyes.21@us.af.mil; jonathan.bowers.5.ctr@us.af.mil
A. All correspondence sent via email shall contain a subject line that reads “Seeking KC-46 Sustainment Engineering Support.” If this subject line is not included, the email may not get through email filters at Wright-Patterson AFB. Filters are designed to delete emails without a subject or with a suspicious subject or attachments.
B. Attachments with files ending in .zip or .exe are not allowable and will be deleted. Ensure only .pdf, .doc, or .xls documents are attached to your email. Questions related to this sources sought synopsis must be submitted via e-mail to the person indicated above NLT COB (Tuesday, 13 May 2025.) No further questions will be entertained after that date.
RESPONSES ARE DUE NO LATER THAN COB MAY 27, 2025

JUSTIN RECTOR

Contracting Officer

justin.rector.1@us.af.mil