Sources Sought-Request for Information
Background:
The Department of the Air Force, Air Education and Training Command (AETC) Air Force Security Assistance Training Squadron (AFSAT) is conducting market research to determine whether capable sources are available to perform non-personal training services in support of Foreign Military Sales (FMS) A-29 Super Tucano Training. There are three requests for information pertinent to this RFI:
(a) The first part is a sources sought for vendor noncommercial training services support for FMS A-29 which includes management, courseware development and delivery of courseware (with government purpose rights) for A-29 aircrew training, maintenance crew training, and any specialized training on the A-29 aircraft systems to include weapon systems, support equipment, and software. The associated noncommercial services training support is anticipated to be required by the USG Allies and other Partner Nations. The place of performance is undetermined, and may be inside and outside of the Continental United States (CONUS and OCONUS). The requirement is projected as an initial ordering base period of one year with four option years with a period of performance to start on or about September 2025.
(b) The second is a sources sought to (1) identify if there is any commercially available training for the A-29 IAW current Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved guidelines for civil aircraft; and (2) commercially available training as described in FAR Part 12.
(c) The third part is a sources sought for the potentially capable source to (1) identify the vendor’s place of incorporation; as well as (2) to identify training locations (especially if commercially available training as identified in paragraph b above).
This Sources Sought Notice/Request for Information (RFI) is for market research and planning purposes only. The information obtained in response to this RFI will be used to help identify qualified, experienced, interested potential sources, and attain a better understanding of the A-29 training location footprint. This is not a Request for Proposal (RFP). It is not to be construed as a formal solicitation or as an obligation on the part of the Government to acquire any products or services. The information requested by this RFI is for market research only and will be used by the Air Force Multi-Functional Team (MFT) to assist planning. Any information provided to the Government is strictly voluntary and is provided at no cost to the Government. The Government will not reimburse vendors for any capability package preparation nor briefing costs. For purposes of this RFI, the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code is 611512 – Flight Training, Small Business Size Standard is $34M.
Note: The USG is specifically requesting information by vendors regarding their capability to perform training on the A-29 aircraft. The Government reserves the right to determine the acquisition approach, to include sole source, a Small Business set-aside or whether a small business socio economic approach authorized by statute would be more appropriate based on responses to this notice. The Government also reserves the right to issue a solicitation to any country requested specific source for A-29 training, as an International Agreement for Competitive Restriction (IACR), pursuant to 10 U.S.C. 3204(e)(4)(E). Additional information or updates regarding this A-29 Training Support Services requirement will be posted on the General Services Administration System for Award Management (SAM.GOV) https://sam.gov/content/home website. Interested parties are encouraged to check this website regularly for any changes or updates. Interested parties capable of providing any of the training support services sought are instructed to add their information to the Interested list, add this notice to their Following list, and submit a capability statement in response to this RFI: FMS A-29 Training Sources Sought Notice.
Description:
The service provider shall be required to provide A-29 aircrew training management; develop and deliver with government purpose rights A-29 courseware necessary for training USG, USG Allies, and Partner Nation on A-29 air ground support, and maintenance crews; provide A-29 pilot flight and maintenance training and provide associated logistical support. A-29 Training objectives are to train USG, USG Allies, and Partner Nation air and ground support crew on initial, conversion, and possibly mission qualification on the country-specific A-29 configuration. Instruction for A-29 aircrew will include academic, simulation, and pilot flight training on the A-29. The training may include and is not limited to a combination of electronic courseware, classroom academics, aircrew training devices, and pilot flight training as described below in the following paragraphs.
As an Air Force training organization, the Government's courseware requirement is to be delivered either as a Special Work for Hire, or a minimum of Government Purpose Rights for each course. Industry is encouraged to identify any alternative approaches in a capability statement and identify any underlying license(s) with an approximate cost savings, per country, for the approach.
The United States Government reserves the right to add additional training courses as required to facilitate USG and Allied/Partner Nation training on the A-29. Anticipated courses/courseware, for capability statement, include the following:
a. Pilot Initial Qualification Courses
b. Pilot Mission Qualification Courses
c. Aircrew Ground Training Courses
d. Basic Maintenance Courses (Avionics/electrical, Airframe & Powerplant, Egress/Weapons, Supply Chain Management and AM2 Records Management Database) in multiple levels (e.g. USAF 3-, 5-, 7-level)
All actual pilot flight operations must meet the requirements of Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) Instruction 8210.1C (AFI 10-220). The Contractor should demonstrate that it can maintain documentation per DCMA Instruction 8210.1C for all aircrew instructors and will provide to the USG documentation requested at any time during the performance of the training support service.
Contractor aircrew instructors: Contractor should demonstrate that it has the ability to acquire Instructor Pilots who are previously qualified within three years of currency (last pilot flight). Qualified instructors shall have two years of experience as pilot flight instructors in either a military or civilian capacity. Aircrew academic and simulator instructors must be fully qualified Instructor Aircrew who have been qualified in A-29 operations within four years. Contractor maintenance instructors shall have at least two years of experience as A-29 instructors. Anticipated instructor requirements, to be addressed in capabilities, include and are not limited to:
a. A-29 Instructor Pilot (Rated)
b. A-29 Avionics Maintenance Instructor
c. A-29 Airframe and Powerplant Maintenance Instructor
d. A-29 Egress and Weapons Maintenance Instructor
e. Supply Chain Management (AvPro System) and AM2 Records Management Database Instructor
f. A-29 Aircrew Ground Training Instructor
Interested parties capable of providing any of the training support service sought should submit a capability statement to include specific technical background information describing their organization's experience and expertise in FMS aircrew training services requiring similar management/courseware development pilot flight training/logistical efforts. At a minimum the following information is requested:
OCONUS Training will be incumbent upon the contractor to secure any required country specific approvals to live and/or work in the partner nation.
CONUS All infrastructure and facilities for CONUS training will be provided by the offeror and will not be facilitated by or furnished by the government.
Industry Survey Questions:
General Survey Instructions:
- Please indicate when citing examples of past performance your specific companies’ tasks in that past performance, the contract number, and government point of contact.
- When describing possible teaming/partnership arrangements to fulfill this requirement please indicate if the agreement is already in place or a long-standing relationship.
- If any part of your responses is currently being executed by your organization commercially as described in FAR Part 12 please indicate as such.
(1) Company name, address, point of contact, telephone number, e-mail address, Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code, Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number, SAM Unique Entity ID, place of incorporation and training locations (especially if commercially available training);
(2) Approximate annual gross revenue;
(3) Business size (Other than Small Business or Small Business).
(4) If you indicated your business size as “small business”, if applicable, specify small business socioeconomic program status – [Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB), 8(a)-certified small disadvantaged business, historically underutilized business zone (HUBZone) small business, veteran-owned small business (VOSB), service-disabled veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB), woman-owned small business (WOSB)];
(5) Describe the role your company will play in the performance of the A-29 Training service sought (Prime Contractor, Subcontractor, Other: please explain);
(6) If you indicated your company’s role as "Prime Contractor" please provide information demonstrating the capability to mobilize and manage internationally, and finance the support service sought;
(7) If you indicated your company’s role as "Prime Contractor", specify the functions for which you plan to use subcontractors to include estimated small business subcontracting goals and rationale.
(8) If you indicated your company’s role as "Subcontractor", please indicate which functional areas you intend to cover;
(9) Specify whether your company primarily conducts business in the commercial or Government sector;
(10) Provide information on any commercial or Government sector support services your organization has performed that are similar to the support service sought;
(11) Identify which NAICS code(s) your company usually performs;
(12) Describe your company’s expertise/experience in maintaining documentation per DCMA Instruction 8210.1C for all aircrew instructors and how it is provided to the USG;
(13) Describe your company’s capability to provide expertise in A-29 courseware development, production and ability to deliver such courseware with Government Purpose rights or describe an alternative approach which identifies any cost savings along with any required underlying license(s). (Indicate if your company currently has any A-29 courseware available)
(14) Provide a plan to develop A-29 Aircrew Training Academic Courseware. Note: Benchmark timelines for courseware development are critically important to training mobilization.
(15) Describe your company’s capability to provide A-29 pilot flight simulation training, if required, that replicates A-29 pilot flight characteristics and capabilities using your organization’s training device.
(16) Provide a plan to recruit and employ trained and qualified A-29 variant instructor pilots. Employees shall be within three years of currency (last pilot flight) to qualify for positions as A-29 aircrew pilot flight instructors, and within four years pilot flight currency for academic and simulator instructors. [Note: There may be restrictions on mobilization locations of instructors that currently hold an Armed Forces Commission and/or under a current enlistment in any branch of service]
(17) Provide a plan to recruit and employ trained and qualified support personnel, to include but not limited to, Schedulers, A-29 Brief/Debrief System operators, Drivers, Lesson Management System administrators, Aircrew Records Management System administrators. [Note: There may be restrictions on mobilization locations of instructors that currently hold an Armed Forces Commission and/or under a current enlistment in any branch of service]
(18) Explain your organization’s understanding of export control laws (third party transfer/technical assistance agreements), the business acumen, etiquette, culture, practices of conducting business internationally. Elaborate on the trade regulations, customs, standards, agreements, labor laws, Visa requirements, transportation, lodging, tariffs (value-added tax) and
other unique circumstances affecting a service provider’s ability to perform the support services sought in internationally.
(19) Describe your company’s expertise/experience in mobilizing personnel to foreign nations for short (2-4 Months), moderate (4-8 months), and extended periods (8-12 months) of time with minimal to no assistance of the USG.
(20) Provide capability to support an undetermined minimum ordering period and with performance starting September 2025
(21) Provide recommended type of contract and rationale.
(22) Provide the minimum period of performance your company is able to support in the event a requirement or funding is limited, and services are purchased for a shorter period of performance (For example: the contract only provides funding for six months of service).
(23) Provide confirmation whether your company can provide all services or any service. Provide rationale for capability to provide all required services or capability to provide any service identified.
(24) Provide a list of assumptions with descriptions regarding your company’s submission.
(25) Provide information for person(s) participating in a potential virtual industry day. [NOTE: Based upon the information provided in this sources sought and participation of industry day the government may elect to conduct a site visit to all, few or none of the information offerors]
(26) How familiar are you with the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR) guidance/process?
Please limit the capability statement to no more than 26 single-sided, type-written pages using font size 12. Extravagant formatting is not required nor desired. Paragraph numbering to coincide with the above requested information is preferred.
Any questions regarding this posting must be submitted via email as soon as possible but no later than noon CST on 25 Oct 2024 in order to allow answers to questions to be publicly posted before the response date. Questions containing proprietary information must be identified to prevent release to the public via posting on the General Services Administration System for Award Management (SAM.GOV) https://sam.gov/content/home website. Please do not call the contracting office for information; email questions to avoid any misunderstanding or confusion and help eliminate duplicate questions.
The primary point of contacts for this RFI is Liliana Gonzales and Robert Newberry. Contact with other Government personnel regarding this RFI is not permitted. If your organization is capable of providing the training support service described above, please electronically submit the requested information by the specified due dates via email to:
Information requested due dates and timeline:
Industry Questions for AFSAT NLT: 25 Oct 2024
AFSAT Response to questions NLT: 06 Dec 2024
Capability Statements: 18 Dec 2024
NOTE: Any changes to due dates and timeline will be updated if applicable
Definitions:
FAR 2.101: Commercial product means—(1) A product, other than real property, that is of a type customarily used by the general public or by nongovernmental entities for purposes other than governmental purposes, and–(i) Has been sold, leased, or licensed to the general public; or (ii) Has been offered for sale, lease, or license to the general public; (2) A product that evolved from a product described in paragraph (1) of this definition through advances in technology or performance and that is not yet available in the commercial marketplace, but will be available in the commercial marketplace in time to satisfy the delivery requirements under a Government solicitation; (3) A product that would satisfy a criterion expressed in paragraph (1) or (2) of this definition, except for-(i) Modifications of a type customarily available in the commercial marketplace; or (ii) Minor modifications of a type not customarily available in the commercial marketplace made to meet Federal Government requirements. “Minor modifications” means modifications that do not significantly alter the nongovernmental function or essential physical characteristics of an item or component, or change the purpose of a process. Factors to be considered in determining whether a modification is minor include the value and size of the modification and the comparative value and size of the final product. Dollar values and percentages may be used as guideposts, but are not conclusive evidence that a modification is minor; (4) Any combination of products meeting the requirements of paragraph (1), (2), or (3) of this definition that are of a type customarily combined and sold in combination to the general public; (5) A product, or combination of products, referred to in paragraphs (1) through (4) of this definition, even though the product, or combination of products, is transferred between or among separate divisions, subsidiaries, or affiliates of a contractor; or (6) A nondevelopmental item, if the procuring agency determines the product was developed exclusively at private expense and sold in substantial quantities, on a competitive basis, to multiple State and local governments or to multiple foreign governments.
FAR 2.101: Commercial service means—(1) Installation services, maintenance services, repair services, training services, and other services if–(i) Such services are procured for support of a commercial product as defined in this section, regardless of whether such services are provided by the same source or at the same time as the commercial product; and (ii) The source of such services provides similar services contemporaneously to the general public under terms and conditions similar to those offered to the Federal Government; (2) Services of a type offered and sold competitively in substantial quantities in the commercial marketplace based on established catalog or market prices for specific tasks performed or specific outcomes to be achieved and under standard commercial terms and conditions. For purposes of these services–(i) Catalog price means a price included in a catalog, price list, schedule, or other form that is regularly maintained by the manufacturer or vendor, is either published or otherwise available for inspection by customers, and states prices at which sales are currently, or were last, made to a significant number of buyers constituting the general public; and (ii) Market prices means current prices that are established in the course of ordinary trade between buyers and sellers free to bargain and that can be substantiated through competition or from sources independent of the offerors; or (3) A service referred to in paragraph (1) or (2) of this definition, even though the service is transferred between or among separate divisions, subsidiaries, or affiliates of a contractor.
