Sources Sought
APX-119 Transponder Upgrade
Dept of Defense · Dept of the Air Force · Sol. FA8609-R-APX119
No deadline
AI summary Beta
The Air Force (KC-46 contracting office at Wright-Patterson AFB, OH) is doing market research on companies that can upgrade the APX-119 transponder, an aircraft radio part. About 190 units would be upgraded and 15 spares supplied as a rotating pool. This is a sources sought notice only: it asks for a short capabilities package, not a bid.
Watch out for
- Proprietary data and OEM bulletin needed. You must be able to get the manufacturer's service bulletin and proprietary data, which a new entrant may not be able to do.
Performance of the upgrade requires access to the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) service bulletin to perform the necessary upgrade of OEM certified units.
- FAA Part 145 certification required. Only a certified FAA repair station can do the work, which rules out most small shops without that certificate.
All upgrade services must be performed by an FAA Part 145 certified vendor/facility.
- High throughput. Up to 16 retrofits per week is a demanding pace for a small shop.
How your company will complete the retrofits at a rate of up to 16 per week.
- No response due date given. The SAM.gov record shows no deadline, so check with the contact before you spend time on a response.
Read from the notice text only.
Full brief
What they want
- Upgrade the hardware and software of about 190 APX-119 transponders (P/N 4079100, dash numbers 0522 and 0531)
- Deliver 15 spare units as a rotational pool
- Keep the units compliant with the FAA Supplemental Type Certificate (STC)
- Complete retrofits at a rate of up to 16 per week
- Provide at least a one-year warranty on every delivered unit
- Ship upgraded units back to the Government (no removal or reinstallation on aircraft)
- Place of performance
- Wright Patterson AFB, OH, USA (government's main operating base; vendor performs the upgrade at its own facility)
- How they'll choose
- Not an evaluation: market research only, responses are not offers
- How to submit
- Email to the Primary Point of Contact with the exact subject line APX-119 Transponder Upgrade (the contact's address is not in the text)
- Page limits
- 5 pages total
What to include when you submit
- Include a cover letter and a capabilities package
- Company profile with name, physical and mailing address
- Point of contact name, phone number and email
- A clear statement of intent to bid as a prime contractor
- Foreign ownership or control statement, and whether foreign national employees would be used
- Planned subcontracting percentage and whether small or large businesses would be used
- Capability and capacity statement, including financial capability
- How you will do 16 retrofits per week while keeping STC compliance, with a one-year warranty
- Related experience retrofitting similar transponders in the last ten years, with contract numbers, titles, dollar amounts and contacts
- Business size against the NAICS size standard, and socio-economic status
- DUNS number and CAGE code
- Attachments only as .pdf, .doc, .docx, .xlsx or .xls, under 15 MB; no .zip or .exe files
You must have
- Upgrade work must be done by an FAA Part 145 certified repair station
All upgrade services must be performed by an FAA Part 145 certified vendor/facility.
- Access to the OEM service bulletin and proprietary data needed to service the transponder
Performance of the upgrade requires access to the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) service bulletin to perform the necessary upgrade of OEM certified units.
- Hardware and software upgrades must keep the FAA STC valid
Not in the notice text
- Response due date
- Email address of the Primary Point of Contact
- Contract type, period of performance and delivery schedule
- Estimated value
- Whether a set-aside will result
Is this a fit for your business?
Create a free accountFedReady checks notices like this against your business profile, tracks deadlines, and alerts you to new matches. Creating an account is free.
Key facts
- Posted
- Oct 6, 2026
- Notice type
- Sources Sought
- Solicitation
- FA8609-R-APX119
- Agency
- Dept of Defense · Dept of the Air Force
- Office
- FA8609 AFLCMC WLCK KC46
- NAICS
- 334511
- Product/service code
- 5841
- Business type
- Electrical & electronic components
- Place of performance
- Wright Patterson AFB, OH
- Contracting contact
- Joy Hunterjoy.hunter.1@us.af.mil385-634-4288
Full notice text from SAM.gov
1. Executive Summary & Notice This Sources Sought Synopsis is published for market research purposes only and does not constitute a Notice of Solicitation. The United States Air Force, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC), Mobility and Training Aircraft Directorate, KC-46 Contracting Division at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB), Ohio, is seeking capabilities packages from potential sources, including small businesses (SB), capable of performing required upgrade services on the APX-119 transponder and delivering a rotational pool of spare units. The Government is actively seeking capabilities packages from all potential sources, including but not limited to: Small Business (SB), 8(a) participants, HUBZone Small Business, Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB), Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB), and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB). IMPORTANT NOTICE As stipulated in FAR 15.201, responses to this notice are not considered offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. No solicitation (Request for Proposal) currently exists; therefore, do not request a copy of the solicitation. The decision to solicit for a contract remains solely within the Government’s discretion. Any information submitted is strictly voluntary, and the Government will not reimburse any costs associated with the submission of information in response to this notice. 2. Requirement Specifications The Government is performing market research to identify contractors who possess the skills, experience, knowledge, and ability to obtain proprietary data to service the APX-119 transponder. The contractor must have the capability to perform necessary hardware and software upgrades while maintaining Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) compliance. All upgrade services must be performed by an FAA Part 145 certified vendor/facility. Requirement Parameter Specification Details Part Number (P/N) 4079100 (APX-119 Transponder, including dash numbers 0522 and 0531) National Stock Number (NSN) 0522: 5841-01-580-8081 0531: To date, not assigned Anticipated Retrofit Quantity 190 Units Anticipated Spare Quantity 15 Units (Rotational Pool) 2.1 Operational & Logistics Flow The selected vendor will receive APX-119 units from the Government’s main operating base and will be required to ship the same number of upgraded units back to the Government. This notice is searching for capable vendors to upgrade the units only; the contractor will not be required to perform procedures to remove the units from or reinstall them onto the aircraft. Performance of the upgrade requires access to the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) service bulletin to perform the necessary upgrade of OEM certified units. Additionally, all delivered units shall include a minimum of a one-year (1-year) warranty. 3. Capabilities Package Requirements Interested parties shall submit a capabilities package, accompanied by a cover letter, that is brief and concise, yet clearly demonstrates the ability to meet the stated requirements with sufficiently qualified personnel. Capability packages must not exceed five (5) pages in total. Responses must include the following detailed information: Company Profile: Company name, physical and mailing address. Point of Contact: Name, phone number, and email address. Prime Contractor Intent: A clear statement of your intention to submit a bid for this requirement as a Prime contractor. Ownership & Personnel: A statement as to whether your company is domestically or foreign owned or controlled (if foreign, please indicate the country), and whether use of any foreign national employees is contemplated on this effort. Subcontracting Arrangements: If subcontracts are to be used, provide the anticipated percentage of effort to be subcontracted and whether small or large businesses will be used. Teaming and/or subcontracting arrangements should be clearly delineated, and previous experience in teaming must be provided. Capability & Capacity: A statement as to your capability (including financial) and capacity to perform and manage the work. Execution Methodology: A statement explaining how your company will perform this work, specifically addressing: How your company will complete the retrofits at a rate of up to 16 per week. Demonstration of conducting the required retrofit while maintaining FAA STC compliance. Commitment to delivering units with a minimum 1-year warranty. Experience & Background: A statement clearly describing your related background and experience with retrofitting similar transponders within the last ten (10) years, including contract numbers, project titles, dollar amounts, and points of contact. Business Size Standard: A statement of business size in relation to the NAICS size standard stated above. Socio-Economic Status: Socio-economic status (e.g., Large Business, Small Business, 8(a), HUBZone, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business, etc.). Government Identifiers: Dun & Bradstreet (DUNS) number and Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code. 4. Submission Instructions & Points of Contact Advertising or marketing information is NOT appropriate for this submission. Responses must be submitted electronically to the Primary Point of Contact. All correspondence sent via email MUST contain the exact subject line: “APX-119 Transponder Upgrade” Failure to include this exact subject line may result in the email being blocked by spam filters at Wright-Patterson AFB. Email filters are designed to delete emails without a subject, with suspicious subjects, or with attachments exceeding 15 MB. Attachments with files ending in .zip or .exe are not allowable and will be automatically deleted. Ensure only .pdf, .doc, .docx, .xlsx, or .xls documents are attached.
Similar open opportunities
- RECEIVER-TRANSMITTE, IN REPAIR/MODIFICATION OFNAVSUP Weapon Systems Support (Navy) plans a sole source repair or modification of one receiver-transmitter unit.
- CIRCUIT BREAKERNAVSUP Weapon Systems Support (Navy) plans a sole source purchase of 3 circuit breakers.
- POWER INPUT CABLENAVSUP Weapon Systems Support plans a sole source purchase of 5 power input cables (NSN 1R-5995-016912189-BL, reference 4222AS0166-01), delivered FOB Origin.
- CIRCUIT CARD ASSEMB, IN REPAIR/MODIFICATION OFNAVSUP Weapon Systems Support plans a sole-source repair of 14 circuit card assemblies (NSN 7R-5998-016779794-CC), delivered FOB Origin.
- Add of two (2) Part Numbers to Existing Delivery Order (DO) SPRRA226F0092The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA Aviation, Huntsville, AL) plans to add two cable assemblies for the Bradley Fighting Vehicle IBAS system to an existing delivery order.