The Air Force is doing market research (a sources sought, not a bid) for a follow-on contract to sustain F138-100 engines that power the C-5M aircraft. Work would be at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma, and may include material management, depot-level engine maintenance, engineering and airworthiness support. The Government has not yet decided the contract type, length or whether it will be set aside for small business.
Watch out for
Heavy engine depot capability needed. Depot-level maintenance, tooling, technical data access and airworthiness certifications are hard for a small shop to show without prior engine sustainment experience.
Incumbent is Canadian Commercial Corporation. The current contract was competitively awarded to Canadian Commercial Corporation, so a new bidder would compete against an established source. The current contract was competitively awarded to Canadian Commercial Corporation.
Acquisition strategy undecided. It is unclear whether this will be a small business set-aside, so a small business may end up as a subcontractor.
Read from the notice text only.
Full brief
What they want
Material management and subcontractor component support
Engine maintenance and depot-level maintenance and repair, including equipment and tooling
Maintenance build plans using Reliability Centered Maintenance Plus principles
Compliance with Technical Order data and Time Compliance Technical Orders
Engineering investigations, Product Quality Deficiency Reports and analytical condition inspections
Manage Government-furnished property such as Government-owned parts and equipment
Maintain airworthiness certifications and integrate peculiar support equipment
Contract type
Not decided; the current contract is an indefinite delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) service contract
Place of performance
Tinker AFB, OK, USA
Offers due
2026-11-04 17:00 (UTC-06:00) per the notice header
Page limits
Concise capabilities statement; no page count stated
What to include when you submit
Include company name, UEI, CAGE code if available, address and point of contact
List NAICS codes in your SAM registration and your business size and status for NAICS 336412
Describe your capability for each scope area and name any you cannot perform
Describe facilities, tooling, technical data access, quality systems and workforce for F138-100 or similar engines
Give relevant experience from the past five years (customer, period, work, value, prime or sub role)
Describe teaming partners or subcontractors, with roles and size status
Estimate small-business participation as a percentage of total contract value
You must have
No set-aside decided yet; the Government may use full and open competition or a socioeconomic set-aside The Government may consider full and open competition, a socioeconomic set-aside, or another acquisition approach, as appropriate.
Capability to support airworthiness requirements and certifications for aircraft engine sustainment
Small businesses planning to prime under a set-aside should describe how they would meet limitations on subcontracting
Current contractor
Current F138-100 Engine Sustainment contract was competitively awarded to Canadian Commercial Corporation
Not in the notice text
How to submit the capability statement (no email or portal is stated in the text)
Estimated contract value
Contract type, length and options for the follow-on
Whether the work will be set aside
Evaluation approach
Written by AI from the notice text on SAM.gov, and can make mistakes. Check the solicitation before you bid.
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1. Purpose This is a Sources Sought Synopsis issued for market research purposes only. This notice is not a solicitation, request for proposal, request for quotation, invitation for bid, or commitment by the Government to award a contract. The Government will not pay for any information, costs, or responses submitted in response to this notice. No solicitation is available at this time, and the Government does not intend to award a contract based solely on responses to this announcement. The Government may contact respondents to obtain additional information regarding their capabilities. 2. Requirement Description The Department of the Air Force is conducting market research to identify capable sources for a potential follow-on requirement for F138-100 engine sustainment supporting C-5M aircraft mission requirements. The current F138-100 Engine Sustainment contract is an indefinite delivery, indefinite-quantity service contract. The current contract was competitively awarded to Canadian Commercial Corporation. The anticipated requirement may include material management, engine maintenance, component support, engineering, airworthiness, and related sustainment services. The Government has not determined the acquisition strategy, contract type, period of performance, competition approach, or socioeconomic set-aside approach for any future requirement. 3. Anticipated Scope Interested parties should demonstrate their capability to perform some or all of the following functions: Provide material-management functions, engine maintenance, and subcontractor component-support services. Provide supply liaison support and depot-level maintenance and repair capability, including required equipment and tooling. Develop and update maintenance build plans using Reliability Centered Maintenance Plus principles. Comply with applicable Technical Order data and Time Compliance Technical Orders, including new or revised technical requirements. Support engineering investigations. Support Product Quality Deficiency Reports. Provide analytical condition inspections. Manage and use Government-furnished property, including Government-owned parts and equipment, as authorized and made available by the Government. Support and maintain certifications and compliance associated with airworthiness requirements. Integrate and coordinate peculiar support equipment. 4. Requested Capability Information Interested parties are requested to submit a concise capabilities statement addressing the following: a. Company Information Company name. Unique Entity Identifier. Commercial and Government Entity code, if available. Company address. Primary point of contact, including name, title, telephone number, and email address. Applicable NAICS codes listed in the company’s System for Award Management registration. Business size and socioeconomic status for NAICS 336412, including, as applicable: Small business; Small disadvantaged business; 8(a) participant; Women-owned small business; Economically disadvantaged women-owned small business; HUBZone small business; Service-disabled veteran-owned small business; Veteran-owned small business; or Other than small business. b. Technical Capability A description of the company’s capability to meet each anticipated scope area identified in Section 3. Identification of any scope areas the company cannot perform. Description of facilities, equipment, tooling, technical data access, quality systems, certifications, and workforce qualifications relevant to F138-100 or comparable military/commercial aircraft engine sustainment. Description of experience supporting airworthiness, technical-order compliance, engineering investigations, product quality deficiency reporting, and analytical condition inspections. c. Relevant Experience For each relevant effort performed within the past five years, provide: Customer name and contract number, if releasable; Period of performance; Brief description of work performed; Relevance to the anticipated requirement; Contract value or value range, if releasable; Prime contractor or subcontractor role; and Customer point of contact, if authorized for release. d. Teaming and Subcontracting Respondents proposing to use teaming arrangements or subcontractors should identify: Proposed prime contractor and each known teammate or subcontractor; Anticipated roles and scope allocation; Whether each entity is small or other than small business; Relevant prior teaming experience; and Any limitations, dependencies, or approvals affecting the arrangement. e. Small-Business Participation All respondents are requested to provide a reasonable estimate of anticipated small-business utilization as a percentage of total contract value, with supporting rationale. Identify the anticipated supplies or services suitable for small-business participation and the socioeconomic categories expected to be utilized. If a small business intends to compete as a prime contractor under a potential small-business set-aside, it should describe its planned approach to complying with applicable limitations on subcontracting, including: The anticipated percentage of contract performance to be performed by the prime contractor and similarly situated entities; The anticipated percentage of payments to be made to subcontractors that are not similarly situated entities; The anticipated division of work among teaming partners and subcontractors; and The basis for concluding that the proposed performance approach is achievable. Other than small businesses should also describe their anticipated approach to small-business subcontracting and their experience meeting small-business subcontracting commitments on comparable efforts. 5. Acquisition Strategy The Government has not determined an acquisition strategy for this potential requirement. Information received in response to this notice will be used to assess the availability and capability of industry sources and to inform potential competition and small-business participation strategies. The Government may consider full and open competition, a socioeconomic set-aside, or another acquisition approach, as appropriate. Nothing in this notice constitutes a commitment by the Government regarding any future acquisition strategy.
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