Government Responses 1.xlsx
XLSX spreadsheet 15 KB Posted
- Solicitation number
- 243-25-157
About this file
This document is a Government Responses spreadsheet for a Sources Sought Notice (SSN) for Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) for the United States Marine Corps. The Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) is conducting market research to assess commercially available First Person View (FPV) sUAS capabilities, with a focus on production scalability to thousands of units. The SSN seeks vendors capable of delivering systems that are compliant with 2020 and 2023 NDAA sections and the American Security Drone Act of 2023, or can demonstrate a clear path to compliance.
Key requirements include the ability to produce up to 5,000 air vehicles within six months and 10,000 units within twelve months, with initial deliveries targeted for April 2026. The government is interested in both commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) systems and systems assembled from compliant components. Vendors are expected to provide comprehensive system pricing, including air vehicles and all supporting equipment such as ground control stations, controllers, communications equipment, goggles, batteries, and charging equipment. The SSN emphasizes that this is a market research tool and does not constitute a formal solicitation, with responses being voluntary and not guaranteeing future contract award.
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Other files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| Government Responses 1.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| Government Responses 1.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| Government Responses 1.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| Sources Sought Response Template - 01 Oct 2025.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| UAS System BOM Template - 01 Oct 2025.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| Sources Sought Response Template - 01 Oct 2025.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet |
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Sheet1
| Sources Sought Title | Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) for the United States Marine Corps |
| Sources Sought Notice ID | 243-25-157 |
| Question | Government Response | |
| 1 | At a general level, are most respondents proposing existing off-the-shelf drones, or are you primarily seeing custom FPV systems assembled from compliant components? | This Sources Sought Notice is being conducted for market research purposes in accordance with FAR Part 10 and FAR Part 12 to assess the availability of commercially available, low-cost, high-volume Small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS) solutions. Respondents may propose commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) systems, including systems that are currently available or that represent commercially viable configurations assembled from compliant components, provided they meet the intent and requirements outlined in the notice. The Government is interested in understanding the breadth of the commercial industrial base and encourages respondents to accurately describe their offered solution and level of maturity. |
| 2 | At this stage, is it acceptable to describe a clear path to meeting NDAA / ASDA requirements, or should systems already be fully compliant at the time of response? | As stated in the Sources Sought Notice, systems must be compliant with 2020 NDAA Section 848, 2023 NDAA Section 817, and the American Security Drone Act of 2023, or demonstrate a credible and clearly articulated path to compliance. Respondents should describe their current compliance status and, where applicable, provide sufficient detail regarding how and when compliance will be achieved. |
| 3 | For quantities and pricing, should responses assume the air vehicle only, or a complete system (drone, controller, goggles, batteries, chargers, etc.)? When quantities are referenced, are they intended to reflect individual air vehicles or complete systems? | Respondents should refer to the Sources Sought Notice and associated attachments. The Government requests total system cost, including the air vehicle and all supporting components necessary for operation (e.g., ground control station/controller, communications equipment, goggles, batteries, charging equipment, and any other required items). Respondents should clearly break out pricing at the air vehicle level as well as the complete system level, consistent with the instructions provided. |
| 4 | When quantities are referenced, are they intended to reflect individual air vehicles or complete systems? | Quantities referenced in the Sources Sought Notice are primarily focused on air vehicle production volumes, as explicitly stated in the notice (e.g., up to 5,000 air vehicles within six months and 10,000 units within twelve months). However, respondents should ensure that their submission accurately reflects their overall system-level capability, scalability, and pricing, including any dependent equipment required to support those air vehicles. |
| 5 | Lastly, should responses focus on systems that are available now or in the very near term, or is it acceptable to describe systems that would become available within the timelines outlined in the notice? | Respondents should refer to the timelines outlined in the Sources Sought Notice. The Government is interested in understanding both current availability and the ability to deliver systems within the production timelines specified, including initial deliveries by April 2026 and subsequent ramp to higher production quantities. Submissions should clearly identify system availability, production readiness, and any assumptions related to schedule. |
| 6 | As you are looking for industry feedback, do you have any idea what the ideal weight, speed, range, battery life span, payload capacity, and features are? | “This Sources Sought Notice is being conducted for market research purposes in accordance with FAR Part 10. Respondents should refer to the Sources Sought Notice and provide information describing their system’s capabilities.” |
| 7 | At what operational echelon does the government envision this capability being primarily employed (squad, platoon, company, or higher)? | “This Sources Sought Notice is being conducted for market research purposes in accordance with FAR Part 10. Respondents should refer to the Sources Sought Notice and provide information describing their system’s capabilities.” |
| 8 | Are there specific operational or sustainment gaps the government is seeking to address with this effort? | “This Sources Sought Notice is being conducted for market research purposes in accordance with FAR Part 10. Respondents should refer to the Sources Sought Notice and provide information describing their system’s capabilities.” |
| 9 | Can you clarify when the first batch of drones is required to be delivered for the above | “This Sources Sought Notice is being conducted for market research purposes in accordance with FAR Part 10. |
The delivery timelines referenced in the Sources Sought Notice are intended to assess industry’s production capability and scalability.
Respondents should refer to the Sources Sought Notice and provide information describing their system availability and production capacity consistent with the timelines described.”
10 Also, while we can supply the entire drone, we are also able to supply some key components separately. For example, long range FPV fiber-optic links, motors, speed controllers, propellers etc. Are you only interested in complete drones, or will you consider component suppliers also under this RFI? “The Government is conducting market research in accordance with FAR Part 10 to assess commercially available sUAS solutions and the capacity of the industrial base.
Respondents should refer to the Sources Sought Notice for submission instructions and ensure submissions align with the scope and response requirements outlined in the notice.”
11 Are you planning to implement a waiver for this program in response to the recent FCC rule "disallowing critical UAV components from any foreign source"? “The Government is conducting market research in accordance with FAR Part 10 to assess commercially available sUAS solutions and the capacity of the industrial base.
Respondents should refer to the Sources Sought Notice for submission instructions and ensure submissions align with the scope and response requirements outlined in the notice.”
| 12 | We respectfully request that you consider extending the number of pages for contractor responses given the depth, breadth and number of questions in our response. Recently, we have responded to very similar RFIs and they ranged from 10 to 15 page responses. | The Government is conducting market research in accordance with FAR Part 10. Respondents should refer to the Sources Sought Notice for submission instructions, including page limitations, and use the provided templates and attachments to ensure submissions align with the scope and response requirements outlined in the notice |
| 13 | Is a non-U.S. UAV manufacturer (based and registered in Ukraine) eligible to submit a response based on battle-proven systems that are not yet NDAA-compliant, provided the company has a plan to achieve NDAA compliance prior to future solicitation? | “Respondents should refer to the Sources Sought Notice for eligibility, compliance, and submission guidance. As stated in the notice, systems must be NDAA-compliant or demonstrate a path to compliance. Submissions should align with the scope and response requirements outlined in the notice.” |
| 14 | Will a non-U.S. UAV manufacturer (based and registered in Ukraine) be eligible to submit a proposal in future solicitation considering the need to export of such products? | “This Sources Sought Notice is being conducted for market research purposes in accordance with FAR Part 10. Respondents should refer to the Sources Sought Notice for applicable compliance considerations. Eligibility for any future solicitation will be addressed, as applicable, in the solicitation documents.” |
| 15 | Does the U.S. Government consider participation by a foreign UAV manufacturer (based and registered in Ukraine) as a subcontractor to a U.S.-based prime contractor as an acceptable approach under this program? | “Respondents should refer to the Sources Sought Notice for scope and submission guidance. The Government is conducting market research to assess commercially available sUAS solutions and the capacity of the industrial base.” |
| 16 | Is the submission of a response to this Sources Sought notice a necessary condition for eligibility to submit proposals to future solicitation related to this requirement? | “No. As stated in the Sources Sought Notice, failure to submit a response will not preclude participation in any future competition related to this effort.” |
| 17 | If available, does the Government have an estimate number of UAV systems for initial delivery in April 2026? | “The timelines and quantities referenced in the Sources Sought Notice are intended to assess industry production capability and scalability. Respondents should refer to the notice and provide information describing their system availability and production capacity.” |
| 18 | Is Government seeking a single multifunctional platform only, or would multiple UAV types covering these missions be acceptable to offer? | “The Government has not specified a preferred system architecture or solution approach at this stage. Respondents should refer to the Sources Sought Notice and provide information describing their system capabilities consistent with the scope of the notice.” |
| 19 | With respect to the outlined mission of lethal payload delivery, does the Government consider air-delivered payload release (bomber drones), one-way attack UAV (FPV kamikaze drones), or potentially both concepts? | “Respondents should refer to the Sources Sought Notice for the mission areas and information requested. This Sources Sought is being conducted for market research purposes and does not prescribe specific concepts of employment.” |
| 20 | Do the proposed Drones need to be Blue listed or NDAA compliant? | “As stated in the Sources Sought Notice, systems must be NDAA-compliant or demonstrate a path to compliance. Respondents should refer to the notice for applicable compliance considerations.” |
| 21 | Is the USMC looking for creative approaches to support the contract development process? | “This Sources Sought Notice is being conducted for market research purposes in accordance with FAR Part 10 to understand commercially available capabilities and the capacity of the industrial base. Respondents should refer to the Sources Sought Notice and provide information describing their system’s capabilities.” |
| 22 | Should we provide the unit cost of a single air vehicle ($X) plus the proportional share of support equipment based on our recommended operational ratio (e.g., 10 air vehicles : 2 GCS : accessories)? | “Respondents should refer to the Sources Sought Notice and associated templates, including the Bill of Materials (BOM) template. Submissions should provide an accurate reflection of the respondent’s capabilities and pricing consistent with the scope and instructions outlined in the notice.” |
| 23 | Should we propose a recommended operational package configuration and price it as a complete unit? | “Respondents should refer to the Sources Sought Notice for submission instructions. The Government is conducting market research in accordance with FAR Part 10 to understand commercially available approaches. Submissions should align with the scope and response requirements outlined in the notice.” |
| 24 | Would you prefer both: (a) itemized costs for all components individually, and (b) our recommended deployment ratio with fully-burdened cost per operational air vehicle | “Respondents should refer to the Sources Sought Notice and associated templates, including the BOM template, for guidance on cost and component information. Submissions should accurately represent the respondent’s capability and pricing consistent with the notice.” |
| 25 | When pricing the SSN Response template, should we just be reporting on the air vehicle side as a "system", or should this be the system as defined above? | “Respondents should refer to the Sources Sought Notice and response template for definitions and submission guidance. The Government requests information necessary to support market research and assess commercially available sUAS solutions consistent with the scope outlined in the notice.” |
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