ATC Training RFI_FINAL.pdf

Request for Information

This Request for Information (RFI) for Air Traffic Controller (ATC) training is being issued in accordance with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Acquisition Management System (AMS) Policy 3.2.1.2.1. Responses to this RFI will be used for informational purposes only to support the development of a training strategy for ATC training. The information will not be released except as required under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA); proprietary information will be protected if appropriately marked.

Introduction/Purpose

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is committed to delivering world-class training that equips Air Traffic Controllers (ATCs) to safely manage the National Airspace System (NAS). In support of the President’s and Secretary Duffy’s hiring supercharge initiative announced February 27, 2025, the FAA anticipates a significant increase in students entering the ATC training pipeline. To ensure safe, efficient, and timely certification of these new hires while also supporting the development of the existing controller workforce, the FAA seeks information on innovative training strategies, enabling technologies, and scalable instructor models.

Key areas of interest include:

• Increasing throughput at the FAA Academy through expanded simulation capacity, modular and competency-based training models, and optimized classroom and lab utilization.

• Improving student success and reducing time-to-certification with adaptive learning, predictive analytics, and targeted remediation to identify and assist struggling students early.

• Leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) to predict outcomes, provide real-time feedback, analyze performance data for course corrections, and enhance adaptive training content.

• Deploying immersive technologies (e.g., VR, AR, MR) to deliver high-fidelity and scalable training scenarios, including rare and high-stress events.

• Addressing instructor workforce constraints by supplementing retired controller instructors with qualified adult educators, supported by train-the-trainer programs and productivity-enhancing tools (e.g., AI-assisted lesson planning, automated scoring).

• Enabling distributed and remote training via secure cloud-based platforms and remote performance monitoring.

• Applying data-driven program management to improve training quality, efficiency, and scalability continuously.

The FAA intends to leverage these advancements to expand capacity, increase throughput, improve success rates, and enhance instructor effectiveness. Responses to this RFI may inform a long-term strategy to deploy next-generation ATC training solutions capable of meeting projected hiring levels and evolving NAS operational needs.

Current FAA ATC Training Today, the current process for training ATCs follows two tracks. Track One (most common) is for new students to attend the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City, OK for Air Traffic Basics and Initial Qualification training. Once those courses are completed, the student will be assigned to a field facility to complete training. Track Two is for students that have graduated from a CTI or e-CTI school and do not need to attend the Academy and are sent directly to an FAA facility.

Nature of this RFI

(a) This is not a commitment to issue a further screening information request or request for proposals.

(b) The FAA is not seeking or accepting unsolicited proposals.

(c) The FAA will not pay for any information received or costs incurred in preparing any response to this RFI.

(d) Any costs associated with any response to this RFI are solely at the interested vendor’s expense.

FAA Questions

1. What would your approach be to training and certification of new ATCs, including how it scales during surge hiring periods.

2. How would you decrease the length of time to certification using predictive analytics, adaptive learning, and early student performance detection/remediation?

3. What would your approach be to recurrent training for current ATC’s?

4. What strategies would you deploy to bring new technologies to training?

5. What training model would you propose and why would it work best for the FAA

(continue use of two tracks)?

6. What training delivery methods would you suggest (e-learning, in person, self-paced, blended, etc.)?

7. Where would you conduct training (at the Academy, only in the field, etc.)?

8. What qualifications and experience should trainers/instructors have?

9. Other than classroom, laboratory/simulation, virtual, and emerging technologies are there any other training methodologies the FAA should explore?

10. Based on your understanding of the challenges in the training of ATCs, what are the most important aspects that should be considered?

11. How would you increase the student passage rate, including the use of AI to predict and address student performance issues early?

12. What methods or data sources should the FAA use to better gauge the accuracy of the potential Certified Professional Controller (CPC) instructor labor pool?

13. How would you utilize train-the-trainer to develop and maintain a qualified instructor base, including approaches for rapidly qualifying non-ATC professional educators as instructors?

14. How would you address challenges commonly faced in government training, such as ensuring consistency, engaging learners, overcoming technological barriers, or navigating bureaucratic processes?

15. How would the effectiveness of the training be measured, and what metrics will be used to demonstrate impact/success, and what analytics tools or dashboards would you use to track performance and forecast training outcomes?

16. What should be considered to ensure the training is sustainable and has a long-lasting impact beyond the initial program delivery?

17. What do you need from the FAA to be successful? Specifically, what equipment, authorities, federal employee know-how, and FAA-contracted services would you require?

18. What is the estimated lead time for implementing a new training program?

19. How should we evaluate potential approaches?

20. What change management and risk mitigation strategies would you use to ensure smooth adoption of new technologies and training models?

21. Are there clear advantages or disadvantages to the FAA making a multiple-award contract for ATC training services instead of a single-award contract? Please explain your position.

22. What is your experience executing a plan of this scope and magnitude? Please provide relevant examples (both Government and non-Government) of training programs you have implemented, including challenges encountered and how they were resolved.

Point of Contact

To contact the FAA relating to this RFI, please email the Contracting Officer, Stephen Shaffer, at stephen.c.shaffer@faa.gov. Please, no phone calls.

Submittal Requirements

All responses must be limited to 25 pages (PDF File, Times New Roman, 12 Point Font) and should include the following:

1. Responses to FAA questions (note: vendors may respond to some or all of the questions)

2. Additional input (if necessary)

3. Contact information

Responses must be submitted to the Government at the email address above no later than 4 p.m.

eastern time on Monday, September 8, 2025. If the response includes data in the response that mailto:stephen.c.shaffer@faa.gov the respondent does not want to be disclosed to the public or for the FAA to use except for review purposes, please mark the title page with the following legend in compliance with AMS 3.2.2.3-16 “Restricting, Disclosing and Using Data” (April 2024): “This response includes data that must not be (1) disclosed outside the FAA and (2) duplicated, used, or disclosed -in whole or in part- for any purpose other than to review this response.