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 contracting 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. This is not a Screening Information Request or Request for Proposal.

Introduction/Purpose

The purpose of this announcement is to obtain industry feedback on an updated acquisition strategy as well as the application of innovative training technologies and models for the next generation of ATC Training Support Services program.

Historically, these complex training services—encompassing institutional classroom instruction, simulation laboratory support, and curriculum maintenance and development at the FAA Academy and field facilities—have been procured using a Time & Materials (T&M) contract structure for everything other than Program Management activities. Currently, the contract supports two primary locations for instruction:

• FAA Academy (~40% of value under T&M): Centralized foundational training and workforce development.

• Field Facilities (~60% of value under T&M): Localized delivery across 300+ nationwide sites (EnRoute centers, TRACONs, and airport control towers).

Executive Order 14402 “Promoting Efficiency, Accountability, and Performance in Federal Contracting,” directs Federal agencies to prioritize fixed-price (FP) contracts with performance-based considerations to improve efficiency, accountability, and cost control in government procurement. In alignment with this policy, the FAA intends to transition to a firm-fixed-price (FFP) contract structure for its ATC training support requirements.

The FAA seeks specific industry feedback on how to best structure a future ATC training contract as a FFP vehicle to ensure the continued delivery of world-class training while mitigating cost overruns and performance risks. Additionally, the FAA requests industry feedback on designing a FFP structure that incentivizes contractors throughout the period of performance to continuously identify, evaluate, and integrate innovative methods, technologies, tools, and curricula (such as but not limited to advanced simulation, AI-driven adaptive learning, or updated instruction techniques) without requiring costly or complex contract modifications.

Key areas of interest for innovation 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.

Scope of Work Overview

The upcoming requirement will support all phases of the ATC training lifecycle across the National Airspace System (NAS) per the attached draft Statement of Work (SOW). The attached SOW reflects the current scope of the ATC training requirements. The FAA is specifically seeking industry feedback on how this requirement can best be priced and administered under a FFP contract, and responses to the questions below will inform the eventual solicitation.

Nature of this RFI

(a) This is not a commitment to issue a further screening information request or request for proposals. If a solicitation is issued, it will be announced on SAM.gov.

(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 for Industry Feedback

Respondents are requested to provide direct, candid answers to the following questions.

1. What is the most efficient and cost-effective way to obtain the required ATC training services under each of the requirement areas laid out in the attached Statement of Work for a FFP contract structure? In your response, please identify the fixed-price pricing construct you would recommend for each requirement area (e.g., fixed price per student, per cohort, per site, per period of performance, etc) and explain why.

2. What are the risks you see with implementing a FFP contract structure for ATC training? How might the FAA mitigate these risks?

3. Given the historical fluctuations in student throughput, class schedules, and duration of training at the Academy and in the Field, how might the FAA structure a FFP contract to address these uncertainties?

4. What specific workload data, historical metrics, or operational baselines could the FAA provide to the vendor community to help your organization minimize any risk premium included in fixed pricing and offer the most competitive pricing?

5. How would you suggest handling unexpected schedule impacts that would require the smallest amount of impacts to contract modifications?

6. To maintain operational excellence without driving up fixed costs, what types of performance-based metrics or SLAs do you recommend that align vendor incentives with operational efficiency?

7. As a significant percentage of the CTS II workforce is contemplated to be subject to Service Contract Labor Standards (SCLS) wage determinations and applicable Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs), how would SCLS wage determination revisions and CBA obligations (including successorship) impact your potential pricing model under an FFP structure?

8. How does shifting from T&M to a FFP contract type impact your corporate approach to recruiting, onboarding, and retaining a large and diverse workforce including highly specialized Instructors (retired Certified Professional Controllers (CPC’s), Remote Pilot Operators (RPO’s), Lab Managers, Instructional Designers, etc.)?

9. What emerging tools or advanced technologies (such as but not limited to Virtual/Augmented/Mixed Reality, adaptive AI, data analytics) would you implement to improve student outcomes and throughput, and how would you propose continuously introducing these innovations throughout the life of the contract under a FFP model?

10. How would you manage unexpected shifts in hiring volume or surge requirements without compromising quality, and what FFP pricing mechanisms (such as but not limited to stepped CLINs, unit pricing by cohort, scalable tiers) would you recommend to accommodate this volume variability?

11. What strategies or methodologies would you deploy to shorten time-to-certification and reduce operational downtime while maintaining NAS safety standards, and how can the FFP structure be incentivized to reward these timeline efficiencies?

12. What training delivery model offers the best balance of quality and cost, and how would you structure the FFP baseline to allow for location flexibility without triggering major contract modifications?

13. How can an agency structure a FFP contract to incentivize industry to introduce innovative solutions, methodologies, or emerging technologies? What outcome-based metrics or performance incentives allow your firm the flexibility to implement innovative methods and tools?

14. Would you recommend a FP contract structure other than FFP given the operational complexities inherent in ATC training (e.g., Fixed-Price with Economic Price Adjustment; Firm Fixed-Price, Level-of-Effort; Fixed-Price Incentive (Firm Target); or Fixed-Price Award Fee, as described in AMS Procurement Guidance T3.2.4.A.2)? If so, please identify the structure, the requirement areas to which it would apply, and how it would remain consistent with the fixed-price prioritization directed by Executive Order 14402 and encouraged under AMS Policy § 3.2.4.2.

15. Are there any other insights your firm can provide?

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 15 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. Corporate profile, including a capabilities statement demonstrating your firm’s abilities to provide the services described under “Scope of Work Overview”

3. Additional input (if necessary)

4. Contact information

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

Eastern time on September 11, 2026. If the response includes data that the respondent does not want to be disclosed to the public, please mark the title page with the following legend, consistent with AMS Clause 3.2.2.3-16 (Restriction on Disclosure and Use of Data), and mark each affected page accordingly:

"This response includes data that the respondent requests not be disclosed outside the Government and not be duplicated, used, or disclosed, in whole or in part, for any purpose other than to evaluate this response. This restriction does not limit the Government's right to use information contained in this response if it is obtained from mailto:stephen.c.shaffer@faa.gov another source without restriction. The data subject to this restriction are contained on the following pages: [list pages]."

Information from submissions may be used in future acquisition activities on a non-vendor-specific basis.

The FAA may request that one, some, all, or none of the respondents to this RFI provide additional information. No evaluation of vendors will occur based on this additional information, and vendor participation in any informational session is not a promise for future business with the FAA.