F-35 Landing Gear RFI Final.pdf

Notice Type: Request for Industry Comments (RFIC)

Contracting Office Address:

Defense Logistics Agency; Aviation – Ogden ATTN: Kyle Swaner, Contracting Officer 6051 Gum Lane, Bldg 1225 Hill AFB, UT 84056

1. Subject: REQUEST FOR INDUSTRY COMMENTS (RFIC), MARKET RESEARCH FOR

POTENTIAL F-35 LANDING GEAR SUPPORT STRATEGIES

2. Introduction: This RFIC is being performed to conduct market research to identify potential sources and gathering industry insights regarding future sustainment strategies for the F-35 Landing Gear System. This is not a Request for Proposal (RFP) and does not obligate the government to issue a solicitation or award a contract.

3. Scope: This RFI seeks information related to the potential provision of sustainment support for the F-35

Landing Gear System, including, but not limited to, provisioning, cataloging, consumable part support, and repair/remanufacture of repairable items, in support of global F-35 fleet requirements. Applicable repairable items are identified in Table A (attached). This list is preliminary and subject to change.

4. Objective of the RFIC:

• Identify all potential sources that:

o Possess unassisted access to all necessary technical data required to perform repair and replenishment for the F-35 Landing Gear.

o Demonstrate capabilities, experience, and qualifications to provide sustainment support for the F-35 Landing Gear.

o Have the ability to provide the needed cataloging and provisioning data.

• Enhance competition by identifying contracting and sub-contracting opportunities.

• Gather industry feedback and innovative ideas for structuring future global acquisition and support strategies.

5. Instructions to Industry: Interested parties should submit written responses to the questions in Section 6 to Kyle Swaner at kyle.swaner@us.af.mil by 16:00 MDT on June 10, 2025. Clearly mark any proprietary information. Proprietary information will be used solely for market research and will not be shared with other vendors or used in developing specifications without the owner's consent.

6. Responses to this Sources Sought should address the following:

1. For reference, please provide your: company name; address; CAGE code; DUNS number; authorized points of contact, with telephone numbers and email addresses; and webpage URL.

2. Detail your company's experience with F-35 Landing Gear systems, including design, production, repair, overhaul, engineering contributions, etc. Highlight any experience supporting global sustainment or supply chains.

3. Define strategies to reduce F-35 Landing Gear sustainment costs, while simultaneously increasing F-

35 mission capability rates.

mailto:kyle.swaner@us.af.mil

4. The Part Numbers associated with this requirement are included in Table A. Specify for which, if any of the parts are proprietary to your company and deemed unusable by any other sources without a formal written agreement.

5. Detail your experience and qualifications to manufacture and/or repair any of the components listed in Table A. Specify qualifying entities and components. Indicate if these capabilities can be deployed globally to support the F-35 Enterprise.

6. Potential vendors for this effort will only be considered if they are capable of delivering the provisioning and cataloging data elements listed in Table B attached.

a. Please specify your ability to deliver each of the data elements.

b. If unable to meet any of the requirements, specify why.

c. If you have an alternative means of obtaining the data, please specify.

d. If you don’t have the data now, what would it take for you to acquire?

i. What is the estimated time frame?

7. Describe your capabilities and proposed approaches to support the development and implementation of F-35 global support solutions, including Global Asset Management (GAM) practices, to ensure the availability of F-35 Landing Gear assets worldwide. Emphasize experience with programs similar in size and scope to F-35 global sustainment.

8. Detail your experience partnering with depots/Public & Private Partnerships to establish or enhance organic repair capabilities. Include any experience working with international partners or establishing global repair networks.

9. Risk Management: Identify potential risks associated with supporting F-35 Landing Gear global sustainment requirements and describe your mitigation strategies. Address risks specific to global supply chains, international partnerships, and data security. This should include, but is not limited to, strategies for:

a. Detail your approach to identifying, assessing, and mitigating program risks throughout the lifecycle of F-35 Landing Gear support.

b. Explain how your proposed solutions would enhance the JPO's ability to optimize the global supply chain for F-35 Landing Gear parts and services.

c. Describe your company’s ability to rapidly increase support capacity in response to unforeseen events or surges in demand (e.g. global conflicts, natural disasters).

d. Outline your strategies for addressing potential future challenges and technological advancements that could be implemented to advance the F-35 Landing Gear sustainment efforts.

10. Provide innovative ideas and future solutions for:

a. Establishing and managing a global network of repair facilities for F-35 Landing Gear.

b. Ensuring timely and cost-effective delivery of parts and services to F-35 operating locations worldwide.

c. Coordinating with international partners on F-35 Landing Gear sustainment.

11. Organizational Conflicts of Interest (OCI): Please describe any potential (OCIs), as defined in FAR Subpart 9.5, that your company may have related to this RFI or a potential future procurement for F- 35 Landing Gear support. This includes, but is not limited to, any existing contracts or relationships that could create a competitive advantage or the appearance of preferential treatment.

Disclaimer:

THE GOVERNMENT DOES NOT INTEND TO AWARD A CONTRACT ON THE BASIS OF THIS

RFIC OR TO OTHERWISE PAY FOR THE INFORMATION SOLICITED. The information will be used for planning purposes only and shall not be considered as an Invitation for Bid (IFB), Request for Quotation (RFQ), or Request for Proposal (RFP), or as obligation on the part of the Government to acquire any products or services. Your responses to this RFIC will be treated as information only. No entitlement to payment of direct or indirect costs or charges by the Government will arise because of contractor submission of responses to this request or Government use of such information. The information resulting from this RFIC may be included in one or more acquisition strategies and subsequent RFP's, which may be released via the SAM.gov portal.