RFI Questions and Answers.pdf

F-16 International Aircraft Maintenance and Pilot Differences Training RFI

Questions and Answers

1. What is the highest classification level of storage capability required? CCA must be in 100% control of a US or partner nation person with a US SECRET clearance (or equivalent) or placed in a certified US

Secure Storage Facility (SSF) for storage.

2. Is additional storage required, in addition to a Closed Area for aircraft (i.e. GSA approved safe/vault?)

No, but it would have to be in open storage in a USG-approved SSF facility.

3. Reference para 1.4.4.3: Is Courseware, Syllabi and Student materials already created and will be provided to contractor? No. See PWS Para 1.4.4; as specified per task order, the United States

Government (USG) may provide new production, upgrade and existing Technical Orders. PWS Para

1.4.4.2 states, in support of this training the Contractor shall develop, produce, and deliver F-16 pilot and maintenance courseware and student materials, to support training as specified in individual Task

Orders.

4. What is the number of countries to be supported known? The number of student throughput per FY?

We cannot determine the number of countries/students to be supported by year due to the Foreign

Military Sales (FMS) Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) process. Some requirements may be source directed by country and the number cannot be determined at this time.

5. Reference para 1.4.6.2.1: Will the government provide a list of all support equipment and materials required? No; this is up to the contractor to determine.

6. Has the USG selected its acquisition approach for this program? The government has not reached this point and still conducting market research. More specifically, will the assessment of offering value include past performance and risk evaluations, or will value be assessed using a low-price/technically adequate approach? The acquisition approach is to be determined after completion of market research.

7. Does the USG anticipate hosting another Industry Day event prior to release of the RFP? The government has not reached this point as we are still conducting market research.

8. Does the USG anticipate the release of a Draft RFP before the Final RFP? Yes; a draft RFP will be posted prior to the final RFP.

9. When does the USG project release of the Final RFP? The government estimates 4th quarter calendar year 2021.

10. What month/year does the USG project for the start of the new task order window? Contemplated period of performance begins September 2022.

11. Given that Engineering Training has been removed from the program title and from the PWS scope, does the USG consider this training to be in scope but embedded in other specialties, or does the USG anticipate no future scope for Engineering training? Engineering training is largely synonymous with

Aircraft Maintenance Officer Training associated with para 1.4.7. Engineering training may be an individual line item/CLIN in the solicitation.

12. (Referencing RFI, page 1) Does the RFI reference to a 10-year life cycle equate to an anticipated 10-year contract and period of performance? Yes, the government contemplates a five-year ordering period plus five one-year option periods.

13. (Referencing Draft PWS paragraph 1.3.1) Will the location of training activities be at the discretion of the contractor or the USG? Please refer to paragraphs 1.5.5 and 1.5.6. Currently the location of the

CONUS contractor training facility is up to the offeror.

14. (Referencing Draft PWS paragraph 1.4.3) Given the need to accommodate a mobilization period of 180 days, what is the projected contract award date for the first task order in this program? To be determined.

15. (Referencing Draft PWS paragraph 1.4.4.1) Is there anything that might preclude the USG from providing Tech Orders? USG has unlimited data rights to Country-Specific Technical Orders (CSTOs).

PWS 1.4.4.1. …if USG cannot provide final, manuscript or draft TOs, then the contractor can use other-than-USG provided data to develop courseware. AFSAT and 338 ESS will coordinate with the appropriate USG agencies to obtain these documents when available.

16. (Referencing Draft PWS paragraph 1.4.9) The following questions refer to the requirement to keep pre-delivery aircraft in flyable condition:

a. Please specify the criteria required for achieving flyable condition, and to what level the aircraft must be mission capable in addition to being safely flyable. Fully Mission Capable (FMC), no open or delayed discrepancies. PWS Para 1.4.9 provides the information.

b. Is the intent of the USG for the aircraft to be returned to a flyable condition at some point during every training day? This is dependent on training events.

c. If daily, then during periods when training operations are 24 hours a day, where in the day must training stop to restore the aircraft to flyable condition, and how long must it remain in flyable condition before training can resume? See answer to question b.

d. If not daily, then does the USG require a different interval at which flyable condition must be periodically restored, and for how long? Daily is not necessarily required, see answer to question b.

e. If not daily, then is the intent to ensure that the aircraft can be returned to flyable condition within a certain reasonable length of time following notification of a training stop? Yes, reasonable length of time. The objective here is to not be able to fly the jet at any given day; it is to maintain the aircraft to be able to be returned to AFLCMC control under USG supervision at the completion of pre-delivery training.

17. Given that this directive adds a sustainment requirement to the training requirement, please clarify the intended balance of priorities between training and sustainment to meet the flyable condition requirement. For instance, does the USG anticipate that OJT periods will need to be lengthened or that training scope will need to be reduced to shift some priority toward maintaining flyable condition? It depends; if a part or repair is needed that will inevitably take priority over training if it prevents training from being accomplished.

18. Upon completion of pre-delivery OJT at the contractor’s training facility, who will be responsible for determining flyable condition, conducting final maintenance inspections, and conducting flight tests for airworthiness? The government is conducting ongoing research on the transfer requirements from the training contractor back to AFLCMC control.

19. For pre-delivery OJT, is the USG’s intent to avoid all in-CONUS refurbishment activity prior to customer delivery, or to support post-OJT refurbishment as necessary for delivery? USG seeks to replace the refurbishment requirement with maintaining flyable status.

a. If in-CONUS refurbishment activity is to be avoided post-OJT, please confirm that the USG will not require the contractor to return jets to an “as received” condition upon completion of training.

This is confirmed; there will be some wear and tear on the aircraft and it will not be required to be returned to USG in the exact same post-DD250 condition in which it was received.

b. If some level of refurbishment is anticipated post-OJT and prior to customer delivery, who will be responsible for that refurbishment and the subsequent inspections and flight tests? There is no such requirement for the new training contract presently.

20. Upon completion of pre-delivery OJT at the contractor’s training facility, does the USG intend to ferry jets directly to the purchasing customer, or move them to a designated CONUS facility for any necessary refurbishment, inspections, and/or flight tests prior to customer delivery? USG intends to move the aircraft back to the OEM under AFLCMC, who has responsibility for ferry requirements from there.

21. The three different RFI since 2020 are very similar and we’d like to confirm that you want something different and unique than was previously provided. The RFIs posted over the last three months are for separate contemplated requirements. The F-16 Team has posted RFIs for a Pilot Training Program requirement, Contract Field Support Instructor Pilots requirement, and the International Aircraft

Maintenance and Pilot Differences Training requirement.