Questions and Answers - Draft RFP FA811922R0008.pdf

DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE

HEADQUARTERS AIR FORCE SUSTAINMENT CENTER (AFMC)

TINKER AIR FORCE BASE OKLAHOMA

SUBJECT: Draft Request for Proposal (RFP) - B-1 Nose Radome Questions / Answers

1. How do we receive the technical data/drawings? Can the drawings and Section J documents be posted in a secure manner?

a. Technical Data/Drawings –

i. Per the post to www.SAM.gov (SAM), under the Attachments/Links section, click on FD2030-20-00777A – Drawings link, click Request

Access, Input Reason for Access, and Submit

ii. All data is loaded into SAM, contractors should get a notification that it can be accessed and retrieved. If a contractor has an issue, contact

Federal Service Desk (FSD) to get access: 1-866-606-8220, https://www.fsd.gov/gsafsd_sp. Only the FSD helpdesk can assist with

SAM issues.

iii. Send Engineering Data request to: ocalc.lgldo.public@us.af.mil

iv. Send Tech Order (TO) request to: AFLCMC.LZP.PUBSALES@us.af.mil

b. Section J Attachments –

i. Per the post to SAM, under the Attachments/Links section, each

Document listed can be securely downloaded

2. Is there a PWS for the B-1 Manufacturing/Production units and Test?

a. No. The test and creation of the new method are written into the Performance

Work Statement (PWS). For new build items, everything is built to the Technical

Data Package (TDP), which is the drawings and specifications used to fabricate a new item.

3. Can Section B be provided in an excel spreadsheet?

a. PDF is the only format provided.

4. Is there a file of item in the solicitation that clearly describes the security clearance requirements?

a. Please reference the PWS Section 3.4 for security requirements.

b. DD254 Form-Contract Security Classification Specification to be incorporated as an attachment in Final RFP.

5. Must the currently owned GFE equipment for the chamber be utilized to support this solicitation or will newly purchased equipment for a newly built chamber be reimbursed by government as Government owned equipment? My understanding is http://www.sam.gov/ https://www.fsd.gov/gsafsd_sp mailto:ocalc.lgldo.public@us.af.mil mailto:AFLCMC.LZP.PUBSALES@us.af.mil that the current equipment is outdated, or rather old and new modernized equipment can be purchased and reimbursement by the government for this effort.

The government would then own the equipment at conclusion of contract.

a. All available Government Furnished Equipment (GFE) will be made available to winning contractor. Other than the Low Observable Antenna (LOA), the

Government does not guarantee the quality or condition of the GFE. All requirements and expectations for GFE are explained in the PWS.

6. Is the information contained in documents “B530000” and “B531000” necessary to the repair of the B1 Radome? If yes, can you confirm how to obtain this information?

a. Both documents are necessary for this contract, and both are part of the

Engineering Data List (EDL).

7. If you are considering an immediate drop date for the RFP, can you add a 3-4 week extension to the close date to allow us to account for the delay in receiving the missing data?

a. Extension will not be granted in reference to documents “B530000” and

“B531000”, because they are included in the EDL. Final RFP will be synopsized on SAM for 15 days before posting the Final RFP.

8. Would it be possible to reconsider the no-visit policy and allow us to physically see a

B1 Radome prior to the RFP, or obtain one through the Bailment process, as soon as possible?

a. No, site visits are not allowed at this time.

9. When would a site visit of our facility occur in this process?

a. In regard to the approval process, a site visit is part of the Source Approval

Request (SAR) package review. The timing of which is dependent on the date of the submittal of the SAR package and availability of Government personnel.

Regarding site visits during the contract, those will be varied, and the timing will be dependent upon agreement between the Government and the contractor as well as the contract schedule.

10. Will an inactive status on SAM.gov have any impact on our ability to respond to the

RFP? Can your office intervene on our behalf to escalate it to the highest level possible?

a. Contractor status on SAM must be active to submit a proposal and to receive contract award.

b. All issues regarding SAM must go through the FSD helpdesk: 1-866-606-8220, https://www.fsd.gov/gsafsd_sp.

https://www.fsd.gov/gsafsd_sp

11. Are there going to be any drawings or ATP included in this pre-solicitation?

a. A full EDL was posted in the attachment section of the Draft RFP with all drawings and data necessary.

12. There is a list of blueprints/specs which are referred to on the blueprints that we received from the Public Sales Office (PSO) but were not listed on the EDL. The drawing numbers “LL41103”, “L3050242”, and “LB0130-125” were never received.

Should we re-request or is there another means of expediting this request to obtain this data?

a. L3050242 is part of the original EDL. LL41103 & LB0130-125 have been added to the EDL and will be posted with the Final RFP.

13. The Government defines the B-1B Nose Radome to be comprised of a "composite bonded polyimide/quartz prepreg". Due to potential obsolescence issues with this material, we recommend that the Government include the following statement throughout the RFP "composite bonded polyimide/quartz prepreg or similar material with equivalent or better performance".

a. The Approved Source list for specification LB0130-125, “POLYIMIDE SOLID

LAMINATE AND HONEYCOMB SANDWICH MATERIALS FOR RADOME

APPLICATIONS” will be added to the EDL at a later date. The USG is currently awaiting delivery from specification design authority. The qualified material will be supplied by Hexcel Corporation, 11711 Dublin Blvd. Dublin, CA 94566-0705

Code Ident. No. 04621, with a supplier part No. of AQII 581 38” F650. No substitutions of material will be authorized. No like or similar substitutes will be accepted, only what is reference in this answer and listed on the Salient

Characteristics form that will be incorporated as an attachment in the Final RFP for reference.

14. PWS Section 3.1.1 states: "Government Furnished Material will not be provided."

Will Government Furnished Material be provided for B-1B Production units?

a. No, please reference the PWS section 3.1.1.

15. Would the USG be willing to consider inclusion of an Economic Price Adjustment provision, such as FAR 52.216-4 or 52.216-5?

a. No, 52.216-2 and -3 are incorporated in the Final RFP.

16. Please explain the process for contracting and funding repairs from the TTE to the actual repair effort. For example, will the USG contract first for the TTE CLINS and modify the contract to add the repair CLIN after submission of the TTE report identifying the repair category?

a. The United States Government (USG) will send an order for the TTE CLIN to the contractor, then after submission of the TTE identifying the repair, a modification to that order will be sent to add the repair CLIN.

17. If, during the actual repair process, a unit is determined to be beyond physical repair due to latent damage or other damage that could not be identified during the

TTE process, will the contractor be entitled to the full repair costs as per the CLIN contracted?

a. Economically Reparable End Items are defined as end items which can be restored to a serviceable condition, in accordance with applicable requirements, when cost of repair will not exceed 75% of the Stock List Price specified in the contract. If the contractor estimates the total cost of the repair and/or repair of any end items received will exceed the above percentage of the Contract Repair

Price, the Contractor shall promptly notify the Administrative Contracting Officer

(ACO) in writing and shall not perform further services on any such items except at the direction of the ACO. Upon receipt of the written notification that a particular item is not reparable, the Contractor shall dispose of the unit in the manner directed by the ACO. The Procuring Contracting Officer (PCO) may authorize the Contractor, through the ACO, to exceed the percentage of the Stock

List Price in subparagraph (a) above when an item is in critical supply status.

18. There are many CLINS that require IUID that are service type CLINS, such as

TTE, BER. Informational CLINs. Please confirm that IUID will only be required for deliverable products that require IUID per the DFARS provision. Also, as units returned for repair would already have an IUID label, please confirm the IUID requirements for Repair units.

a. Confirmed. All units delivered to the Government must have an Item Unique

Identification (IUID) as required by 2013C0036-T. This document is part of the

EDL. IUID will only be required for deliverable products and will be reflected on the Final RFP.

b. For repair units, please reference the PWS 1.3.4.2

19. Please provide the insertion date for FAR 52.216-22.

a. Clause will not be incorporated in the Final RFP.

20. Some Certifications are indicated as applicable and are based on Buy American

Clauses and some CLINS note at Buy American Act/Balance of Payments are required, however, the Buy American clauses are missing. Please confirm Buy

American clause(s) applicability.

a. Clauses will be incorporated in the Final RFP.

21. Some Certifications are indicated as applicable and are based on Trade Agreement

Clauses; however, the Trade Agreement clauses are missing. Please confirm Trade

Agreement Act clause(s) applicability.

a. Clauses will be incorporated in the Final RFP.

22. Contractor is requesting confirmation of the applicability of and basis for inclusion of DFARS 252.223-7999. Given the recent OMB guidance (19 October 2022) to agencies concerning the implementation of Executive Order 14042, Ensuring

Adequate COVID Safety Protocols for Federal Contractors (Sept. 9, 2021) wherein interim guidance for Agencies includes that for solicitations, "...agencies should

NOT at this time include a clause implementing requirements of Executive Order

14042..."

23. Please confirm applicability of DFARS 252.237-7010 given the scope of work.

24. Please confirm that FAR 52.219-4 is not applicable to large businesses and if awarded to a large business, this clause would not be included in a resulting contract.

a. Confirmed.

25. Please confirm that FAR 52.219-16 is not applicable if the Company has an approved comprehensive small business plan and would not be included in a resulting contract if awarded to Company with an approved comprehensive small business plan.

a. Confirmed. The comprehensive small business plan must be provided.

26. The Government defines the B-1B Nose Radome to be comprised of a "composite bonded polyimide/quartz prepreg". Due to potential obsolescence issues with the original radome material, we recommend that the Government replace with the following description throughout the RFP "composite bonded polyimide/quartz prepreg or similar material with equivalent or better mechanical, physical and electrical properties". Furthermore, please clarify the qualification requirements while considering the following as a recommendation.

• If supplier selects a similar material with equivalent and/or superior mechanical, physical and electrical properties, then the properties shall be validated via testing to meet requirements of original acceptance test document, BTP-363-23-004, Table 1.

• Similarity for mechanical properties will be validated by single batch qualification or by using legacy material qualification data.

• Regardless of prepreg selected, the Environmental Qualification requirements must be defined. Suppliers are encouraged to utilize existing data for the selected prepreg material from other programs and similarity analysis to the maximum extent possible to meet the TBD Environmental

Qualification requirements.

• Due to material obsolescence issues with the original material, it is expected that new radar correction tables (Beam Deflection Error) will be required regardless of material used in radome fabrication. The BDE shall be repeatable such that a single compensation table shall suffice for the entire production run of 50 Radomes. The scope of the BDE testing and compensation table development is not included in this solicitation and is necessary for performance compliance.

a. The Approved Source list for specification LB0130-125, “POLYIMIDE SOLID

LAMINATE AND HONEYCOMB SANDWICH MATERIALS FOR RADOME

APPLICATIONS” will be added to the EDL at a later date. The USG is currently awaiting delivery from specification design authority. The qualified material will be supplied by Hexcel Corporation, 11711 Dublin Blvd. Dublin, CA 94566-0705

Code Ident. No. 04621, with a supplier part No. of AQII 581 38” F650. No substitutions of material will be authorized. No like or similar substitutes will be accepted, only what is reference in this answer and listed on the Salient

Characteristics form that will be incorporated as an attachment in the Final RFP for reference.

b. The approved material is a Form, Fit, and Function replacement for the original material. No changes to the acceptable testing values will be made. The approved testing document is part of the EDL and shall be the basis for testing the

Radomes for this contract.

27. Does Item No. 0002 First Article - B-1 Nose Radome Basic (and subsequent FAT B-

1Nose Radome Basic Options) include check-fit of the Radome installation on an aircraft at Tinker AFB or elsewhere?

a. Yes, the contractor will be able to attend the fit check at their own expense.

28. Since Item 0007AA Repair of B-1 Nose Radome (and subsequent Repair Options) includes Levels I, II, and III per PWS 1.3.2.2, what should be included in the price?

a. Per Pricing Matrix, the contractor shall provide prices for each Level of Repair for base year and all option years. Pricing Matrix to be incorporated as an attachment in Final RFP

29. Please note that PWS 1.3.2.1.3 Level III major repair states "Complete rebuild is defined as reconstruction of the composite portion of the radome while maintaining the original ring and associate hardware." Since the ring and composite portion of the radome are structurally bonded together, removing the ring from the composite portion will certainly damage the ring and fastener holes. Additionally, reconstructing the composite portion of the radome will be very expensive because of material minimum buys, which will likely justify the radome as BER. For these reasons, we recommend that Level III repairs be removed.

a. Level III Repair, while not anticipated, may be encountered at some point during the contract, so Levell III Repair must be available. Contractors must price this level of repair accordingly. If it takes the unit into Beyond Economical Repair

(BER) determination, follow the BER process. The USAF must be able to consider the highest level of repair based on need.

30. Since First Article and Material Certification, Certification of Compliance, and

Contractor/Government Test Report are already in the Basic Year, are they also required for each Option? We recommend continuous production to yield economic and production efficiencies and eliminate unnecessary costs of subsequent qualification requirements.

a. A First Article will not be required for each option year and will be reflected in

Final RFP. However adequate quality documentation for any discrepancy or abnormality of performance/manufacture shall be maintained. These documents shall be available throughout the lifecycle of the assets.

31. Given current standards, should the reference to ISO 9001: 2008 be updated to ISO

9001:2015 all occurrences?

a. Higher Level Contract Quality Requirements will be updated to “ISO 9001:2008 or later” in Final RFP.

32. FAR 52.232-19 AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS FOR THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR

includes blanks for date fill ins. Are funds secured in the budget for this effort over the period of planned performance? What type of funding is it?

a. Working Capital Funds are secured and available for this effort.

33. Page 91 of the draft RFP, section 4.2.2 - Please provide Pricing Matrix (Attachment

5).

a. Pricing Matrix to be incorporated as an attachment in Final RFP.

34. If a Vendor's CAGE Code is listed as a manufacturer, is the submission of the

Source Approval Request (SAR) package required, or are they qualified?

a. A contractor must be on the approved sources list. An approved SAR package is required to become qualified.

35. Page 100 of the draft RFP, section 2.3.5 - Total Proposed Price (TPP)/Value

Adjusted Total Evaluated Price (VATEP): please provide Table 1.

a. This section will be updated in the Final RFP.

36. Part II, Contracts Clauses, Section 1 includes FAR 52.209-1, Qualification

Requirements; however, the item and Agency point of contact information is not present. If an Offeror is not presently a qualified source, with evidence of an approved SAR package, the clause directs the offeror to contact the agency listed.

Please provide this information.

a. Agency Point of Contact (POC) is AFSC/SB afsc.sb.workflow@us.af.mil. Final

RFP will have FAR 52.209-1, Qualification Requirements filled out with POC.

37. Since the only quality requirement called out in the drafted Solicitation is ISO 9001-

2008, is provision of a valid ISO 9001-2008 or ISO 9001-2015 sufficient to meet the requirements of FAR 52.209-1 without the requirement to submit a SAR package?

mailto:afsc.sb.workflow@us.af.mil

a. A contractor must be listed on the approved sources list. Submission of a SAR package and subsequent approval of that package is a requirement in order to become qualified for this contract.

38. Section B requires the offeror to be "qualified prior to submitting a proposal", however, it is unclear what is required to demonstrate qualification nor what requirements/standards must be satisfied, please provide.

a. MQR-PSD-1 and RQR-PSD-1 contains SAR submittal instructions. Agency POC is AFSC/SB afsc.sb.workflow@us.af.mil. Final RFP will have FAR 52.209-1, Qualification Requirements filled out with POC. Contractor to reach out to POC for this information.

39. Section M requires offerors to have an "approved Source Approval Request (SAR) package prior to the RFP closing date". It is not apparent in the drafted Solicitation

1) what the quality requirements or standards would be, 2) what the requirements/process for a SAR package entail or 3) the points of contact to arrange for a demonstration. Requesting that the USG provide 1) the applicable requirements and standards that the company or the products or services, or subcontractors or the subcontractor products or services, must satisfy to become qualified, 2) what are the requirements/process for a SAR package, 3) what are the requirements for a demonstration, and 4) the points of contact to submit and arrange for a demonstration of the company's abilities to meet the standards specified for qualification.

a. MQR-PSD-1 and RQR-PSD-1 contains SAR submittal instructions. Agency POC is AFSC/SB afsc.sb.workflow@us.af.mil. Final RFP will have FAR 52.209-1, Qualification Requirements filled out with POC. Contractor to reach out to POC for this information.

40. Block 5 indicates Negotiated RFP; however, Block 9 references sealed offers. Please confirm which contracting method is being followed for this Solicitation.

a. This is a Negotiated RFP and will be reflected on the Final RFP.

41. Is there a drawing package available for the radome?

a. Yes. The EDL is available to all interested contractors.

42. Is this a build to print effort or is the intent to design a new radome to enhance the performance of the radar?

a. This contract does not include a redesign of the radome. Radomes will be built according to existing tech data.

43. If a contractor has a unique testing methodology for a radome of this size, will the

Air Force consider non-traditional testing methods if we can demonstrate the testing methods validity?

a. The Government may (solely at their option) choose to allow an alternate testing methodology. However, all data that is required by the testing specification must still be collected. Additionally, approval of an alternate method is not guaranteed.

No contractor should assume their alternate method of testing will be approved by the Government. All bidding contractors should be prepared to meet the testing requirements as set forth in the PWS, regardless of any prospective alternate methods of testing. Failure to do so may result in the contractor being unable to fulfil the terms of the contract.

44. If a contractor is not the original manufacturer for the radome, what qualification requirements will be imposed on a radome manufactured by this contractor if the radome is built to print? What about if it is a design to spec?

a. The manufacturer of the Radomes will be held to all technical data within the

EDL. No deviation from the original design or specifications will be authorized based on the of past performance of manufacturer. The qualification requirements are the same for every contractor regardless of their previous experience. The winning vendor shall build the radome per the EDL.

45. The acceptance test procedure that we have seen (T.O. 16W5-11-3) does not provide enough information to test the radome without having access to the specific test equipment listed in the procedure and running through a measurement cycle. Can more information be provided so that we can understand the specifics of the measurements?

a. Testing document and other test requirements are specified in the PWS. The testing document is part of the EDL.