F22 QandA 28 July 21.pdf

F‐22 Maintenance Stand Q & A

Contracting

1. Please confirm government intent to extend the proposal due date to 2‐3 weeks after the answers to the Q & A have been provided to bidders.

Yes, see sam.gov – new due date is now 24 Aug 2021

2. Do we have to show any objective evidence that we have been successful with the quantity of stands in previous contracts?

No.

3. What offer is considered unreasonable?

Please read FAR 52.212‐2 Addendum in document Solicitation – FA822421R0011 in sam.gov.

4. In the Solicitation (C) Price Factor: 3. Total Evaluated Price Will be calculated as the sum of the proposed prices for the five year IDIQ. Will the government allow for contractor to submit new pricing each year of the five years?

No, this contract is only expected to last two years and 2 months.

Brian Goodrich, the Contracting Officer, was incorrect when he stated to provide a different price quote for each year of the contract. Provide a price quote for each CLIN in the solicitation. The entire contract is only expected to last two years and two months. If there is an unforeseen significant increase in material prices, the contractor can request an Economic Price Adjustment IAW DFARS 252.216‐7000.

5. Is there a minimum requirement of how many related projects of reference required for the proposal?

No. Please read FAR 52.212‐2 ADDENDUM in document Solicitation – FA822421R0011 in sam.gov.

6. A request for equitable adjustment is requested as the cost of material pricing and shop availability is extremely volatile. Will the request be granted? Who will be authorizing additional funding?

I (Brian Goodrich) discussed request for equitable adjustment (REA) at the preproposal conference. DFARS Clause 252.243‐7002 Requests for Equitable Adjustment is included in the solicitation. Please see https://www.acquisition.gov/dfars/252.243‐7002‐requests‐equitable‐ adjustment.?&searchTerms=request+for+equitable+adjustment for the full text of the clause. An REA is typically used when the government has made a change in the terms and conditions of the contract, which requires the contractor to do additional work. The discussion at the time was about the possibility of the prices of steel or aluminum going up significantly during the course of the contract. I misspoke about this being an REA situation. The applicable clause in this situation would be DFARS Clause 252.216‐7000 Economic Price Adjustment (EPA). This clause and applicable provision have been added to the solicitation.

The full text of this clause can be found at https://www.acquisition.gov/dfars/252.216‐7000‐economic‐price‐ adjustment%E2%80%94basic‐steel‐aluminum‐brass‐bronze‐or‐copper‐mill‐products.

For an REA or an EPA to be approved, there has to be documentation submitted to the Contracting Officer (CO) from the contractor. The documentation must show that a change on the part of the government has caused additional expenditures on the part of the contractor or that the price of materials has increased.

The government is legally bound to provide fair and reasonable payments to the contractor for services or supplies provided in accordance with the contract. The CO determines if a REA or an EPA will be granted.

This will involve appropriate documentation from the contractor and possibly negotiation between the contractor and the government. The goal is to resolve any issues at the lowest level possible, without it going to court.

Shop availability? In my nearly 11 years in contracting I have never seen shop availability be an issue for the contractor to justify an increase in price. I think this would be difficult to justify. The contractor would have to provide documents showing shop rates or availability at the time of contract award, and then additional documentation showing a significant increase in shop rates or availability at a later date. Since this is a competitive contract, the shop availability or rate increases would have to be nationwide, not in just one locality. If the increases were just in one locality, it would be unfair to the other offerors to increase the payments to only one contractor, when other contractors could have provided the maintenance stands at a lower price.

7. CLIN Structure has slightly changed: the tail stand CLINS have been combined into their corresponding set.

CLIN 0001 – Configuration I Validation Set (Bldg 674) 1 Sets

CLIN 0002 – Configuration II Validation Set (Bldg 680) 1 Sets

CLIN 0003 – Configuration III (Platform Stand) Validation 1 each

CLIN 0004 – Design/Drawings (for above) 3 each

CLIN 0005 – CDRLs as applicable

CLIN 0006 – Configuration I Set Full rate production (Bldg 674) 6 Sets

CLIN 0007 – Configuration II Set Full rate production (Bldg 680) 9 Sets

CLIN 0008 – Configuration III (Platform Stand) Full rate production 1 each

8. What is the expected pace at which task orders are to be released to contractor?

Delivery Order Breakdown Plan: Total contract: two years and six months

First Delivery Order: approx. nine months (SRR, CDR, design/build/delivery) Systems Requirements Review (for all configurations at the same time) Critical Design Review (for all configurations at the same time) Physical Configuration Audit (physical “eye‐ball” of each configuration prior to shipping of the validation sets – catch possible major flaws) Validation Work Stands – 1 Set work stand from each configuration (CLIN 0001, 0002, and

0003). Delivery is expected to be concurrent; delivery of all three stands w/in 180 days after CDR.

CLIN 0004 – drawings etc.

CLIN 0005 – CDRLs as applicable

Second Delivery Order: one year (delivery expected to be concurrent (working on multiple sets at the same time)

CLIN 0005 – CDRLs as applicable CLIN 0006 – 6 sets (Configuration I Bldg 674 Set) CLIN 0007 – 6 sets (Configuration II Bldg 680 Set) CLIN 0008 – 1 each (Configuration III Platform Stand)

Third Delivery Order: eight months CLIN 0007 – 3 sets (Configuration II Bldg 680 Main Stand) CLIN 0005 – CDRLs as applicable

9. Would the government be open to batch deliveries of orders greater than one with longer lead times? This would allow for production manufacturing. Example: A 2 set delivery time would be 120 days instead of one set at 60 days and another set 60 days thereafter. Batch deliveries would be a considerably more efficient use of resources.

Yes, If pre‐coordinated with the COR

10. Industry was told that if two (2) or more configuration stand sets be ordered at the same time, that the delivery requirement of 60 days would be multiplied by the number of sets ordered, is this accurate?

If Task order requires 2 configurations, 1 is due on day 60, and second is due on day 120 with the exception of the above question #9, if pre‐coordinated with the COR

11. Can deliveries be made ahead of schedule?

Yes, absolutely! Please coordinate all deliveries with COR

12. Is there an approximate anticipated award date?

29 Sep 2021

13. What is the anticipated term of the contract?

The anticipated term of the contract is two years and two months, however, circumstances and funding may change and that is why total period of performance for this contract (IDDQ) is to be 5 years

14. During the meeting, a standardized form was mentioned for pricing submittal, how do we access this document?

This document is in sam.gov, named Solicitation – FA822421R0011. Fill in pages 3 and 4 with Unit Prices and Extended Amounts.

15. Please provide guidance to the bidders on the format the government would like submissions presented in for the out year pricing of stand deliverables over the 5 year span, to account for material escalations/ inflationary index.

The total contract is only expected to be two years and two months. Please fill in the document named Solicitation – FA822421R0011 in sam.gov. Fill in pages 3 and 4 with Unit Prices and Extended Amounts.

16. Payments for drawings?

Yes see CLIN 0004.

17. Why is the government unwilling to hardware transportation as a legitimate cost? This will provide competitive advantage to bidders closer to the install location.

FAR Clause 52.247‐34 F.o.b. Destination is included in the solicitation. This means that supplies are delivered free of expense to the government to the point of delivery. This is the standard shipping method the government uses. Will contractors farther away from Hill AFB be required to pay additional shipping costs? Yes. Is the government required to provide a level playing field to contractors when it comes to shipping costs and the distance the contractor is away from the delivery point? No.

General

18. Config III stands are universal in design, there is not a left and right;

Quantity of 2 in total are required

19. The government has requested that each stand be made to be used independently. With the (4) four stair sets that are expected to match existing stands, not all the stands will have access stairs. Will the government require more than the (4) four required access stairs?

We would like four stair ways, two on each side of the aircraft, one forward and one aft. We would also like a fifth stairway at the tail stand at the aft end of the aircraft.

Does each work stand section need to be independent (a.k.a. stand‐alone)? The short answer is, No. The SOW does not stipulate that each section needs to interface to electrical, air, vacuum, etc. by itself. Obviously, the entire network of work stand sections needs to connect to the various building systems. However, each individual section does not have to do so independently.

20. Identify (possibly) where the walk‐thru space should be…

Ideally the Walk through areas would be in the middle of the stands in front of the wings as well as adjacent to the side of the cockpit in the forward sections

Entry to under the aircraft could be under the decking of the upper landing of the boarding stairs

21. Stairs to be parallel to maintenance stand deck, and be self‐leveling.

Yes

22. In the SOW it states that you need 7 ea. For bldg. 674 and 10 ea. for 680. Does this mean 7 full sets of stands and 10 full sets of stands? ( ‘a set consists of mx stands for both sides of the aircraft, X number of sections”)

A work stand set is defined as all work stand sections needed to fully enclose the aircraft in Configurations I and II. A work stand set shall include the Tail Stand shown in Figure 2 of the SOW.

Following that definition of set, Hill AFB would want to receive delivery of 10 configuration II sets each and 7 configuration I sets each. To reduce confusion, the tail stands sections are no longer separated in the CLIN structure.

23. Configuration III would be used once the tail stands have been removed (out of the way); this is regardless of whether leading edge, ailerons, flaperons have been removed or not?

For clarification the Tail Stand (i.e. the stand used to access the area at the aft end of the plane in between the vertical stabilizers) will be installed when the configuration III stand is in use. The work stand section covering the aft area of the wings will not be present; see picture below.

24. During the meeting, Industry was told the Tail Stand was fine as currently designed. Is this accurate?

The general methodology and arrangement of the current tail stand is fine, but the current tail stand does not have electric lights, pneumatics, etc. The government does not want the contractor to fabricate additional units of what we already have. The government wants a new tail stand that meets all of the requirements in the SOW.

This highlighted section will be removed to allow for the Configuration III stand to be used.

(same for either side)

Full Set of configuration I or II depicted in the grey area;

25. With similar contract structure and product, what was the experience with that process?

Similar efforts have been done for the F‐16 and F‐35 platforms…the government used those as the bases for this requirement and to improve on lessons learned for the F‐22 SOW.

26. How do we prove technical compliance?

Please refer to ‘Solicitation – FA822421R0011’ and specifically sections 52.212‐1 and 52.212‐2 Addendums in the within that document.

27. Tolerances of interlocking platform mechanism.

The work stand sections are not required to lock together. However, the gap between sections must be a reasonable distance. We cannot have a 1 foot gap between sections for instance.

28. Height of vertical stabilizer from aircraft body, angle of vertical stabilizer.

Vertical stabilizer from fuselage is 9’‐8” with an angle of 61º from level with the ground.

29. The deck needs to be level with the edge of the aircraft (chines and strakes, leading edge and horizontal stabilizers). But at some points there is an incline in the edge of the aircraft and is no longer perpendicular to the ground. Does the Government want the stands to be level with the aircraft edges or level with the floor?

Yes, the nominal level of the deck platform should be an average of the aircraft edge height.

30. Does the tail stand need a stairway? Permanently attached?

Yes, the tail stand section will need a stairway.

All stairways are to be permanently attached and self‐adjusting.

SOW specific

31. In SOW 3.1 Work Stand Sections the government is requiring that each stand section be movable with only (2) two persons. To meet this requirement will the government require that the main structural members of the stand be made from aluminum?

The government has decided to make aluminum required in accordance with the SOW Appendix A, 1.6.

32. The SOW calls for ISO9001 quality compliance, however the Technical Evaluation criteria asks for ISO9001 certification numbers. Currently we operate as ISO compliant. Which is correct ISO certified and ISO compliant?

The wording in the Technical Evaluation and the SOW should be consistent. The Technical Evaluation will be changed to ISO compliant.

33. SOW states the Contractor shall be present at Hill AFB for 18 business days following the initial delivery of the validation work stand set. Industry was told in the meeting that this requirement is only for the validation stands and not the production stands, is this correct? Only required for the validation set.

Correct. The contractor is only required to be present for the validation set delivery(s).

34. SOW states business days for on‐site days. On the delivery schedule, it states calendar days for the validation stands, but not on the production stands. Can we presume business days for the production timeline of the production stands since the number of days was reduced by 33% (90 to 60)?

To avoid confusion, we will change the SOW to consistently reference everything in calendar days.

35. SOW states Configurations I and II are to be symmetrical. If this is the case, can Industry’s proposal detail only the left side stands and refer to the right side stands as symmetrical in design?

For the proposal I find this acceptable. However, the final design of the work stands that will eventually be presented at the CDR must have a left and right side represented. As we proceed with this effort we may find subtle unexpected differences between the left and right sides of the aircraft.

36. SOW states that the current Configuration III does not meet the requirement that it work on a plane with the horizontal stabilizer installed.

How does the stand not meet this requirement?

I believe that there is some confusion here between the Platform Stands and the B4 stands. During the conference, the contractors saw the B4 stands being used in Bldg 674 and 680. This is a completely different stand than the one represented in figure 3 of the SOW. The Platform Stand is too big to fit in place while the Horizontal Stabilizer is installed. Also, the B4 stands, while small enough to fit in place when the horizontal stabilizer is installed, do not reach all the way flush with the vertical stabilizer.

When the horizontal stabilizer is removed, the Platform Stand can fit flush against the vertical stabilizer and provides a better work deck than the B4 stand (i.e. larger and closer to the vertical stabilizer). The F‐22 depot wants the contractors to develop a new configuration III stand that incorporates the best functionality of the Platform Stand and the B4 stand.

How close does it get?

The B4 stand can only get to within about a foot or two of the vertical stabilizer depending on how high it is extended. The Platform Stand can get much closer if the Horizontal Stabilizer is removed.

Is the current Configuration III vertical operating range acceptable?

The optimal vertical operating range would allow the new configuration III stand to access the entire outboard side of the vertical stabilizer while being flush with the surface.

37. SOW states, for Configuration III that “design modifications…..of work”. Is this saying Industry can modify the existing stands?

This paragraph of the SOW has been deleted to avoid confusion in interpretation.

38. SOW states Configuration I decking is to be made using grating. The purpose is for fire suppression passage. Can slip resistant perforated decking with holes greater than 1” in diameter be used instead?

The perforated decking is acceptable if it allows for the free passage of fire suppression foam. Grating and/or perforated decking will be a vast improvement over the plating on the current work stands at the depot.

39. Appendix A, Requirement 2.4 ‐ Please confirm it is the design intent that when the Configuration III stands are to be in use, the Tail stands (configuration I or II) are to be removed.

For clarification the Tail Stand (i.e. the stand used to access the area at the aft end of the plane in between the vertical stabilizers) will be installed when the configuration III stand is in use. The work stand section covering the aft area of the wings will not be present.

40. Appendix A Requirement 3.2, Work Stand Deck Structure ‐ Please confirm the intent of the platforms from nose to trailing edge is to have a continuous, flat walking surface which is the average height of chines & strakes & leading edge.

Yes, please see responses for questions 28 and 37.

41. Appendix A Requirement 3.4, bullet 11 ‐ Please confirm that the Structure and platform decking do not need to be painted if the materials are inherently corrosion resistant (aluminum). Guardrails and any adjustable deck sections would be required to be safety yellow.

The SOW now states that materials that are inherently corrosion resistant do not need to be painted.

However, all safety areas to include gates and guardrails must be painted safety yellow.

42. Appendix A, Requirement 5.1 ‐ Please clarify intended pneumatic air pressure requirements. The hangar air supply can provide up to 500 PSI. If the Stand has the capability to regulate the incoming pressure from the hangar does the government require the downstream piping/hose/components on the stand to be rated for 500 PSI? Note it was observed on the F‐35 stand the pneumatic air lines hose is rated for 300 PSI.

The hangar supplies 100 psi air from compressors in Bldg 674 and 680. The new F‐22 work stands do not need to regulate pressure coming out of the wall in the hangars. There is no such requirement listed in the SOW nor is one needed. The 500 psi requirement was set to obtain more durable longer lasting pneumatic components for the work stands. The 500 psi requirement is the mandated requirement for the new F‐22 work stands.

Due to inherent weaknesses in tubing material that is rated at less than 500 PSI – PVC shatters and

Copper tubing crushes with minimal effort, Galvanized or black steel pipe is much more robust. The 500 psi requirement should ensure that more durable materials are utilized.

43. Appendix A, Requirement 3.4 ‐ Please confirm the Governments desire to have a lateral load to failure of 600 Lbs. for guardrails, in excess of OSHA standards.

Several contractors have asked about the 600 lbs load requirement for the hand rails. The contractors have stated, that this exceeds the industry standard. I reviewed the OSHA requirement, and OSHA stipulates that hand rails are to be designed to withstand a 200 lbs load to the side and a 200 lbs load downward. The contractors are correct in their assertion. Bullets in section 3.4 of Appendix A that reference 600lbs have been removed; We should adhere to the OSHA standard.

Also upon review of the F‐35 work stand requirements, the 600 lbs requirement was not placed on the hand rails. Instead, dimensional requirements were placed on the tubing to be used to fabricate the handrails. This was an oversight on my part, and I apologize. The following requirement has been added to the SOW instead:

All hand rails and railing only fall protection sections shall be fabricated of 1.7 to 1.9 inch OD round tubing. All other stand structural materials can be square, channel, etc. as required by the Contractor's structural design.

44. Appendix A, Requirement 3.2 ‐ Please clarify the required quantity/size of tables, shelves, work stations, etc for each configuration.

One upper table per section approximately 2 feet deep and 4 foot wide suspended above open space.

The lower section would be preferred to have shelving style platforms directly below the upper maintenance platform that technicians could put tools and equipment on. Ideally the section forward of the wing would have the lowest portion of the stand structure closed off as a solid shelf

45. SOW Table 2, Section 5.4.2 ‐ Will the government provide the anticipated breakdown of individual task orders with quantity’s as well as timing of task order releases to contractor.

Please see responses above that pertain to delivery schedule. As previously stated we need to adjust the SOW to be in agreement with Brian Goodrich’s interpretation and the CLIN structure.

46. SOW Table 2, Section 5.4.2 ‐ Will the government provide an updated anticipated need date for configuration I, Configuration II, and Configuration III stands.

The F‐22 depot can provide an updated schedule if required. However, we already have work stands we are using. We will not have an urgent need for a particular configuration of one stand over another that would significantly change delivery schedules.

47. SOW, Section 5.6 ‐ Please confirm demolition of the legacy maintenance stands is allowed on HAFB property, to then be hauled off, as the responsibility of the contractor, for scrap/disposal.

The work stands can be demolished on site.

The contractor will be provided with an area in which to perform the demolition. Details can be worked out between the contractor and government once that point of the effort is reached.

48. SOW, Section 5.6 ‐ Please confirm the legacy stands do not have any hazardous materials used on or in their construction that could add cost to disposal.

The only potential Haz Mat would be residual overspray of paint, or residual oil transfer. There is no Haz Mat built into the design of the stands, and rarely any residue due to routine cleanup practices.

Hazardous materials are not an issue with work stand disposal.

49. SOW, Section 8.4 ‐ There will be on site assembly required for the stands when being delivered to HAFB, is there an area designated where the contractors will be able to perform assembly?

Will the government provide access to power & air to support assembly?

This should not be an issue. The depot can provide an area to assemble the work stands. This can be worked out with the contractor and the depot at the time of delivery.

50. SOW section 5.4.3. “The eighteen (18)‐business day period will begin once an aircraft becomes available at the depot and the work stands can be installed around the aircraft.” How long could this end up being?

It could be days or weeks. Although aircraft are regularly available, there may be an occasion when none are ready.

18 day inspection for every stand? 18 business days has been converted t0 30 calendar days

Does the contractor have to be on‐site for the inspection of every stand? No, just the validation stands.

51. Page 13 SOW figure 4, the stands shall not cover the wing tips.

The contractor is not required to surround the wing tips with a work stand. However, fall protection flush with the wing tip is required.

Slide outs/Pull outs

52. Existing tail stand has no sliders or pullouts. Will this be the requirement for the new tail stand?

Pullouts/sliders should only be around the areas where we intend to remove flight surfaces. See sections 2.3 and 3.5 of the SOW. The tail stand will only need pullouts if it interfaces with parts that may be removed from the aircraft.

53. Will the government allow for different material profile between the deck surface and the sliding pull out?

The SOW does not stipulate different material profiles between the deck surface and pullouts. If the contractor wishes to use different materials, they may do so.

In addition, as long as there is a nonslip metal surface the government is satisfied. We do not want any kind of grip tape or glue on the surface that needs to be reapplied.

54. SOW states the slide out sections for Configuration I are to have the same grating material as the stand. Industry was told during the meeting that the sliders can be made of diamond plate instead of grating. Does this defeat the purpose of a pass‐through requirement for fire protection if the sliders are retracted?

The pullouts do not have to be made with grating and can be made with plate instead. Yes this may affect the ability of fire suppression foam to pass through the pullouts. However, a compromise must be made somewhere between the fire suppression foam and the ability to construct functioning pullouts. In the interest of having functioning pullouts capable of meeting the loading requirements stipulated elsewhere in the SOW, the pullouts do not need to be made using grating.

Regardless, the new work stands with grating/perforated decking in all other areas will provide far superior performance for foam fire suppression than the current work stands at the depot.

55. Industry was told the extended length of the leading‐edge sliders should be 14 inches, is this accurate?

After measuring, the minimum slide length is 17 inches from retracted position measured perpendicularly from the leading edge of the wing.

56. Industry was told the extended length of the trailing edge sliders should be 30 inches, is this accurate?

No. Actual Measurement found the largest section of the trailing edge sliders needs to be 43 inches

57. A (slide out/fold out) is required in order to accommodate the gap created when the leading edge, ailerons, flaperons are removed, is this true for both configurations (I & II)?

Yes. This is true for both configurations.

58. How far do sliders slide out on each section of work stand?

a. 12 inch wide pullouts?

b. Will the government allow for the use of less than 12” width of a slider?

The SOW has been changed to state that the 12” width is a nominal value. Narrower or wider widths are permissible depending on aircraft geometry, available space, or loading requirements. Also refer to questions 57 and 58.

59. What type of padding used on the sliders and how to they attach to slider, what hardware and how many?

A requirement was not set in the SOW for bumper selection for the pullouts. However, I would refer the contractors to Section 1.4 and 3.2 of Appendix A for guidance regarding rubber bumpers and fasteners.

Production desires rubber bumpers attached with bolts.

Storage/workspace/tables

60. What are the requirements in square footage of on stand storage/work space? What are the requirements in terms of square footage underneath the work stand?

Refer to SOW for tables on top of the stands; the upper deck area should be 4 foot wide…should be an equal amount of storage space below the deck as above deck.

61. Does the SOW state quantity and/or location of where house reels, table, shelves should be? Maybe add some sort of length/sq ft…to be similar in length of the stairs (going parallel).

Please see section 5.1 of Appendix A. The lengths and quantities are all stipulated.

Upper tables should be suspended above open air adjacent to the stair platform

Load requirement / Materials

62. The load requirement of pullouts is currently required to be 600lbs per each slider. The reasonable industry standard is far less than this. Will the government consider changing the load? If it were to change, please provide the new loading criteria.

See response for 43. As with the hand rails, we are exceeding the industry standard. I suggest that we remove the “Each pullout shall be able to support two (2) workers each weighing 250 lbs. and each with 50 lbs. of tooling” requirement from the SOW.

63. SOW states that the work stand shall be designed to support worker and tool weight totaling 1,200 lbs. The work stand is made of sections. Is the government saying that each section, regardless of size, must be designed to support 1,200 lbs?

We will not change the loading requirement for the work stand deck. This is indeed the same requirement as the F‐35 work stands and we wish to emulate that requirement. We frequently have up to four people working on a work stand deck at any given time, and this is definitely a requirement that is needed.

64. Is diamond plating a required material for Config II (b680)?

Diamond plating was used as an example. Other options are permissible as long as they have a permanent non‐slip surface.

65. Each stand section needs capability to be used independently; so gates will be required to cover open ends.

Gates should be able to swing and lock/latch open and closed.

Each section does not need to be independent. See response for question 18. However, individual work stand sections may be removed from the network to facilitate maintenance. If that is the case, each section will need to have gates to make sure a worker could not fall over the edge of the stand sections. In addition air lines and vacuum lines will need to have the capability to be “capped‐off”. The quick disconnects and “daisy‐chaining” should accommodate this. In addition, there cannot be bare live electrical connectors when a section is removed.

66. Steel or aluminum OK?

The government is now requiring Aluminum in accordance with the SOW revision.

67. Although there is no weight limit, stands must be able to be moved by two people.

Correct

68. Industry was told that Aluminum was a preferred material of construction for the stands. The SOW says metal. Is steel an acceptable material of construction for the stands?

The government is now requiring Aluminum in accordance with the SOW revision.

69. Industry was told that Configurations I and II are structurally identical with the exception of the decking material (grating versus diamond pate). Is this true?

True

Painting

70. Is it possible to get the dimensions of the paint booth and the ICR Robot dimensions?

The overall dimensions of the robotic booth: 69’‐6 7/8” x 87’‐4 3/8”.

71. With regards to painting, what is the preferred method?

Powder coating is the preferred method.

Floor Space/Leveling Jacks

72. SOW states the stands cannot interfere with ICR robots located in some of the booths. During the tour of building 674, Industry was told that there are many differ arrangements within the booths. These unknown floor space limits create unknown design parameters. Since Configurations I and II are structurally identical, as told to Industry, can the Government create a plan view drawing showing a stand boundary limit around the F22’s shadow so Industry can be guided and assure operational interference will be avoided in all cases?

SOW has been updated to state “new stand designs shall not exceed the square footage covered by the current tail stands by 15%”. This will ensure that no interferences are encountered.

All of the contractors should have a model of the current work stands and can determine all of the square footage and area coverage requirements themselves.

73. SOW states the stands need to take into account the aircraft jacks. But Industry was told in the meeting not to worry about these jacks. Is this still true?

The aircraft jacks are completely under the aircraft and will not interfere with the work stands.

74. SOW states the leveling jacks should have an up and down movement of 1ft (2ft total). However, Industry was not told any elevations. Can the Government tell Industry what the lowest elevations will be at various points on the aircraft?

Down 12 inches and up 12 inches; refer to model for aircraft height (dimensions)

Air Hose/Vacuum Requirements

75. Caps for the vacuum ports on stands.

Correct. The central vacuum lines will need caps. All other air/vacuum systems should be using quick‐ disconnects to “daisy‐chain” sections together per requirement. The quick disconnects should provide the “capping” feature.

76. What does the contractor provide for the vacuum system?

The central vacuum system and 20 in Hg systems are supplied by facility systems through ports accessible in the walls. The contractor does not have to provide vacuum suction. The contractor is expected to provide hose/pipe networks that interface to the systems within Bldg 674. The government expects the contractor to design and fabricate work stand sets that have a network that can provide vacuum to mechanics at various easily accessible locations along the entire work stand network.

General part 2

77. What brand, model of LED lights, wattage is required?

There is no requirement for an LED brand or wattage. However, we should set a requirement for desired brightness. We should add a line to the SOW stating that we would like lights that cast at least 4000 K white light and at least 10000 lumens of light. As far as brand is concerned, the government does not have a preference, but Larson electronics would be a good place for the contractors to start looking/research.

78. Tow bar assembly: What materials are used, are there lights, chains, ball size, and height from ground?

The depot uses pintle hooks for towing all AGE equipment. The contractor should take that into consideration with their design. As long as their design can interface with off the shelf commercially available pintle hook tow bars, that will be sufficient.

79. What type of outdoor electrical outlets, brand? Covered? Metal or Plastic?

NEMA 5‐20 type connectors are specified in the SOW. Refer to Appendix A section 4.2.

80. Should casters be Stainless steel, or aluminum? What type of rubber wheels

The contractors may use casters made out of a steel frame/housing. The aluminum requirement is for structural components. Hard Rubber that will not deteriorate when exposed to oil or other chemicals

81. What should air hose connectors be made from, steel or brass?

There is no requirement. Brass or steel can be used and is at the contractor’s discretion.

82. What are the 4” Vacuum interface connection details?

The F‐22 depot uses Clayton Sanders and hoses. I would refer the contractors to Clayton Associates for details regarding hoses and their specifications.

83. What are possible improvements that can be made on old designs?

The visit to the F‐35 stands and the answers to these numerous questions should provide insight into how to improve the old F‐22 stands.

84. Current platform deck height, low/high travel points.

These should be available in the computer models that were provided during the conference.

85. Type of plug required? Standard 15amp

Section 4 of Appendix A provides the electrical requirements, but, yes, 15 amp plugs are acceptable.

86. 1 breaker box needed per side of A/C…might be in SOW?

Correct. Refer to Section 4 of Appendix A.

87. What material is the diamond plate and grating on existing stands?

The existing stands are entirely made out of steel.

Pictures requested

(For these, I would say whether or not a picture will be taken for each one…how we post those, not really sure though) There is some request for pictures of the F‐35 stands…make sure if we do provide any that we state on the photo that it’s for a different aircraft, not to use dimensions and such…only for visual reference of accessories.

Hanger door track. (Place ruler in the picture)

All vacuum connections

All 20inHg connections

Power outlets and plugs

Pictures of sliders top/bottom. Verify if they are the same on every platform. If different get picture

Tow bar assembly: hinges, hitch receiver, hitch chains.

Caster wheels and lifting jacks.

Current work stands lifting points, on every section.

Aircraft nose jacks.

Storage shelfing, with ruler in image.

2’x5’ tables, upper and lower.

Platform interlocking mechanism, how they move up and down relative to each other.

Picture of interlocking mechanism and estimated tolerance.

Can the government provide images of the pertinent points of interest in the F‐35 stands which are the driving force of design criteria behind the F‐22 Statement of Work?