Questions and Answers 23 April 2026.pdf

Questions and Answers 23 April 2026:

1. Request an extension of the proposal submission date for solicitation FA850726RB002 from 23 April 2026 to 30 April 2026.

A. After careful review, the Government has determined that the current Request for Proposal (RFP) submission deadline must remain in place without extension.

I appreciate your request for additional time to submit your proposal. However, after thorough consideration, I have determined that we are unable to extend the RFP submission window. In reaching this decision, I carefully weighed the relevant operational considerations, acquisition-related constraints, and the overall program cadence.

Achieving a timely contract award is critical to this effort. The necessary Non-Recurring Engineering (NRE) work requires the use of the Government's lone spare unit.

Consequently, any delay in the acquisition timeline directly impacts our ability to complete the NRE and return this vital asset to operational use as quickly as possible. Maintaining our current schedule is essential to meeting these operational requirements.

We value your participation in this acquisition and strongly encourage your team to finalize and submit a comprehensive response to the RFP by the established deadline of 4:00 PM on 23 April 2026.

2. Request an extension to 8 May 2026. Please note that we do not have a quote from a key supplier and as such we will not be in a position to submit a competitive bid by 4PM EDT today. In discussion with that supplier, a quote will not arrive before 6 May and therefore we will need until 8 May to pull together and approve our best commercial offer.

Please note that the supplier is question is the only logical source for this program.

So unless this supplier has submitted a bid via other primes, the government is likely going to take significant risk when deeming a new entrant as technically acceptable.

Furthermore, solicitation FA850726RB002 indicates that this program is currently unfunded. Therefore the urgency for a 23 April date in lieu of additional competitive bids does not seem to be in the best interest of the government or the American tax payer.

A: Thank you for your message regarding solicitation FA850726RB002 and your request for an extension to the proposal submission deadline.

Please be advised that the U.S. Government has been building up to this solicitation for a significant period, making a concerted effort to solicit and incorporate industry feedback as frequently as possible throughout the process. Furthermore, the solicitation and its evaluation factors, shaped by this industry feedback, have been specifically drafted in such a way as to allow the Government to properly evaluate and mitigate its most concerning risks.

When determining whether deadline extensions can be granted, the Government must carefully weigh these requests against critical operational considerations and mission schedules. Additionally, we have received clear direction from program stakeholders to move with pace within established acquisition parameters, regulations, and policy.

I would also like to clarify the funding notation in the solicitation. The program office has fully planned for this acquisition. The note indicating that the program is currently unfunded is strictly in reference to the availability of certified funds at the issuance of the solicitation, and does not reflect a lack of urgency, programmatic commitment, or availability at this time.

We strongly encourage you to continue to consider this effort, as well as other United States Air Force requirements in the future. Please note that unless an official amendment is posted to the solicitation altering the deadline, the current closing time remains in effect.

Brandon A. Jones, NH-03, DAF Contracting Officer AFLCMC/ESGK-R Strategic Ground Sensors