Responses to Industry Questions 27 Mar 26.xlsx
XLSX spreadsheet 14 KB Posted
- Solicitation number
- FA862626RB002
- Issued by
-
Department of the Air Force
About this file
This is a Question and Answer (Q&A) document containing government responses to industry inquiries regarding the Advanced Propulsion Acquisition Contract (APAC) IDIQ solicitation (FA862626RB002).
The solicitation is open to all companies—both small and large businesses—and is not an 8(a) set-aside. All offerors must complete the Small Business Participation Commitment Document (SBPCD), which serves as an evaluation factor, with separate sections for small versus large businesses. Large businesses must also submit a Small Business Subcontracting Plan, though it is not an evaluation factor. The government declined a requested two-week extension to the April 13, 2026 submission deadline. The RFP scope covers propulsion enterprise program requirements for air-breathing and alternatively powered propulsion systems, not limited to gas turbine engines for fixed-wing aircraft. The contract has a 10-year ordering period (5-year base plus 5-year option) with a 15-year period of performance, with an additional 5 years allocated for completion of awarded work. Only one proposal per parent CAGE code is authorized; subsidiary company submissions will be deemed non-responsive duplicates, though the government will provide future on-ramping opportunities for additional business areas and CAGE codes via SAM.gov. Technical proposals have specific formatting requirements: the SBPCD must be submitted in its entirety and counts against the 12-page Volume II limit, though additional pages for listing names beyond the provided spaces do not count against page limits. The Table of Contents should be for the entire proposal contained in Volume 1, Section 1 and does not count against page limitations. The term "completion" for recency requirements includes significant milestone achievements and major deliverables from the past five years.
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Responses 27 Mar 26
| Question | Government Response |
| Respectfully requests a two-week extension to the current submission deadline of 13 April 2026 to 27 April 2026. This extension will allow us the sufficient amount of time to properly respond to this solicitation while also completing our internal review and approval process. | The Government does not plan to extend the submission deadline at this time. |
| The verbiage in the APAC solicitation regarding the Small Business Participation Commitment Document seems to indicate that this solicitation is not only available to small businesses or “8a” companies, but non-small/non-8a companies. Can the Government confirm this? Additionally, the language in Section L paragrph 3.5.5 Small Business Subcontracting Plan indicates that non-small / non-8a companies would need a documented plan for including SB / 8a entities (e.g., as sub-contractors). Will you please clarify these requirements? | The solicitation is open to all small and non-small companies/non-8a (large) companies. ALL Offerors must fill out the Small Business Participation Commitment Document, which is an evaluation factor. Please note that the form has separate sections for small businesses versus not small/other than small (large) businesses. Please fill out the applicable sections to your organization. All non-small (large) businesses must submit a Small Business Subcontracting Plan, although it is not an evaluation factor. |
| We wanted to confirm that this is an 8a set-aside. We are a new large business. Any ideas on how we could participate? | The solicitation is open to all small and non-small companies/non-8a (large) companies. All Offerors must fill out the Small Business Participation Commitment Document, which is an evaluation factor. Please note that the form has separate sections for small businesses versus not small/other than small (large) businesses. Please fill out the applicable sections to your organization. All non-small (large) businesses must submit a Small Business Subcontracting Plan, although it is not an evaluation factor. |
| Does the Government accept Offerors interpreting the term 'completion' (as used in the recency requirement) to include significant milestone achievements and/or major deliverables for past or ongoing efforts, provided these efforts occurred within the last five years? | Yes, the term "completion" is tied to an "activity" described by the Offeror. Offeror proposed activities for past, within the recency period, and ongoing efforts are acceptable and meet the requirements for "completion of an activity." |
| It seems the RFP is NOT focused exclusively on gas turbine engine systems for fixed-wing aircraft? Is this a correct read? | Yes, the scope of this RFP is not limited to gas turbine engines for fixed-wing aircraft. It covers propulsion enterprise program requirements for air-breathing or alternatively powered propulsion. |
| Could the government please clarify: Is the PoP a 5 year base and a 5 year follow-on option for a total of 10-years? Or is there is another anticipated 5 year follow-on planned (or some other combo) to equal a 15 year PoP? | The ordering period is a 5-year base with a 5-year option. In total, the contract has a 10-year ordering period with a 15-year PoP. The remaining 5 years is for the completion of work awarded during the ordering period. |
| Since: (1) the proposal instructions in Section L state the plan must address (but not include) the information in Attachment #7, (2) the government has stated that the SBPCD counts against the Volume II page limit of 12, and (3) most of the 6 page SBPCD is instructional - is it allowable to only submit the information from the SBPCD that the offeror is required to fill out vs submitting full 6 pages? | The Offeror must submit the entirety of the completed SBPCD to fulfill the SBPCD requirements of this solicitation. Do not tailor the SBPCD. |
| The SBPCD, Section F calls for additional names to be listed on a separate attachment. Section F only provides space for 3 names. Since the government has stated that the SBPCD will count against the Volume II page limit, and there are more than 3 categories of businesses required in the SBPCD to meet the goals, will this additional page also count against the page limit? If so, can the government confirm that they are effectively limiting the technical write up to 5 pages? If the additional page is to count against the page limit, would it be allowable instead to list additional names as a comment/tag instead of using another page to allow offerors to put more pages toward Factor 1 (Technical Capability)? | Additional names may be listed on a separate page and do not count against the page count limit. Do not add comments/tags. |
| Are tables considered part of figures and/or diagrams? | Yes, tables are considered figures and/or diagrams. |
| Are headers/footers exempt from font requirements? If not, can they please follow the rules for figures and/or diagrams? | Yes, headers and footers are exempt from font requirements. No proposal data may be included in the headers/footers, as they will not be evaluated. |
| Including subparagraph-level delineations (at every hard return in the document) in the TOC could cause quite a lengthy TOC. Can the government clarify the intent behind this instruction, or would the government consider modifying this instruction to read at the heading (preferred) or subheading level instead of subparagraphs? | All titled (sub)paragraphs must be included in the Table of Contents. All hard returns are not required to be included in the Table of Contents. There is only one Table of Contents required for the entire proposal, contained in Volume 1 Section 1. |
| Can the government please clarify the method by which offerors should "tab index" for this electronic submission? Do you want bookmarks in the final PDF, cut sheets between each requirement within the volumes, something else, or should that be removed since there is not a printed proposal requirement? | The pages listed in the Table of Contents must be linked to the associated content for the page in the proposal. There is only one Table of Contents required for the entire proposal, contained in Volume 1 Section 1. |
| Instructions in 2.4 & 2.5 call for a TOC and glossary in EACH volume. Instructions in 3.1.1 call for a TOC for the ENTIRE proposal (implying all 3 volumes). Can the government clarify: (1) Do you want offerors to provide four TOC and Glossaries (one for each volume plus one for the entire proposal), and (2) If so, does the table of contents for the entire proposal count against the 4-page limit for the Cover Letter in Volume I? | The Table of Contents should be for the entire proposal and be contained in Volume 1 Section 1. The Table of Contents does not count against the page limitations. Each volume does not require a separate Table of Contents. |
| The solicitation states a four-page limitation for the “Cover Letter and Executive Summary.” Section L 3.1 requires submission of a cover letter that includes an index/table of contents and an executive summary. Sections L.2 and L.2.1 further indicate that the table of contents does not count toward page limitations. Can the Government clarify whether the table of contents included within the cover letter is excluded from the four-page limitation, or if the entire cover letter (including the table of contents) must be contained within the four-page limit? | The Table of Contents should be for the entire proposal and be contained in Volume 1 Section 1. The Table of Contents does not count against the page limitations. Each volume does not require a separate Table of Contents. |
| Based on Section L 3.2.2.2, Please confirm whether any contractor-completed fields are required within Sections A–J for proposal submission. If no fill-ins are required, please confirm that submission of the signed SF 33 and acceptance of the terms and conditions, without additional entries, is sufficient. | Offerors should complete all fill-in clauses that apply throughout Sections A-J. |
| Can companies submit multiple proposals for separate business areas and/or CAGE codes, so multiple representatives from different areas of responsibility can respond to FOPRs? | At this time, only one proposal from the parent CAGE code holder is authorized for submission. Any proposals submitted by subsidiary companies will be considered duplicate submissions and deemed non-responsive in accordance with Section L, Section 1. Once the initial award is completed, the Government will process an on-ramping opportunity for additional business areas and CAGE codes at a later date. Additional information on future on-ramping opportunities will be provided via SAM.gov following the initial award. |
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