Summary

This document is a Department of the Air Force Justification for Other Than Full and Open Competition (CUI) dated 18 May 2026. The justification authorizes a sole-source acquisition valued under $10M for the purchase of two Power Cable Assemblies from TLD America Corporation in support of the 411 FLTS AGE Program at Edwards AFB, California. The Flight Test Contracting Branch will execute the effort with Anne Beach serving as the Contracting Officer.

The acquisition is restricted to TLD America Corporation because it is the Original Equipment Manufacturer and sole approved vendor of PAO Cart equipment for the U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor. The Power Cable Assemblies are required to connect PAO Carts to hangar electrical power systems, with a critical 100-day lead time requirement due to equipment failure and degradation of F-22 mission support capabilities. TLD is the exclusive manufacturer of PAO Carts containing proprietary electronics necessary for F-22 compatibility, and utilization of aftermarket or unauthorized cables compromises electronic connection integrity and risks mission failure. The justification notes that market research confirmed no alternative sources exist; GSA and NASA SEWP searches yielded no results, and TLD indicated it only provides quotes to pre-approved, vetted resellers. A second RFQ will be posted to allow large business participation after the initial small business set-aside RFQ. The government commits to monitoring the market for alternative PAO Cart manufacturers that could achieve USAF approval to overcome this competitive barrier.