JA - F-16 AIS ATE - FINAL REDACTED.pdf

This is a Justification and Approval (J&A) document for a non-competitive contract award to BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc. The Air Force seeks to award a new Firm Fixed Price (FFP) Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) contract for F-16 Automatic Integrated Test Equipment (AIS ATE) Commodities Sustainment support. The contract will provide Commodities Sustaining Engineering activities, ATE Maintenance of Government Furnished Equipment/Property, and Technical Order Maintenance in support of mission requirements for U.S. Air Force, European Participating Air Force, and Foreign Military Sales countries. The anticipated contract value is undisclosed (redacted), with an award date of March 1, 2026, a basic ordering period of March 1, 2026 through February 28, 2031, and a five-year option period running March 1, 2031 through February 29, 2036, plus one additional year of performance available thereafter.

The J&A justifies sole-source award under 10 U.S.C. §3204(a)(1) based on BAE's exclusive ownership of data rights for the AIS test stations, proprietary information necessary for sustainment, and engineering authority over thousands of configuration-managed items. A Sources Sought notice (FA8251-25-RC-AIS) was posted from July 30 through August 29, 2025, yielding five respondents including three large businesses and one Disadvantaged Veteran-Owned Small Business; however, none possessed access to the required proprietary AIS test station data or OEM agreements. The document notes no commercial off-the-shelf alternatives exist, redesign would require over 10 years and 690+ years of Test Program Set development, and BAE is the only qualified source to provide sustainment without unacceptable delays. This acquisition is cost-shared across USAF, Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve, and FMS partners with multi-year funding.