Acquisition Sensitive – This document may contain information considered sensitive unclassified information (SUI) and would merit protection from unauthorized disclosure under 5 U.S.C, Section 552(b)(4). No information shall be released except as authorized by the Contracting Officer.

Market Survey Announcement for Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) Ground Transponder System

1. Notice

• This announcement is not a Screening Information Request (SIR) or Request for Proposals of any kind.

• The FAA is neither seeking nor accepting unsolicited proposals.

• The FAA will not pay for any information received or costs incurred in preparing the response to the market survey.

• Any cost associated with the market survey submittal is solely at the interested vendor’s expense.

• The FAA may, at its sole discretion, contact any or all the respondents to this market survey for further clarification or to request additional information.

• Providing a response to this Market Survey neither qualifies nor excludes respondents from responding to a future SIR, if issued.

This Markey Survey is being issued for informational purposes only and in no way represents a formal solicitation for proposals, quotations, or bids with the intent to form binding agreements based upon results.

At the agency's sole discretion, FAA may (or may not) conduct an Industry Day Event and issue a formal solicitation for this requirement at a later time. Within that vein, any descriptive requirements and information provided by FAA in this exchange are subject to change and shall in no way be treated as final or binding.

2. Introduction The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is conducting this Market Survey in accordance with the FAA Acquisition Management System (AMS) Section 3.2.1.2.1, and the FAA Procurement Guidance Section T3.2.1.2. The FAA is interested in gathering information from industry regarding commercially available off the shelf (COTS) Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) ground transponder systems. Responses to this announcement will be used as inputs to the FAA acquisition planning and strategy for future DME procurements.

3. Purpose The purpose of this market survey is to improve the Government's understanding of the current marketplace by soliciting statements of capabilities from firms and determining technical capabilities, and rough order of magnitude from vendors interested in and capable of meeting the requirements defined in the attached FAA-E-37016, DME Ground Transponder Systems, Performance Specification, dated June 24, 2025. The information received will support acquisition planning and help the FAA determine the most appropriate procurement strategy for future DME acquisitions.

4. Background A DME ground transponder system is an aeronautical navigation system used during approach, landing, terminal, and en-route operations, consisting of a ground transponder that transmits encoded signals in response to DME airborne equipment interrogations, providing the pilot with a direct readout of the aircraft’s slant range from the identified DME facility.

The FAA currently has a contract to procure DMEs for replacing legacy equipment that has exceeded its service life, as well as for supporting the establishment of new DME facilities. The contract is set to expire in February 2029.

5. Scope The FAA requests input from vendors that currently offer COTS DME ground transponder systems.

Responses should address how the products compare to and can meet the requirements of FAA-E-37016

Acquisition Sensitive – This document may contain information considered sensitive unclassified information (SUI) and would merit protection from unauthorized disclosure under 5 U.S.C, Section 552(b)(4). No information shall be released except as authorized by

DME System Performance Specification, dated June 24, 2025.

6. Nature of Competition

A procurement strategy has not been determined at this time and will be selected depending on the responses to this market survey announcement.

7. Applicable NAICS Codes Any procurement that comes from this market survey may fall under the following NAICS codes:

• 334511 – Search, Detection, Navigation, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing, and

• 541330 – Engineering Services.

8. Submittal Requirements for Market Survey Interested vendors must submit the following information requested below:

a. A brief description of the company’s business size, location, and business status, i.e. large, small, women-owned, etc.

b. Provide drawings that show all the key components of the DME ground transponder system.

c. Provide a table listing each requirement identifier from FAA-E-37016, DME System Performance Specification (dated June 24, 2025), and indicate whether the vendor’s product exceeds, meets, partially meets, or does not meet each requirement. Use the attached template titled:

Requirements Verification Matrix.

d. For requirements that are not fully met, explain which ones are the hardest or most risky to implement.

e. Provide drawings to illustrate all the key components of the DME ground transponder system.

f. Provide information on system safety and any specified design assurance levels of the DME system.

g. Provide information on existing configuration control practices and procedures.

h. The FAA’s acquisitions are subject to the requirements of both the Buy America Act and the FAA Buy American Preference. Describe how the product your company provides meets or does not meet the conditions of these Acts. If a waiver is required, provide justification.

i. Provide the number of operational systems that are currently deployed. As applicable, provide quantities for deployments in the United States of America and foreign countries.

j. Provide information regarding experience assisting the customer during equipment installation.

k. Provide the number of systems that can be delivered per year with current production capabilities.

l. Describe the process for identifying obsolescence issues associated with components, materials, assemblies, hardware, and software.

9. Delivery of Submittals

Please provide your response to the requested information identified in Section 8 of this document. The response must be limited to 70 pages. The page limitation considers the completion of the requirements verification matrix which will be between 25 to 50 pages and an additional 20 pages to provide response on all the requirements listed in Section 8.

Acquisition Sensitive – This document may contain information considered sensitive unclassified information (SUI) and would merit protection from unauthorized disclosure under 5 U.S.C, Section 552(b)(4). No information shall be released except as authorized by

You may provide your response in a separate word file (or PDF format) using a font size no smaller than 12 point. Interested parties must submit their response electronically to Michael Jones, Michael.E.Jones01@faa.gov, and Victor Jefferson, Victor.Jefferson@faa.gov reference DME Ground Transponder Systems Market Survey in the subject line no later than Tuesday, July 21, 2026, at 5:00 p.m.

ET.

Interested companies can submit questions using the attached Reviewer Comments form. Submissions must include company point(s) of contact, title(s), and telephone number(s) or e-mail address and no later than Tuesday, June 23 at 3:00 p.m. ET.

10. Other Any confidential or proprietary information submitted in response to this announcement must be marked accordingly by the vendor. Such information will not be disclosed outside of the FAA acquisition team.

mailto:Michael.E.Jones01@faa.gov mailto:Victor.Jefferson@faa.gov