RFI-KC-46_ATS_Production Contract Extension.pdf

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) FOR PRODUCITION of AIRCREW TRAINING DEVICES (ATDs) and FULL

DEVELOPMENT OF RVS 2.0 UPDATE FOR BOOM

OPERATOR TRAINER (BOT) ATD FOR THE

KC-46 AIRCREW TRAINING SYSTEM (ATS)

1.0 SYNOPSIS

This RFI is for planning purposes only and shall not be considered as an invitation for bid, request for quotation, request for proposal, or as an obligation on the part of the Government to acquire any products or services. Your response to this RFI will be treated as information only. No entitlement to payment of direct or indirect costs or charges by the Government will arise as a result of contractor submission of responses to this announcement or the Government use of such information. This request does not constitute a solicitation for proposals or the authority to enter negotiations to award a contract. No funds have been authorized, appropriated, or received for this effort.

The information provided may be used by the Air Force in developing its acquisition strategy and statement of work/statement of objectives and performance-based specifications. Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary or competition sensitive information contained in their response. The Government does not intend to award a contract based on this RFI or otherwise pay/re-imburse for the information submitted in response to this RFI.

The objective of this market research is to determine if any contractor has the capability to provide the needed production of Aircrew Training Devices (ATD) and engineering, manufacturing, and development work for incomplete program requirements for KC-46 Aircraft Training System (ATS) for the period of 1 Jan 2026 to 1 May 2028.

2.0 BACKGROUND

The KC-46 Aircrew Training System (ATS) is both and engineering, manufacturing, and development (EMD) program and an operations, maintenance and sustainment (OM&S) training program. The program fields devices and trains KC-46 aircrew members on how to operate the KC-46 aircraft, and trains maintenance personnel in engine run procedures.

The goal of the KC-46 ATS program is to provide aircrews with thorough training, concurrent with the aircraft’s functionality. The KC-46 aircraft remains in the Engineering, Manufacturing, and Development (EMD) phase and will not reach Full Operating Capability (FOC) until resolution of multiple issues across the entire KC-46 enterprise. The KC-46 ATS users are represented by Air Mobility Command (AMC), Air National Guard (ANG), Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC), and potential international students.

The goal of the ATS is to develop a training system that reduces the need for aircraft flight training. The end state objective is to have a Weapon System Trainer (WST) that meets FAA Part 60 Level D and ARASQ level II and a Boom Operator Trainer (BOT) that meets ARASQ level II such that the on-aircraft training requirement for all qualification courses is

2 aircraft flights followed by an aircraft evaluation. The Training System Support Center (TSSC) is primarily based at Altus AFB and will serve as a storage and distribution center for spares. The Engineering Support Center (ESC) function located at McConnell AFB which will be the central location for engineering teams responsible for traveling out to update, test, and maintain devices.

The KC-46 ATS training concept focuses on fielding an optimized training system by integrating various forms of media into a blended solution. This blended solution consists of the appropriate mix of Computer Based Training (CBT), classroom instruction, hands-on skills training utilizing both low and high-fidelity training devices The KC-46 ATS training devices consists of WST, BOT, Fuselage Trainers (FuT), Pilot Part Task Trainers (PPTT), Boom Operator Part Task Trainers (BOPTT), Computer-Based Training (CBT) Learning Centers.

3.0 SCOPE/REQUIREMENTS/CAPABILITIES

The objectives of this KC-46 ATS acquisition are listed below:

1) Produce, deliver and install 2 BOTs that meet ARASQ level II requirements and 1 FuT to MacDill AFB, FL. These initial BOT and FuT devices must match an existing physical configuration baseline established on currently fielded devices.

The initial BOT delivery to site would be NLT by Aug 2026, and the FuT delivery to site would be NET Oct 2027. The second BOT device will reflect the RVS 2.0 configuration based on an RVS 2.0 SDP projected to be delivered in Jan 2025 with updates based on the final RVS 2.0 SDP projected to be delivered in Q1 CY26.

The RVS 2.0 BOT delivery to site would be NLT 1 Jan 2027.

a. Complete Site Activation activities for the ATDs. These activities include coordination with the Facility Construction Contractor, MacDill Fire Marshall, FSI-D Site Manager, Government COR, and other support agencies necessary for the delivery and installation of the devices, and the connection of the devices to facility systems (Electrical, HVAC, Fire Protection, etc.).

The contractor may utilize FSI-D as a sub to complete these requirements.

b. Deliver required BOT and FuT Support Equipment along with FuT Training loads. These items will match the existing Physical Configuration Audit (PCA) baselines for the ATS Program.

c. The contractor will provide full technical drawings for any changes that were made to the PCA baseline device for the initial BOT, and a full technical drawing package for the RVS 2.0 BOT.

d. The contractor will be responsible for correcting all hardware discrepancies discovered during testing such that the final delivered device fully matches the configuration and function of the program BOT and FuT baselines.

e. The contractor will be responsible for conducting a PDR and CDR for the RVS 2.0 BOT. The government will provide the current approved BOT software for use in developing the RVS 2.0 BOT software that integrates with the RVS 2.0 hardware design.

f. The contractor will fully complete the Non-Recurring Engineering (NRE) work needed to update the baseline BOT configuration to match the RVS 2.0 BOT configuration. This work will result in the full engineering package needed to complete the modification work as a Time Compliance Technical Order (TCTO) package. The package will include all the manufacturing drawings, design details, any special equipment requirements, and man-hour/specialty requirements needed to support future device modifications with no additional engineering requirement.

2) The FuT software baseline on the currently fielded KC-46 ATS ATDs is EMD complete and under sustainment by FSI-D. The BOT software baseline is still in the Engineering, Manufacturing, and Development (EMD) phase of the program with completion projected in Q2 CY26. Because of this the production contractor will be required to work closely with FlightSafety International – Defense (FSI-D) to ensure any production hardware changes due to DMS/MS issues will still support the software baseline.

3) The final BOT EMD software baseline will be used as the starting point for the RVS

2.0 BOT development. The final RVS 2.0 software will fully support all ATS training requirements and match the KC-46 aircraft functionality.

4) The government will require the contractor to establish an Associate Contractor

Agreement (ACA) with the EMD prime contractor (FSI-D) and the Contractor Logistics Support (CLS) prime contractor (currently FSI-D but subject to future competition) for this production activity. This ACA will include the contractor covering any costs associated with both the EMD contractor and the CLS prime contractor for engineering support and/or additional code required to support any Diminishing Manufacturing Sources and Materiel Shortages (DMS/MS) related changes along with CLS Prime contractor onsite support Site Activation at MacDill, to load the software baseline onto the delivered device, and to support all Hardware Software Integration (HSI) testing, On-Site Contractor Device Verification Testing, Government Acceptance Testing (GAT), and government Simulator Certification Testing (SIMCERT) of the current approved Software baseline. The government will grant use of the WST Support Equipment, but the contractor ACA should cover scheduling access to Support Equipment from the CLS prime contractor.

5) Delivery of Learning Management System (LMS)/ Training Management System

(TMS) servers and 5 computer workstations that match the PCA hardware configuration for these devices. The contractor will be required use the CLS prime contractor as a sub-contractor to configure the computer hardware with the necessary LMS/TMS software and CBT workstation software to enable needed functionality.

KEYNOTE: The current contract is Firm Fixed Price (FFP), and the Government expects the production contract(s) to be the same.

Parties interested in responding to this RFI must provide the following information and/or documentation that demonstrates and justifies the company’s technical capability to produce the required devices. When providing examples, listing the partner organization within the DoD and contract number is appreciated for evaluation.

Questions for RFI Assessment

1. (CRITICAL) Does your company presently have the manpower, technical expertise/skill set, and production facilities to complete the production to meet the requirements section 3 above? Please answer either ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.

2. (CRITICAL) Describe in detail, your company’s experience, during the past five years, performing EMD and/or manufacturing/production of military simulators.

3. (CRITICAL) Describe in detail, you company’s experience, if any, with producing a device that will support an existing software baseline.

4. (CRITICAL) Describe in detail, you company’s experience with developing and implementing aerodynamic models based on flighty test data to meet ARASQ required tolerances.

5. (CRITICAL) Describe in detail, your company’s experience with coordinating hardware component changes with a separate contractor that maintains the software baseline to provide seamless device functionality.

6. (CRITICAL) Describe in detail, your company’s experience with assuming control over and completing an incomplete software baseline.

7. (CRITICAL) Describe in detail, you company’s experience with developing and implementing aerodynamic models based on flighty test data to meet ARASQ required tolerances.

8. (CRITICAL) Provide in detail, your company’s notional timeline from a contract award to delivery of the first device to site.

9. (CRITICAL) Describe in detail, your company’s experience in fielding simulator hardware that will support an existing software baseline.

10. (CRITICAL) Describe in detail, your company’s experience in adding advanced technologies, and tailoring simulators to match specific training needs and requirements of military clients.

11. (CRITICAL) Describe in detail, your company’s experience with assuming the responsibility of producing an aircrew training device to exactly match an existing design PCA baseline.

12. (CRITICAL) The aircraft program remains in EMD and as such the final Simulator Data Package is not expected until 2026 or later. Describe in detail, your company’s experience with obtaining needed proprietary design data from the Boeing Defense or other KC-46 aircraft program parts vendors to complete contract requirements.

13. (CRITICAL) What would be an estimated cost to the Government for the completion of the Engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) requirements, and production of the remaining devices listed in Section 3.

14. (CRITICAL) Does your company presently have the manpower, technical expertise/skill set, and a reach-back capability for near-term engineering support to produce the devices and special test equipment as briefly identified in section 1 and the assumptions above? Please answer either ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.

15. (CRITICAL) If the answer to Question #12 is “No”, no further action is required, thank you for your response.

16. (CRITICAL) If the answer to Question #12 is “Yes”, what would be an estimated cost to the Government for production of the KC-46 ATS over the period identified above?

17. (CRITICAL) What timeframe would be required to provide a proposal if a Firm Fixed Price contract type were to be used?

18. (CRITICAL) Would your company be willing and able to enter a contract arrangement or an ACA with the EMD and CLS prime contractors to acquire the necessary support as described in Section 3?

19. If ‘Yes’, how long do you anticipate it will take to have the contract/ACA in place?

20. (CRITICAL) Describe any additional teaming agreements, such as subcontracts, that would be implemented to meet program requirements. This includes partnerships for production activities and manpower additions that would be outside of the prime contractor.

21. (CRITICAL) Please provide an estimate of the learning curve time required to standup production after a contract award and the lead time for device production for a BOT and FUT.

4.0 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

The devices and required computer systems will be delivered and installed at MacDill AFB. The USG will not provide a production facility for the construction of devices or assist in the delivery and installation of devices. The TCTO resulting from the RVS 2.0 BOT retrofit development will be delivered to the government program office and the

CLS ESC at McConnell AFB.

5.0 CLEARANCES

The Contractor personnel must obtain Common Access Cards (CACs) to gain entrance to the bases where the regional maintenance facilities will be located. In some instances, select contractor personnel will be required to obtain active CACs for the purpose of encryption and physical/digital identification for access to .mil systems. In those instances, security/background checks will be performed. The Contractor shall not involve any foreign national (resident aliens exempt) in work performed under this requirement.

Currently, personnel are not to have a security clearance to perform the work. It is expected that this will become a requirement in the next two (2) to five (5) years.

6.0 ORGANIZATIONAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST

Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI), as defined and discussed in FAR 9.5, and Organizational and Consultant Conflicts of Interest, are a concern in all acquisitions across the Department of Defense. Early involvement with our industry partners is a key element of the OCI process, and it is critical for the Government to be able to identify any potential OCI issues as early as possible for an acquisition. This would allow ample time to address and evaluate any potential OCI issues, if required, prior to contract award with minimal impact to critical acquisition schedules.

Interested vendors are requested to evaluate your potential OCI issues pertaining to this requirement for Subject Matter Expert (SME) services for all systems identified, and the Contractor is encouraged to identify any OCI issues, as stated in FAR 9.5, to the Contracting Officer (CO). This will assist the CO in determining if the contractor will need to submit an OCI Mitigation Plan for any solicitation that might result from this notice.

7.0 INFORMATION REQUESTED

Interested parties should submit a capability package, with a cover letter, that is brief and concise, yet clearly documents the contractor's ability to meet the stated requirements with sufficiently qualified personnel. Provide qualification information (type and duration of employee experience relevant to the requirements) and the level of involvement (prime or subcontractor) and the time periods for work on similar projects. The capabilities package should clearly present evidence that the interested party is fully capable of providing the required services and as such may contain any information that the interested party feels is relevant. Provide a list of Government and/or commercial contracts with the following information:

a. Contract number and description of services.

b. Contracting officers’ name, address, and telephone number

c. Program managers’, project leads’, and/or technical leads’ name, address, telephone number, and a list of tasks performed for these personnel.

d. Examples of experience that do not provide the information detailed above will be disregarded when evaluating the RFI response.

8.0 INSTRUCTIONS FOR RESPONSE:

Responses shall indicate the businesses’ interest and qualification information. As this is an RFI document, initial prospective business responses should be in the form of a Capability Statement. The Capability Statement should include the following elements:

Submit a 10-page (maximum) paper not including cover page, describing the items listed above. The responses should be formatted as follows:

• Page size shall be 8.5 x 11 inches; foldouts are permitted but will be assessed towards total page count.

• Pages shall be single-spaced. The font shall be Arial and the font size shall be no less than ten (10) point and no more than twelve (12) point. Use at least a 1-inch margin on the top and bottom and ¾ inch side margins.

• Capability statements need to fully address the critical areas identified above.

• Responses shall also include the following information:

1) The level of contractor’s interest (likelihood of submitting a proposal as a prime contractor) (not likely, somewhat not likely, likely, somewhat likely, highly likely)

2) Address potential teaming arrangements (if likely to submit a proposal).

3) If a teaming arrangement is considered, describe the tasks the prime would perform versus tasks the subcontractor would perform.

4) Prospective Business Identification

a. Company Name and Cage Code

b. Address

c. Phone Number

d. E-mail

e. Point of Contact Information

f. A website address that provides additional information about the prospective business

g. The highest security clearance that your company currently holds.

h. Verify your business status as Minority Owned, a Service-

Disabled, Veteran-Owned Business, etc.

5) Identify company Cage Code, DUNS Number, size/socio-economic status

(large, small, 8(a), etc.) and provide any other information that the Air Force should consider in reviewing the response.

Due Date: Responses are due not later than 12PM EST on 17 June 2024. The Government will not accept late submissions or extend this deadline. Send responses electronically to Contract Specialist, Jordan Dean at jordan.dean.8@us.af.mil, and the Contracting Officer, Ms. Dasia Johnson at dasia.johnson@us.af.mil. Respondents who submit proprietary data shall clearly mark the data with appropriate markings. Any mailto:jordan.dean.8@us.af.mil mailto:dasia.johnson@us.af.mil questions should be directed to the Contracting Officer or to the Contract Specialist.

The Government does not intend to award a contract based on this RFI. A determination not to compete this action based on responses received is solely within the discretion of the Government. Responses to the RFI will not be returned.

• Please note that all prospective contractors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) database, formerly the Central Contractor Registration (CCR), to be awarded a Department of Defense contract. To learn more about this SAM requirement and how to register, please visit the SAM internet website at http://www.sam.gov/ or call 1-866-606-8220.

In accordance with AFFARS 5352.201-9101, an Ombudsman has been appointed for this acquisition. The Ombudsman does not diminish the authority of the Program Director or Contracting Officer, but communicates contractor concerns, issues, disagreements, and recommendations to the appropriate Government official. When requested, the Ombudsman shall maintain strict confidentiality as to the source of the concern. The Ombudsman does not participate in the evaluation of proposals or in the source selection process. The Ombudsman should be contacted only with issues or problems that have been brought previously to the attention of the Program Manager and/or Contracting Officer and could not be resolved satisfactorily at that level. The AFLCMC Ombudsman can be contacted at:

Deputy Director Acquisition Excellence & Program Execution Directorate AFLCMC/AQ-AZ Bldg. 572, 1790 Tenth Street Wright-Patterson AFC, OH 45433-7630 Email: ASCA@us.af.mil http://www.sam.gov/