Spatial D (SD) RFI_2026 Re-award.pdf

Capability Assessment

Request for Information (RFI) Spatial Disorientation (SD) System Trainer

(Solicitation #FA862125RB017)

21 November 2025

Prepared By:

Air Force Program Executive Office (AFPEO) Training

Simulators Division 2300 D Street, Building 32

Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 45433 javascript:ClickThumbnail(106)

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Table of Contents

1. INTRODUCTION

2. PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

2.1 Program Description

3. CONTRACT SPECIFICATIONS

3.1 Business Information

3.2 Capability Assessment/RFI Response

3.3 General Information

3.4 Capability Information

3.4.1 Spatial Disorientation (SD) Training System Capability Information

1. INTRODUCTION

This RFI/Capability Assessment is in accordance with (IAW) Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 52.215-3 – Request for Information or Solicitation for Planning Purposes (Oct 1997). Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract.

The Government does not intend to award a contract based on this RFI or to pay for the information solicited except as an allowable cost under other contracts as provided in subsection 31.205-18, Bid and Proposal costs, of the FAR. Companies responding to this RFI are advised that participation does not ensure involvement in future solicitations or contract awards. The Government will not reimburse any company or individual for any expenses associated with preparation or participation in this RFI.

The acquisition strategies have not yet been determined. Capability Assessment results will assist the Air Force in determining whether these requirements will be a small business set-aside, sole source or a small business set-aside task order under TSA IV. The Government is assessing the capability of companies, within both industry and the TSA IV Small Business Pool that may possess the expertise to competently and competitively respond to a potential RFP for Spatial Disorientation.

Although “proposal” and “offeror” may be used in this RFI, your response will be treated as information only. It shall not be used as a proposal.

2. PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

2.1 Program Description

SD training is currently required and conducted in United States Air Force (USAF) pilot training as part of Air Education & Training Command (AETC) classroom-based training and in-flight demonstrations using the T-6 aircraft. USAF Pilot training is conducted at Columbus AFB MS, Laughlin AFB OK, Sheppard AFB TX, JBSA Randolph TX and Vance AFB OK.

Currently, each student experiences basic SD illusions by training in the Gyro Integrated Physiological Trainer (IPT), Generation II (GYRO IPT II), which is a commercially available product, support the Spatial Disorientation (SD) training requirements in the Air Education and Training Command (AETC) Student Undergraduate Pilot Training syllabus. SD training systems expose undergraduate pilots and aircrew to typical vestibular and visual illusions found in aviation, allowing them to recognize, confirm, prevent, and recover from SD.

SD training systems will expose undergraduate pilots and aircrew to typical vestibular and visual illusions found in aviation, teaching them to recognize, confirm, recover from, and prevent SD. The SD Trainers are motion-based systems used to expose and teach aircrew to prevent disorientation, by allowing the aircrew to recognize, confirm and recover from typical vestibular and visual illusions found in aviation. Some known aviation illusions are somatogyral illusions, oculogyral illusions, nystagmus, autokinesis, leans, somatogravic illusions, black hole approach, false horizons, and runway width and runway slope.

Table 1 - Spatial Disorientation (SD) GYRO IPT-2 Locations

Location Columbus AFB, MS

Laughlin AFB, TX

JBSA Randolph TX

Sheppard AFB TX

Vance AFB OK

The Program Requirements can be summarized per the list below:

• CLS, Mods, Upgrades, Testing, and other support for 5 devices located at 5 sites.

• Ability to replicate past/recent accident scenarios as a demonstration training event.

• Set environmental parameters prior to flight and use flight data (aircraft data as well as instrument data) ability to replay while maintaining the ability to transfer control of fight to the pilot at one time.

• The SD Trainer will be maintenance friendly, enabling routine maintenance tasks to be accomplished within 24 hours (by properly trained personnel), to ensure the SD Trainer can support training for 10 hours/day, 5 days/week.

More detail for this list of requirements is provided below:

Contractor Logistics Support (CLS)

As part of the Spatial Disorientation Program, the contractor must possess the capability to provide operations, maintenance, and sustainment (OM&S) support capabilities including, Contractor Logistics Support (CLS) services, Help Desk services and the ability to evaluate, plan, develop, implement, install, and provide modifications/upgrades for the SD Program.

Sustainment of the training systems is essential to providing continued training capability.

High rates of availability are required to meet the rapidly changing training needs of the weapons systems. The training systems must be updated, to account for diminishing manufacturing sources (DMS) and obsolescence.

Subordinate activities include, but are not limited to, operation of the devices, device security, facility security, and maintenance.

Modifications and Upgrades

The contractor will be required to establish a process to integrate all technical disciplines (including engineering, configuration management, logistics, and test) to upgrade the training system, spares, and support equipment to ensure training is available to support these changes in the training system.

Testing

The contractor shall have the ability to develop and execute comprehensive Acceptance Test Procedures (ATP) for all devices and modification/sustainment efforts.

3. CONTRACT SPECIFICATIONS

It is anticipated that this effort for the Spatial Disorientation will commence on or about 01 January 2027. The Government anticipates the contract period of performance to be 1 base-year and 5 option years. The Government intends to award 1 Firm Fixed Price (FFP) contract for the Spatial Disorientation CLS.

3.1 Business Information

In response to this RFI/sources sought, please provide the following business information for your company/institution and for any teaming or joint venture partners:

• Company/Institute Name:

• Address:

• Point of Contact:

• Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code:

• Phone Number:

• E-mail Address:

• Web Page URL:

Firms responding to this announcement should indicate whether they are an other than small business, Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB), Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB), Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB), 8(a)-certified business, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB), or Historically Underutilized Business Zone small business (HUBZone). The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this action is 541330 and the PSC code is 6910. All prospective contractors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) database to be awarded a DoD contract.

3.2 Capability Assessment/RFI Response

The Government is assessing the small business industry to determine the Government’s ability to set this acquisition aside for the Small Business. The results of this assessment will allow the Government to make a determination as to whether these efforts will be a small business set-aside, sole source or a small business set-aside task order under TSA IV. To ensure a comprehensive evaluation of your company's capabilities, please provide thorough responses to all capability questions.

A Small Business Set-Aside will be considered if sufficient interest and capability are demonstrated by industry small businesses or the small business TSA IV prime contractors. A key criterion for a Small Business Set-Aside is that two or more potential small business prime contractors must be capable of performing at least 50% of the total effort.

3.3 General Information

The Government is soliciting responses from both the small business industry, and TSA

IV small business contractors. If you are a TSA IV contractor, only one response is necessary.

In your response, please provide the following general information for your company and for any teaming partners:

1. If subcontracts or teaming are anticipated to be used, provide a reasonable expectation for both small and other than small business utilization as a percent of total task order value. Provide specific details on how your company will comply with FAR clause 52.219-14, Limitations to Subcontracting. Delineate the small business utilization percentage and provide rationale for the recommended percentage. Teaming and/or subcontracting arrangements should be clearly stated, and previous experience in teaming must be provided.

a) What data do you require of the Government in order to assemble a proposal for this effort?

2. Direct and concise responses are preferred. Marketing material is considered an insufficient response to this Capability Assessment/RFI.

3. Limit responses to electronic submissions no more than ten (10) 8.5”x11” pages, using Word or PDF format. This includes all graphs and charts.

4. A point of contact that can represent your company should be identified to answer further Government inquiries and provide explanations that might be needed with regard to the information provided.

a) Respondents should indicate which portions, if any, of their response are proprietary and should mark them accordingly.

5. Further questions and formal responses should be e-mailed to pamela.randall.1@us.af.mil alyssa.stauffer@us.af.mil and john.bowers.7@us.af.mil.

Responses are due NLT 3:00 PM Dayton, Ohio time, Friday, 16 Jan 2026. The Government may converse with respondents regarding this RFI. Such conversations are intended to clarify potential capability to perform the requirements.

3.4 Capability Information

In response to this RFI, please provide the following information for your company and for any teaming partners. If a responding company is capable of some, but not all, of the consolidated requirements stated, please provide a response that explains the requirements for which you are capable.

mailto:pamela.randall.1@us.af.mil mailto:alyssa.stauffer@us.af.mil mailto:john.bowers.7@us.af.mil

3.4.1 Spatial Disorientation (SD) Training System Capability Information In response to this RFI, please provide the following capability information specifically to the Spatial Disorientation Training System requirements.

1. Describe briefly the capabilities of your company and the nature of the goods and/or services you provide.

2. Describe your company’s technical competencies and experience in sustaining Spatial

Disorientation Training devices. Include contract numbers, a brief description of the work performed, the company’s role (whether prime or subcontractor), period of performance, agency/organization supported, and individual points of contact (Contracting Officers or Program Managers). Provide no more than 5 examples.

3. Describe your specific capabilities to sustain a Spatial Disorientation Training systems. Be sure to include any information relevant to your experience with attaining system availability, identifying and resolving obsolescence issues, and maintaining a Recompetition Support Package.

4. Describe your document maintenance process and your modification development, test, distribution, and installation processes.

5. What experience do you have maintaining training device technical data and engineering drawings? What is your expertise in successfully obtaining and working with COTS items containing limited or restricted rights, and/or third-party proprietary data?

6. What experience do you have modifying and maintaining Spatial Disorientation Training devices?

7. Assuming a contract award by 01 January 2027, how soon could your company ramp up to support the Spatial Disorientation Training program? What, if any, specialized personnel or outside resources need to be obtained before ramp-up?

8. Describe the major risks you foresee in executing an effort of this scope. What steps will you likely take to mitigate these risks?

9. If you intend to subcontract part of this requirement, explain how you will comply with 13 CFR. § 121.103, which has affiliation and ostensible subcontractor restrictions, requiring the prime contractor to perform primary and vital requirements of this contract.