W15QKN-26-R-1BH5 PPON PGS Questions and Answers - 2026APR13.pdf

W15QKN-26-R-1BH5 PGS PPON Questions and Answers

Q1.We have a significant concern about the PGS PPON language regarding obligations, and we were hoping you could clear something up for us. Paragraph 3.4.6. states, "The total OTA(s) amount will not be obligated at time of award. Funding for the OTA(s) will be obligated as funding is appropriated and per contractual milestone payment schedules.

Based on the availability of funds, the Government and OTA Awardees may need to renegotiate the schedule, milestones events, and/or the Statement of Work."

Figure 1 shows Total Planned Obligations Schedule, with $40M through 1QFY28 and the remaining $32M through 4QFY28. Based on Attachment 3 - Delivery Schedule, the hardware is due 30 days prior to PT and the PT is scheduled to start 15 months after award.

According to the estimated timeline on page 4 of the PPON, the OTA award is anticipated sometime in July 2026, which puts the tentative PT start date sometime in October 2027, with a hardware delivery date sometime in September 2027.

Our concern is that at the time of hardware delivery, which represents the bulk of the research, development, testing, and manufacturing, only $40M of the planned funds will have been obligated.

Is it possible that after hardware delivery for PT, the Government could obligate no further funds, and Offerors and their subcontractors would be left without payment for any other milestones after hardware delivery?

The obvious problem is that with a limit of $40M of obligated funds for up to two company teams, representing approximately $20M each as the upper limit of obligated funds for the entire project, with potentially no further funding after hardware delivery, the amount of commitment that each Offeror and their subcontractors may be limited to is the obligated funds up to the point of hardware delivery.

A1. Yes, due to budget process, funding is approved and appropriated yearly and the Government is unable to commit/obligate funding for the following FY. The Government will negotiate with the selected contractors to structure their proposed efforts into tasks such that the Government will authorize each task when funding is available.

It is the Government’s intent to authorize the negotiated tasks and obligate funding as follows:

- Task 0: Total of $17M at award

- Task 1: Total of $13M in 1QFY27

- Task 2: Total of $10M in 3QFY27

- Task 3: Total of $17M in 1QFY28

- Task 4: Total of $15M in 3QFY28

Note: Tasks 2 and 4 may be authorized/obligated earlier, pending budget approvals.

A notional example is provided below.

W15QKN-26-R-1BH5 PGS PPON Questions and Answers

The contractor’s decision to proceed ahead of the Government’s authorization will be at their sole risk.

Q2. Is the USG willing to make an obligation for the remainder of the OTA funding before requiring hardware delivery in support of the PT?

A2. The Government plans to obligate additional funding in 1QFY28. It is the Government’s intent to authorize as many tasks as possible as early as possible, pending availability of funds.

Q3. On Attachment 4 - PGS Pricing, do cells E11-E16 and G11-G16 need to be filled out prior to submission?

A3. Yes. All green cells are required to be filled in prior to submission. For clarification, the funding identified in Figure 1, totaling $72M, represents the total available funding for the development (LIN 0001 - LIN 0005) and hardware (LIN 0006 - LIN 0011). The additional items (LIN 0012 – LIN0036) are for future consideration and would be resourced with additional funding.

Q4. Is a response required for each line of Section 2 - PPON Statement of Work (SOW) (21 pages of the PPON), and is that response included in the 30-page count limit?

A4. No, responses to each line of Section 2 are not required. Reference Section 3 in PPON for proposal submission instructions.

Task Planned

Obligation Total Value Scope Description

Milestone

Payments

Efforts and Deliverables through 1QFY27

Conduct Start up Meeting $8M

Efforts and Deliverables through 3QFY27

Magazine Delivery $6M

Efforts and Deliverables through 1QFY28

Test Hardware Delivery $6M

Efforts and Deliverables through 3QFY28

3QFY28 AFSRB Briefing $6M

Efforts and Deliverables through 4QFY28

Technical Data Package (TDP): Weapon, Fire

Control, Ammunition $5M

Manufacturing Maturity Plan $2M

1QFY28 $6M

4 3QFY28 $7M

Notional Task Description (To Be Negotiated)

0 4QFY26 $8M

1 1QFY27 $6M

2 3QFY27 $6M