QNA_FSN_06 Feb 2026.pdf

# Question (RFI) Government Response

The final C4S SOO Helicopter Requirement #7 reads "Equipped to communicate simultaneously on UHF-AM (225-400 MHz), VHF-AM (118- 144 MHz), and VHF-FM (30-88 MHz) with 25 khz spacing for all bands." We understand that additional radios are necessary for safe and effective operations in the Fort Rucker Military Training Area, but the term "simultaneous" may add up to $150,000 USD over and above the cost of each helicopter radio suite depending on the interpretation of "simultaneous" by the submitting prime contractor. It is our intention to provide a cost effective solution that meets the above requirement but does not overburden the customer with a radio set in which unutilized functionality adds additional cost burden in the initial acquisition or continuing support of the helicopter over a 26-year period of performance. Can you please describe in a functional manner how you prefer the crew members and/or non-flying student communicate (monitor and transmit) across these frequencies in a "simultaneous" manner?

Simultaneous Reception Across Frequency Bands:

Each flying crewmember (pilot) must be able to simultaneously receive communications on one frequency within each of the three specified frequency bands: UHF-AM (225-400 MHz), VHF-AM (118-144 MHz), and VHF-FM (30-88 MHz). Non-flying crewmembers must also have the capability to receive communications on all three frequency bands simultaneously.

Transmission Capabilities:

Each flying crewmember must be able to transmit on one selected frequency within a single frequency band at a time.

Flying crewmembers must have the ability to independently select the frequency band for transmission, ensuring that one pilot can transmit on one band while the other pilot transmits on a different band simultaneously.

Frequency Band Sharing:

Within each frequency band, all crewmembers may share a single selected frequency for communication.

Internal Communication:

The ability to transmit and receive on external frequency bands must not interfere with the crew’s ability to communicate internally. Internal communication systems must remain fully operational and unaffected during external communication activities.

These are the minimum communication requirements. Solutions that provide greater capability (e.g. transmit/receive on multiple frequencies within a single band) are permissible.

Can the US Army confirm that the "Go/No Go" decision referenced in Attachment 4, USAACE Regulation 350-15 bullet 4 applies only to academic testing, and is not applicable to flying events?

USAACE Regulation 350-15 is used for Academic Criterion-Referenced Testing. Flight training is graded in accordance with AVCOE Regulation 350-16.

On Page 6 of SOO Atch 2 Facility Guide, there are no additional facilities given over for the 75% of IERW classes in FSN Training. Is this an oversight?

This is not an oversight; no additional facilities will be provided when the contractor achieves 75% student capacity.

The FSN_C4S_FINAL_9DEC2025_AMD_01 states, "The U.S. Army’s Initial Entry Rotary-Wing (IERW) Flight Training has been located at Fort Rucker, Alabama for over 50 years and currently operates across four separate contracts ...".

The FSN states that there are currently four separate contracts. However, only 3 CBAs were provided. Can the USG confirm that there are only three CBAs in place and that the fourth contract does not have an existing CBA?

Confirmed. There are four contracts and three have CBAs in place.

In C4S Instruction 2, Section 1. Guidelines, the instructions state, "All text, excluding text in tables and charts (single-spaced), must adhere to all font size and line spacing requirements listed herein. Font and line spacing requirements do not have to be followed for illustrations, flowcharts, drawings, and diagrams."

Will the USG confirm that call-out boxes are excluded from font size and line spacing requirements?

Call-out boxes are excluded from font size and line spacing requirements, however these exceptions shall not be used to circumvent formatting requirements and page count limitations by including lengthy narratives in such items.

Please confirm that items excluded from font size and line spacing requirements (defined in C4S as tables, charts, illustrations, flowcharts, drawings, and diagrams) also include supporting materials (e.g., photographs, manuals, maps, sample document scans or renderings, etc.).

Yes, supporting materials are excluded from font size and line spacing requirements. However, these materials should not be used to circumvent page count limitations to provide additional proposed solution information.

Will the USG confirm that the requirement for "Offeror Name, Title, Date, Point of Contact Name, E-Mail Address, Phone, and Address" may be provided on the Cover Page?

Yes, the listed required information may be provided on the cover page.

In C4S Instruction 5, Section 1.a) states "The page limitation covers all information including indices, photographs, foldouts (counted as 1 page for each 8.5 by 11-inch portion)."

Will the USG confirm that offerors may use 11 x 17 page foldouts, counted as 2 pages?

Yes, 11x17 page foldouts may be used and will be counted as 2 pages.

Per C4S Instruction 5, offerors must submit "adequate supporting data and attachments" with the price volume.

Given the amount of supporting information required (e.g., labor data, vendor quotes, supplier agreements, etc.), will the USG confirm that supporting information is excluded from the 10-page price narrative?

Quotes, agreements, and supporting documents that verify and/or provide backup to proposal information, are excluded from the 10-page price narrative.

SOO Attachment 2 - Facility Guide and Transition Plan states that "solutions including contractor-owned facilities should account for the overall duty day of the student, including transportation time between the contractor-owned facilities, and the main post cantonment area."

Will the USG confirm that Offerors are not required to provide contractor-owned facilities unless specifically specified, so that proposals can be prepared consistently and in alignment with the Government's expectations?

Government Provided Facilities are outlined in SOO Attachment 2. There is no requirement for contractor-owned facilities, however, there is no restriction to Offerors proposing contractor-owned facilities as part of their solutions/proposal submissions.

C4S INSTRUCTION 4, Section 2 requires offerors to "Discuss the specific PWS requirements and how they are modeled and/or implemented." It is unclear what is required to meet 'how they are modeled and/or implemented".

Please confirm that the Government is not expecting offerors to provide a detailed approach to the PWS requirements, as this is required in Phase III as part of the Technical Proposal Volume. Rather, is the Government asking offerors to develop a PWS framework and PWS requirements that are specific to offerors' high-level approach? For example, the PWS framework response would state, "The Contractor shall provide XYZ aircraft..." to demonstrate how the helicopter requirement is modeled and/or implemented.

Or, is the Government asking Offerors for their PWS and their approach to implementing (executing) their PWS (like a technical approach)?

That is correct. The Army is not expecting a detailed PWS at Phase II. The Army expects the Phase II PWS to be a high-level approach of the Offeror's PWS. Detailed technical approach and execution is not expected at this Phase.

Please confirm the formatting requirements for the Phase II written content.

Specifically, does a cover page or table of contents count against the page limit?

Are pages required to be single-spaced (the standard single-space function in Microsoft Word), 8.5 by 11 inches, with at least 1-inch margins on the top, bottom, and sides? Is text required to be written in a 12-point, standard font (i.e., Times New Roman, Arial or Calibri) with the exception of text in tables and charts (still single-spaced)? Is character spacing required to be set to "normal," and not condensed in any manner?

Will exceptions be provided for font and line spacing requirements for illustrations, flowcharts, drawings, and diagrams?

Formatting requirements shall align with the formatting requirements as Phase I.

Text shall be written in a 12-point, standard font (i.e. Times New Roman, Arial or Calibri). Character spacing must be "normal," not condensed in any manner. Pages shall be single-spaced (must use standard single-space function in Microsoft Word), 8.5 by 11 inches, with at least one-inch margins on both sides, top and bottom. All text, excluding text in tables and charts (single-spaced), must adhere to all font size and line spacing requirements listed herein. Font and line spacing requirements do not have to be followed for illustrations, flowcharts, drawings, and diagrams.

These exceptions shall not be used to circumvent formatting requirements and page count limitations by including lengthy narratives in such items. The cover page does not count against page limit.

A table of contents does not count against page limit.

Special Procurement Notice Amendment #5 states, "The Phase II - PWS and Innovation Demonstrations will be due on 01/16/2026, prior to the live presentation."

C4S INSTRUCTION 4 states, "The Phase II invitation will include a date, location, time and directions for the presentation. All materials supporting the presentation must be submitted to the Army by the date specified on the request through DoD SAFE. Presentations received after the specified date and time will be considered late and non-selectable. Non-selectable presentations will be cancelled."

Will the Government confirm that the Phase II presentation slides are due at the same time as the written content?

All presentation materials (e.g. slides, video, etc.) along with the information specified in the C4S shall be submitted on January 16, 2026 at 1200 hrs CST

14 Please confirm that there are no format restrictions for any documents submitted as part of Phase IV CSP Validation Demonstration. No formatting restrictions apply to documents submitted as part of Phase IV CSP Validation Demonstration.

C4S Instruction 5, p. 18 states, "The CSP must be prepared in five separate Volumes as follows: Volume I Technical, Volume II Schedule, Volume III Price, Volume IV Performance Work Statement (PWS), and Volume V Small Business Subcontracting Plan (SBSP)". However, Section 1.e of C4S Instruction 5 (p.19) states "e) SBSP Volume: ...The SBSP shall be submitted as a separate attachment to the CSP."

Please confirm if the Offeror is submitting the SBSP as a standalone volume (Volume V) or as an attachment to a compiled CSP submission package.

The SBSP is considered a Volume to the CSP, however should be submitted as standalone file/attachment.

For Phases II-IV, will the Government allow a List of Acronyms to be submitted with all narrative submissions that is excluded from page limitations?

The USG will allow ONE page of acronyms to be included in the narrative and shall be excluded from the page limitation.

18 For Phase II, are presentation slides required to be submitted in advance of the presentation. If so, when are they due?

All presentation materials (e.g. slides, video, etc.) along with the information specified in the C4S shall be submitted on January 16, 2026 at 1200 hrs CST

19 During the Phase II presentation, will the slides and verbal presentation be considered together?

Yes, they will be considered together. IAW C4S Instruction 1: Evaluation Criteria and Selection Process it states, "The Army will evaluate each presentation and supporting materials. The Army will select the offerors based on the following criteria. Phase II will be evaluated on a Selectable or Non-Selectable basis."

If the Offeror does have a foreign national attending the scheduled Phase II presentation, how does he complete registration? Does he need to contact another party in lieu of seeing an agent at the counter as indicated?

The USG will not be responsbile for coordinating access to Redstone Arsenal for foreign nationals. The Offeror should contact the visitor center for information/guidance.

Considering Offeror has a DCMA approved Comprehensive Subcontracting Plan (CSP) which is over the stipulated 10 page limit, can the Army confirm that this CSP is exempt for the page-limit requirement?

Concur, approved CSP's are exempt of the page limit requirement.

22 Can the US Army confirm if the facility location defined in QNA_ FSN 11.07.2025_REVISED_with map.pdf is still applicable? The verbiage and map.pdf attachment are no longer applicable. Attachment 2 (page 4) outlines some considerations for "Contractor Facilities."

C4S only mentions a Table of Contents in C4S Instruction 5, 2.d PWS Volume, by stating on p. 22, "The cover page, table of contents, and/or reference pages are not included in the 30 page limit."

Will the Government allow a Table of Contents to accompany all written narratives required across all four evaluation phases (i.e., Phase I - Solution Brief; Phase II - PWS Framework and Innovation Description; Phase III - Volume I Technical, Volume II Schedule, Volume III Price, Volume IV Performance Work Statement (PWS), and Volume V Small Business Subcontracting Plan [SBSP]; Phase IV - CSP Validation Demonstration Brief) and exclude the Table of Contents from the stated page limitations?

Yes. The USG will allow a ONE page Table of Contents to accompany all written narratives and will be excluded from the page count throughout all Phases of Evaluation. The table of contents will not be evaluated; however, it will be referenced for purposes of facilitating the evaluation.

How will passage of the 2026 NDAA, specifically language addressing US Army IERW training in Section 384, affect the CSO process and acquisition of FSN?

The Government has taken into consideration the provisions of the 2026 NDAA regarding IERW. At this time, there is no change to the acquisition schedule previously provided to industry at the 4 DEC 25 Pre-Solution Conference. Any changes to the acquisition schedule that may arise will be communicated with offerors.

25 Offeror is seeking clarification on if the Buy American Act has any applicability to the Flight School Next, Call for Solutions? Buy American Act does not apply.

Due to the Army’s updated schedule for Phase II in person briefings, does the Army anticipate any corresponding adjustment to the Phase III submission due date?

No impacts to Phase III are expected.

What is the setup of the area that will be utilized for the presentation on 1/22? Will it be a conference room type of environment, where we are sitting at a table and discussing, or will it be more on an auditorium type of environment with a stage, or a mix? Will we need to bring our own HDMI cords, or will the Government be using our submitted presentation as the visual media? For audio, is a microphone required and if so provided. If yes, is the microphone portable or fixed (to table or podium)?

Phase II presentations will be held in Toftoy Hall. The room will be a classroom style set-up with a white-board on one wall and two large monitors. There will be IT support from the room provider. The presenter will be in the front of the "class" and those supporting the presenter will be seated in the room as well. There is no stage, there may be a podium. A microphone is not needed. Offerors will present slides from their own standalone computer connected via HDMI to the large monitors.

Does the USG have a preference as to what industry utilizes as the unit of measure, that will be used for unit pricing (student, flight hours, etc)? Is there a max and min range for that unit setting (i.e. minimum and maximum number of students if the unit of measure is student)?

Are there ranges that the USG would like to see for range pricing?

The USG has approached FSN as a commercial services contract and therefore is attempting to relax traditionally restrictive requirements.

Offerors are encouraged to present any pricing solutions that provide the best value to the government. Phase II ROM is specifically just that, Rough Order of Magnitude.

29 Will the Flat-Iron provided to FSN be GFE for Fire and Rescue?

The government will provide fire prevention and crash services at all airfields. Fire prevention and crash rescue at stagefields may be scheduled for availability. Airlift medical evacuation (MEDVAC) provided by FLATIRON services within the local flying area is also provided by the government. These are service that are provided in support of IERW training and will not be considered GFE.

Offeror respectfully requests information regarding the Phase 3 cost volume.

What is the intent of the NTE value in years 11-26? Does the government intend to use them as Options on the initial Task Order or are they for planning purposes only? If they are options, how will executing those Options work? Will a RFP be requested for pricing prior to executing the Option?

If they will be used for planning purposes, how does the USG intend to structure the initial Task Order? Will it be a 10 year base period, or a 5 year base with Options? Or something different entirely?

The USG is looking for industry's innovation. The USG is looking to industry to provide unique and creative solutions to the Period of Performance, Years 11-26. The USG is intentionally refraining from directing the format of the pricing; however, is requesting that pricing for the out-years be at a NTE value.

The USG intends to negotiate all pricing. The USG intends to establish optional periods of performance; however, is open to industry's ideas for collaboration and unique offerings. Pricing will either be determined by CBA wage rate adjustments or negotiated agreements for each period.

Will the USG be providing access to the existing Spatial Disorientation Trainers currently at Ft. Rucker to support Spatial Disorientation training required per the Academic Topic 10 in Attachment 1?

What about the helicopter underwater egress trainer to support Flight Task List in Attachment 1?

There is a potential for the spatial disorientation trainers (x2) to be made available and can be negotiated after contract award.

The underwater egress trainer will not be made available.

32 Can the Government confirm when the down-selected offeror should expect to receive the Flight Training Guide? The USG will provide a draft ATM after contract award to assist the contractor in the development of their ATM and FTG or CMP.

Please confirm that sub-paragraph (g) under the “C4S Instructions 5: Phase III CSP Format” is to be provided as a separate volume for Phase III.

No, sub-paragraph (g) under the “C4S Instructions 5: Phase III CSP Format” is not intended to be submitted as a separate volume for Phase III.

Instead, sub-paragraph (g) "General Information" serves as an overarching instruction that applies to all volumes within the Phase III submission.

Within C4S Attachment 7, the USG included 52.246-11, however, there are no additional quality requirements specified. In order to ensure that the contractors are accounting for these requirements, can the USG provide a list of applicable standards intended at award?

FAR 52.246-11 has been removed.

Q&A #137 specified that all CAS clauses will be removed from the solicitation. In the latest release on 12.9.25, the DFAR Clauses 252.242- 7005 and 252.242-7006 are still included. Does the USG intend to update the contract clause attachment, or should the offerors document in their CSP that these clauses are removed?

DFARS Clauses 252.242-7005 and 252.242-7006 have been removed and Attachment 7 - Government Clause has been revised accordingly.

The Phase III instructions for the PWS Volume (Instructions 5, paragraph 1.d.) specify a 30-page limit and do not explicitly mention whether attachments are allowed. Given the detailed nature of the PWS and the need to provide typical PWS supporting documentation, would the Government consider allowing Offerors to include attachments to the PWS Volume, similar to the Technical Volume? If allowed, could you please clarify any page limitations or specific guidelines for such attachments?

The page limit for the the PWS will remain at 30 pages; however, attachments such as an OEM Maintenance Manual, are acceptable and will not count against the 30-page limit. Please limit the number of attachments to only the most critical and vital as these are supplemental to the PWS, not foundational. Additional attachments to the PWS shall be used to provide supplemental/supporting information; not to circumvent the PWS page limit.

C4S Instruction 5, paragraph 1.g) mentions that proposed solutions should include details such as intellectual property (IP) and data rights assertions, Army support requirements, and other relevant information. However, the instructions do not specify where this information should be included within the required volumes. Could the Government please clarify in which volume(s) this information should be presented, or if it should be submitted as a separate document?

This information should be included within the Technical Volume.

C4S Instruction 5, Paragraph 1.g (General Information): The instruction states that proposed solutions should include details such as intellectual property (IP) and data rights assertions, Army support requirements, and other relevant information “amongst others.” Could the Government please clarify whether there are specific additional categories of information, beyond those listed, that the Army expects Offerors to address as part of this section?

The intention was not to provide specific categories, but to state that solutions "should include" details that are relevant and significant to the proposals. These should be included in the Technical Volume.

Will the Army primarily rely on the Schedule Volume narrative, the Gantt attachments, or a combination of both when determining whether an Offeror’s schedule demonstrates a “complete and comprehensive understanding” of objectives for Highly Recommended ratings?

As described in C4S Instruction 5, the USG will rely on the information contained within the Schedule Volume to make this determination.

During the Pre-Proposal Conference, it was verbally mentioned that the Phase III Commercial Solutions Proposal would be due 2/17.

Special Procurement Notice, Amendment #5 dated 8 Nov 2025 stated that these would be due 2/23. To adequately plan, can you confirm the due date for final submission?

The USG will communicate the Phase III response due date via Phase II Selection Notice Letters.

Can the Army provide clarification of the additional training opportunities added to Attachment 8? Is the Army interested in solutions that extend beyond the scope identified in the SOO?

The Army will evaluate advantageous optional training opportunities beyond those specified in the SOO. The purpose of the revised Attachment 8 is to identify proposed optional training opportunities outside the SOO's scope and to detail the associated costs for these optional training opportunities.

Please refer to AMD 03 terminology changes.

The instructions for pricing methodology in C4S Instruction 5.c state that the price proposal should include a narrative detailing the pricing methodology, proposed CLIN structure, and //other non-proprietary information// to help the Army determine reasonableness and future budgetary cost estimates.

Could the Government confirm if the pricing methodology and proposed CLIN structure themselves are expected to be non-proprietary, or if Offerors may include proprietary elements in the narrative as long as they are appropriately marked?

Offerors may include proprietary elements in the narrative as long as they are appropriately marked.

Enclosure 2_AMD 02_C4S Attachment 7 included updated dates for fourteen different clauses to Feb 2026. As of 4 Feb 26, the clauses do not show published details on aquisition.gov or ecfr.gov. Could the Army please confirm these dates are accurate, and if so, can you please provide a full text version for contractor review?

C4S Attachment 7 has been revised to include the "full text" for all Clauses dated Feb 2026.