Rev 02Area of Interest (AoI) - Phase II TIGER Readiness REV 02.docx

Revision 02: Updated rolling submission date from 31 August to indefinite rolling submissions.

Area of Interest (AoI): Phase II: TIGER Readiness Agency: Department of the Army Program: Integrated Logistics Support Center (ILSC) and Capability Program Executive (CPE) Ground Platform: Abrams Main Battle Tank – Total Integrated Engine Revitalization (TIGER) of the Automotive Gas Turbine (AGT) 1500 Engine

1.0 Background and Phase II Objectives

Following the successful completion of the TIGER Hackathon Industry Day and the initial review of the Technical Data Packages (TDP), the Government is initiating Phase II this AoI. Vendors have now physically inspected the AGT 1500 engine and some components, engaged with subject matter experts, and identified the specific critical and single-source components they are interested in manufacturing or supplying.

The objective of Phase II is to move from capability assessment to actionable execution. The Government requires detailed, time-bound production roadmaps, technical execution strategies, and clear commercial/qualification metrics from vendors for their down-selected components.

1.1 Funding Timeline and Acquisition Strategy

The Government intends to obligate funds and award initial prototype projects in September 2026. Consequently, priority will be given to vendors who submit complete, actionable white papers capable of immediate execution based on the information and Technical Data Packages (TDP) currently available.

The final acquisition strategy is currently in development and will be directly informed by the volume and quality of the white papers received. To optimize execution, the Government reserves the right to award Other Transaction (OT) agreements directly to vendors, or to utilize the National Advanced Mobility Consortium (NAMC) as the prime integrator to manage and award the subsequent sub-agreements.

2.0 Vendor Response Requirements for Phase II

Vendors who choose to participate in Phase II must submit a Detailed Execution Plan addressing the following criteria for each component they intend to produce:

2.1 Technical Execution Strategy (TDP Alignment)

Based on the TDP information provided and reviewed post-Industry Day, vendors must detail exactly how they will execute on the components they are interested in. This section must include:

· Component Down-Selection and Government Data Requirements:

· Component Selection: Clearly identify which specific components are targeted for production.

· Government Furnished Data (GFD): Specify what additional data, models, test parameters, or technical assistance is required from the Government to initiate manufacturing.

· Manufacturing & Sourcing Approach: Detailed technical approach to fabricating the selected components. Specify how these components will be sourced, explicitly confirming whether the selected method falls under:

· Traditional Second Source

· Advanced Manufacturing

· Historical Production & Capabilities:

· Detail prior organizational experience producing similar components or components of equivalent complexity. Provide past performance references for similar components or components produced through similar methods. Include details quantifying the complexity of other components they have produced, such as materials, tolerances achieved, and special processes used.

· Provide a summary of the facility's inherent capabilities to produce these specific components (e.g., machine footprints, processing limits).

· TDP Translation: How the vendor will utilize the legacy 2D TDP data. If utilizing Advanced Manufacturing, detail the process for converting 2D data into 3D solid models and establishing material equivalency.

· Tooling and Infrastructure: Explicit confirmation of the tooling, molds, or specialized infrastructure that will be utilized or needs to be designed to meet the TDP specifications.

· Quality, Testing & Supplier Qualifications:

· Alignment of in-house testing capabilities (e.g., Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM), Nondestructive Inspection (NDI, etc.)) to the specific tolerances and mechanical properties requirements outlined in the TDP.

· Provide proof of standard aerospace and defense supplier qualifications (e.g., AS9100, ISO9001 certifications) and detail how these quality management systems will govern the production process. State whether you have previously gone through the process of qualifying components with the Army.

2.2 Prototype Timeline, Costs, and Production Roadmap (Flexible Milestones < 12 Months) Provide a comprehensive, time-bound roadmap detailing realistic execution timelines over the performance period. Proposals must incorporate a structured, phased progression organized around the milestone categories below.

Note: For each proposed phase and milestone, vendors must populate the expected durations (expressed in months from contract award) within the designated fields in the Area of Interest (AoI) - Phase II TIGER Readiness Vendor Response.xlsx (Excel Template).

· Prototype Phase: Assign the number of months required to complete prototype development and deliver initial articles for evaluation, including all associated prototyping costs.

· Initial Milestones: Assign the number of months required to complete project initiation activities, including tooling design and acquisition, material sourcing, initial digital engineering (if applicable), and facility readiness.

· Validation Milestones: Assign the number of months required to complete quality assurance and verification benchmarks, including First Article Testing (FAT) production, initial quality validation, and preliminary Government inspection.

· Transition Milestones: Assign the number of months required to execute the transition from prototype to production, including the completion of FAT, integration testing, and transition to Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP).

· Scale Milestones: Assign the number of months required to establish full-rate production scalability, implement sustained delivery schedules, and successfully demonstrate surge capacity.

2.3 Supply Chain, Material Sourcing, and Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM)

Building upon Objective 3 (Material Provision) from the AoI - TIGER Hackathon - Supply Chain Resilience and Advanced Manufacturing, vendors must provide:

· Material Readiness: Confirmed sources for critical raw materials, forgings, or castings required for the selected components. Map the supply chain back to the domestic or bilateral mine/smelter to demonstrate 100% compliance with the Buy American Act and Specialty Metals clause (DFARS 252.225-7009).

· Traceability: Established processes for maintaining end-to-end lot traceability and compliance with relevant specifications for the specific components chosen.

· Bottleneck Mitigation: Identified risks in the proposed 12-month roadmap (including raw material lead times and machinery constraints) and the vendor's strategy to mitigate them.

2.4 Financial & Capacity ROM: Provide realistic pricing and capability ranges for the selected components, including:

· Non-Recurring Engineering (NRE): Total start-up, engineering design, tooling, and qualification costs.

· NRE Cost Breakout: Break out total NRE into distinct, itemized lines for engineering hours, manufacturing tooling/fixtures, software licensing, and first-article qualification testing, etc.

· Estimated Unit Cost: Target unit pricing at specified volume thresholds, including expected yield rates for new components you have developed.

· Unit Price Component Breakout: Break out the estimated unit price into separate cost lines for raw materials, direct labor, manufacturing overhead, scrap/yield loss allocations, and profit margin, etc.

· Order Quantities: Explicitly state your minimum and maximum order quantities (MOQ).

· Max Capacity: Define your facility’s maximum production capacity per month/year for the down-selected components.

· Intellectual Property (IP): Specify what level of IP rights you are willing to provide to the Government.

2.5 Risk Assessment

· Process Risks: Identify any risks foreseen with the overall process outlined in this AoI and your proposed approach.

3.0 Submission Instructions

· Format: Submissions should be provided as a standard White Paper, not exceeding 5 pages for an Introduction and 5 pages per component proposed.

· Submission Flexibility: Vendors are authorized to submit proposals at any time. For example, a vendor may submit a white paper for immediate, ready-now components to meet the Priority Deadline, and subsequently submit separate white papers for other components at a later date, as the AoI remains continuously open.

· Deadlines & Phased Evaluation: To align with September 2026 funding objectives and support continuous modernization, the Government will evaluate submissions as follows:

· Initial Priority Deadline (Targeting September Awards): Submissions must be received no later than 1600 EST on 09 August 2026. White papers received by this date will be prioritized for immediate evaluation and September 2026 funding obligations.

· Indefinite Rolling Submissions: The Area of Interest (AoI) will remain open for submissions indefinitely. White papers received after the priority deadline will continue to be accepted on a rolling, continuous basis. These submissions will be evaluated as they are received and awarded subject to the availability of funds and ongoing program modernization requirements.

· Security: Ensure all submissions containing Restricted Components List data or TDP references comply with NIST SP 800-171 standards for CUI data handling.

· Julianna Santi, julianna.r.santi.civ@army.mil

· Christine Marr, christine.m.marr.civ@army.mil