CH-53K Program O-Level Bag: Peculiar Support Equipment (PSE)

The Naval Air Warfare Center, Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, New Jersey is procuring Peculiar Support Equipment (PSE) items to support CH-53K aircraft maintenance operations at the O-Level of maintenance for both domestic use and the Foreign Military Sales Program for Israel. The procurement includes specialized equipment such as bore scope guide tube sets, fuel preservation adapters, engine H-cables, and fuel system preservation hoses, as detailed in the attached PSE Item List spreadsheet. The government intends to award a fixed-price, sole-source contract under FAR 6.302-1, citing Rhinestahl Corp as the only responsible source with the proprietary data, technical expertise, and manufacturing capability to produce these items. The government will not employ competitive evaluation criteria, as this is a sole-source procurement based on the unique qualifications of the selected contractor. The deadline for submission of information or responses to this pre-solicitation notice is January 29, 2026, with inquiries directed to Christopher Brake at Christopher.d.brake5.civ@us.navy.mil.

This procurement has no set-aside designation and is intended as a sole-source award to Rhinestahl Corp (CAGE Code 5QE71), the sole developer, designer, and manufacturer of the specified items. The government does not currently possess the technical data or equipment necessary to source these items from alternative suppliers. No specific award value or budget range is disclosed in the pre-solicitation notice. The notice explicitly states that this is not a request for competitive proposals, and the government makes no commitment to issue a solicitation, award a contract, or reimburse any interested parties for response costs incurred prior to contract award. Interested parties should note that the government reserves the discretion to determine whether to compete this procurement based on any responses received by the closing date.