F-16 Canopy Actuated Release Bolt

The Department of the Air Force Materiel Command Lifecycle Management Center at Hill Air Force Base is soliciting proposals for the manufacture of Canopy Actuated Release Bolts (CARB), a critical safety component for F-16 aircraft that consists of a high-strength steel body with an internal explosive train comprising two base charges, four transfer charges, and an interconnecting charge. Prospective offerors must complete a comprehensive pre-award qualification process estimated to require 360 days and cost between $5,000 and $50,000 in government-unique testing and evaluation, with only suppliers from the United States and Canada eligible for consideration. The evaluation will be based on technical factors (qualified vendor status and project schedule) and price reasonableness, with non-cost factors being significantly more important than price. Offerors must demonstrate qualified vendor status per the specified justification for qualification requirements, submit a detailed project schedule not exceeding five pages in Microsoft Project or Excel format with a hierarchical work breakdown structure and clearly defined milestones, and provide unit and total prices for specified contract line items with supporting cost data. The proposal due date is May 13, 2026 at 5:00 PM, and award is contemplated as a firm fixed-price contract with an effective date of April 13, 2026.

This solicitation (FA8213-26-R-3021) uses no set-aside designations and currently identifies PSEMC (Cage Code 51481, Part Number 2-502300-1) and Collins (Cage Code 17610, Part Number 265200-2) as approved qualified sources. The acquisition consists of 12 separate contract line items totaling 184 explosive bolts to be delivered over an 18-month period to various foreign military sales customers and the U.S. Navy, with recipients including countries such as the UAE, Egypt, Greece, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Poland, Portugal, Romania, and Taiwan. All items require serial number marking, ISO 9001-2015 compliance, origin inspection and acceptance, higher-level contract quality requirements, and unique item identification in accordance with applicable standards. The place of performance is Utah, USA, specifically Hill Air Force Base, with delivery required to multiple international and domestic destinations. Payment will be made via Wide Area Work Flow (WAWF), and the contract includes a Defense Priorities and Allocations System (DPAS) rating with Buy American Act requirements applicable.