Flight Test Support Services (FTSS)

Sources Sought / Request for Information

The Department of Defense (DoD), United States Air Force (USAF), Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC), Air Force Test Center (AFTC), Enterprise Services & Innovation Solutions Branch (PZZC), is currently conducting market research on behalf of the 96th Test Wing (96 TW), 96th Cyberspace Test Group (96 CTG), seeking capabilities statements from potential sources for Flight Test Support Services (FTSS). This is NOT a pre-solicitation notice pursuant to FAR Part 5, but is a market survey to identify sources that possess the expertise, capabilities, and experience necessary to meet the Air Force's requirements.

The 96 CTG conducts Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) and Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E) of communications, surveillance, and other airborne and ground based electronic systems; supporting the DoD, USAF, Department of Energy (DOE), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), commercial customers, and foreign entities.  Specifically, the 96 CTG plans, conducts, analyzes, and reports on RDT&E and OT&E in six (6) functional areas to include Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) Systems, Datalinks and Tactical Communications, Sensors and Defensive Systems, Mission Planning Systems, and Information Assurance.

This is a Market Survey to identify sources that possess the expertise, capabilities, and experience necessary to provide Flight Test Support Services that exclusively support ongoing USAF and DoD RTD&E and OT&E.  

The Contractor shall provide all management, personnel, equipment, supplies, facilities, transportation, tools, materials, travel, and supervision necessary to perform Flight Test Support Services. This includes the planning, coordination, and surveillance of the activities necessary to ensure timely resources application to accomplish all required tasks. The Contractor shall be responsible for implementing and maintaining management control systems necessary to plan, organize, direct, and control all activities under this contract.  

This effort will require four (4) areas of flight test support:

     1. Provide aircraft, both fast movers (i.e., jet engines aircraft, 450 Knots True Airspeed (KTAS) minimum) and slow movers (i.e., propellor prop aircraft, 230 KTAS minimum) for support of systems under test.

     2. Provide aircraft modifications (i.e., test equipment racks, antennae) necessary for support of systems under test.

     3. Provide multiple aircraft pilots, multiple aircraft mechanics, and a facility manager(s) all with SECRET Security Clearances.

     4. Provide multi-ship capability (i.e., capable of providing flight test support with multiple aircraft in the air simultaneously).

The Contractor must have SECRET facility clearance and provide for open office and hangar storage for SECRET material. The Contractor must provide a facility in which instrumentation and external carriage devices may be installed.  The Contractor must provide ramp space for ground checks of installed equipment including aircraft engine runs, as required.  This facility must be located within the vicinity of Eglin AFB, FL (no more than 100 miles). 

It is anticipated that the Contractor will perform approximately eighty percent of the services at Eglin Air Force Base, FL airspace over the land and water Test Ranges. The Contractor must also have the ability to support mission requirements at various DoD and DoE locations within the continental United States (CONUS). 

All prospective contractors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) database to be awarded a DoD contract. No set-aside decision has been made. The resulting evaluation of all organizations providing capabilities packages will be considered in determining the acquisition strategy, specifically in determining for which (if any) small-business concerns this acquisition will be set-aside in accordance with FAR 19.5. Respondents are further requested to indicate their status as a Foreign-owned/Foreign-controlled firm and any contemplated use of foreign national employees for this effort.

In the response, interested sources shall include, but not be limited to, the following information: Offeror's name, address, point of contact, phone number, email address, Federal CAGE Code, Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number, facsimile numbers, type of business, business size indicating whether you are a small or large business for the purposes of the assigned NAICS (488190) and any pertinent company information.