L-39ZA & L-29 TMP Support
Closed Special Notice Posted
- Solicitation number
- F1STAB5342A001
- Agency
-
Department of Defense
- Responses due
- Set-aside
- 8(a) Sole Source
Opportunity facts
- NAICS code
- 611512 Flight Training
- PSC
- U009 Education/Training- General
- Place of performance
- Edwards, California 93524, United States
Notice details come from SAM.gov. Updated .
About this opportunity
The Department of Defense, through the Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, California, has issued a Special Notice for an 8(a) sole-source contract to provide support for L-39ZA and L-29 aircraft test management projects. Posted on December 12, 2025, this opportunity is being awarded to The University of Iowa under a firm-fixed-price contract utilizing simplified acquisition procedures. The procurement is classified under NAICS code 611512 (Flight Training) and falls under the Education/Training-General product service code. The sole-source justification is based on The University of Iowa's unique capability to provide fully aerobatic jet trainers with specialized instrumentation and artificial intelligence agent integration capabilities required for Air Force Test Pilot School operations.
The contract requires the contractor to provide qualified pilot instructors, engineering personnel, research associates, and support staff to conduct approximately 63 total flight hours (21 hours on the L-39ZA aircraft and 42 hours on the L-29 aircraft) during a test window scheduled for March 9-20, 2026. Interested contractors must submit a technical package demonstrating clear and convincing evidence of their ability to meet requirements, including specifications for commercial contract provisions such as financing, warranties, and delivery terms in accordance with FAR Part 12. All respondents must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) at www.sam.gov, and responses must be received no later than December 17, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time, with an anticipated award date of December 30, 2025. The contract specifies that aircraft must be equipped with advanced technological systems including onboard computer resources, GPS-based inertial measurement units, datalink capabilities, and Starlink terminals, with operations based at Iowa City Municipal Airport. Contractor personnel must meet stringent qualifications including FAA commercial pilot certifications, appropriate type ratings, and instructor experience in compliance with Air Force and federal regulations.
Notice text
The Air Force Test Pilot School Operating Location Edwards Air Force Base, CA intends to solicit and award a sole source, Firm-Fixed Price contract, under Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 12 - Acquisition of Commercial Items and FAR Part 13 - Simplified Acquisition Procedures, to The University of Iowa, 105 Jessup Hall Iowa City, Iowa 52242-1316, United States. The NAICS code is 611512 and its size standard is $34,000,000.
The following items will be procured:
CLIN NOUN HOURS Estimated Max
0001 Pilot Instructors 95 95
Engineer/MX Personnel
0001 Project Engineer 350 350
0001 Engineering Coordination 150 150
Research Associates
0001 Research Associate 375 375
0001 Research Assistant 375 375
0002 Sorties/Flight Hours (L-39ZA) 21 21
0002 Sorties/Flight Hours (L-29) 42 42
The reason for this sole-source award is due to The University of Iowa being the sole source of uniquely configured, fully aerobatic jet trainers highly instrumented with the ability to load multiple AI agents providing capabilities essential to the successful execution of USAF TPS TMPs.
This acquisition is conducted under the authority of 41 U.S.C. 1901 as implemented by FAR 13.501(a)(1)(ii) which allows other than full and open competition when the supplies or services requested by an agency are available from only one responsible source.”
Contractors interested in this requirement should submit a technical package, which provides clear and convincing evidence that they can meet the Government’s requirement. Contractors must be registered in System for Award (SAM) at www.sam.gov. In addition, the response should include any special requirements for a commercial contract (i.e. Commercial Financing, Warranty Provisions, Delivery Information, etc.) in accordance with FAR Part 12.
Anticipated Award Date is 30 December 2025. Responses must be received no later than (NLT) 1:00 p.m., Pacific Daylight Time, 17 December 2025. Responses should be submitted to: Edwards Air Force Base PK (Attn: Carlos Barrera), 5 South Wolfe Ave. B2800, 661-275-2442, or E-mail carlos.barrera.8@us.af.mil.
This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals. However, the Government will consider all responses received within 10 days of the publication of this notice. A determination by the Government not to compete this acquisition based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement.
The Air Force Test Center has appointed an Ombudsman to consider and facilitate the resolution of concerns from offerors, potential offerors, and others for this acquisition. Concerned parties should address their concerns, issues, disagreements, and/or recommendations to the Contracting Officer for resolution prior to consulting the Ombudsman. Additionally, Air Force Federal Acquisition Regulation
(AFFARS) 5352.2019101 – Ombudsman, will be included in any potential solicitation and contract for this acquisition. The AFTC Ombudsman contact information is as follows: Air Force Test Center Vice Commander 1 South Rosamond Blvd, Edwards AFB, CA 935243784. Phone Number (661) 2772810, Facsimile Number (661) 2777593,
Email: aftc.workflow@us.af.mil.
DISCLAIMER AND NOTICE: This is a courtesy Notice of Contract Action only and does not constitute a commitment, implied or otherwise, that AFTC/PZZD, will take procurement action in this matter. This is NOT a request for proposals, applications, proposal abstracts, or quotation. This courtesy Notice of Contract Action only shall not be construed as an obligation on the part of the Government. Further, the
Government will NOT be responsible nor reimburse any submitters of information for any cost incurred in furnishing this information. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed. Information provided will be used to assess tradeoffs and alternatives available for the potential requirement. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted.
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