Parachute Repair Course

The Department of the Air Force Air Education and Training Command's 502d Contracting Squadron has issued a Special Notice announcing their intent to award a sole source contract to Paradigm Parachute & Defense for parachute repair training services. The contract will be executed under Federal Acquisition Regulation Parts 12 and 13 as a firm fixed price agreement classified under NAICS code 611430 (Professional and Management Development Training) with a $15 million business size standard. The procurement is being conducted as a sole source action and is published for informational purposes only. The contracting squadron is located at JBSA Randolph, Texas, and the notice was posted on August 11, 2025, with a response deadline of August 14, 2025.

The primary objective of this procurement is to develop internal parachute rigging capabilities for 13 geographically separated Air Force units after the U.S. Army restricted access to their Parachute Rigger Course 2, creating critical training gaps for Air Transportation Enterprise personnel. The 5-day, 40-hour General Parachute Repair Course will train certified Parachute Riggers in cargo parachute repair techniques, including industrial sewing machine operation, material handling, patch techniques, line splicing, and comprehensive maintenance procedures. While this is a sole source procurement, interested parties may submit capability narratives to the contracting officers by 4:00 PM CDT on August 14, 2025, though the government retains full discretion on whether to proceed competitively. Paradigm Parachute & Defense was selected as the sole source due to their recognized expertise in parachute design, manufacturing, and tactical training, with instructors possessing extensive military and commercial rigging experience. The training can be conducted at the students' locations using their equipment or potentially at the contractor's facility, with flexible arrangements to meet specific Air Force operational requirements.