Request For Proposal (RFP) for Tunner 60K Loader Performance Based Logistics (PBL) Aquisition

Added: Jun 11, 2012 7:49 am This requirement is for a hybrid Fixed-Price Incentive (Firm Target) (FPIF)/Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP)/Cost-Reimbursable - No Fee Indefinite Delivery/Requirements type contract for the support of the 60K Tunner Aircraft Cargo Loader. 

The awardee shall provide all tools, labor and materials necessary for this effort. 

Work, in support of the 60K Tunner Aircraft Cargo Loader, shall be accomplished in accordance with Performance-Based Work Statements (PWS).

Quantity:  The quantities identified in the solicitation are Best Estimated Quantities (BEQs) based on the actual history and projected requirements.

Note: The Government will award a single Indefinite Delivery/Requirements contract for the services/supplies specified herein.  A Transitional Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contract may be awarded.

Based upon Market Research, the Government is not using the policies and procedures contained in the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 12, Acquisition of Commercial Items, in this solicitation.

Anticipated Contract Period of Performance:
Basic Order Period of 42 months; Six 12-month Options; and One six-month option

Description of Anticipated Requirement:

The Tunner is a self-propelled 60,000-pound capacity aircraft cargo transporter loader. The Tunner weighs approximately 66,000 pounds; is approximately 15' wide by 50' long; and is approximately 22 feet tall when fully extended. It transfers loads to and from warehouses, and to and from cargo aircraft on the flightline. The Tunner interfaces with docks in the warehouses and all Air Force cargo aircraft, including many commercial Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) aircraft. The Tunner's powered conveyor system moves loads on unit load devices (ULDs): pallets, platforms, and containers. The roller system on the deck converts to a flat deck for rolling stock loads. The deck rolls, side-shifts, yaws, and pitches. The Tunner is air transportable on the C-5, and C-17 aircraft. It is powered by a V-6 diesel engine that drives two hydraulic pump stacks. The suspension height is adjustable. The Tunner complexity is much more than that of a special purpose truck, but less than that of a modern aircraft. The suspension consists of complex custom-made stainless steel castings. The chassis rails consist of two configurations, one constructed of non-weldable heat-treated stainless steel material, and the other is weldox, a low alloy weldable steel material. The cab structure is of riveted aluminum construction. The deck is a riveted aluminum structure with fifty foot extruded tubular sections open on the ends. The lift link structure is a combination of high strength steel weldments and stainless steel castings. An event-driven programmable processor (later models) controls the hydraulically actuated deck, whereas the earlier models are controlled by relay logic. The vehicle is propelled by hydrostatic drive with hydraulic motors mounted on the driven axle bogies. The hydraulics also actuates the powered conveyor, radiator cooling fans, suspension, and steering systems. Two pump stacks consisting each of one variable displacement axial piston pump, one gear pump, and one charge pump, provide pressure for all circuits. The hydraulic circuits are discrete for continued operation should one pump stack fail, and containing many types of valves such as pilot operated check valves, pressure relief valves, counter balance valves, cross-over valves to allow degraded operations using one pump stack, flow dividers, pressure and flow control valves, etc. There is an electrical emergency pump system to operate the deck functions and steering when the hydraulic system pumps fail to operate.

The Contractor will provide a broad range of support for 318 deployed Tunner loaders.

The Contractor will provide this support in four output-oriented areas:

(1) MATERIAL MANAGEMENT
Purchasing of parts and material
Manufacturing
Warehousing
Packaging
Transportation
Repair of parts
Technical Support

Material Management will provide parts quickly worldwide to approximately 80 locations.

Management of returned parts for repair or analysis will be required. All parts are make or buy.

(2) PROGRAM ENGINEERING SUPPORT
Configuration Management
Change Management: System Review Board
Technology Insertion
Logistics Engineering, Including Training
Design Responsibility
Obsolete Parts/Vanishing Vendors
Life Cycle Systems Engineering
Nuclear Surety Certification
Technical Order Management
Reduction of Total Ownership Costs
Software Maintenance
Database Management

Systems Engineering will provide corrective actions and implementation for deficiencies, and the generation of TCTOs when required. The contractor will be responsible for verification of form, fit, function, and interface of corrective actions. The Contractor will generate changes to the Tunner TO's as required. Systems Engineering will include maintenance or development of engineering documentation such as the engineering drawing package; the safety assessment report; failure modes, effects and criticality analysis report; finite element analyses; configuration management status accounting; test data; pipeline data; and any additional field maintenance data required over and above the Air Force On-Line Vehicle Interactive Management System (OLVIMS) data collection system.

(3) DEPOT REPAIR (OR UNSHEDULED DEPOT LEVEL MAINTENANCE)/MODIFICATION
General Accidents
Battle Damage
Implementing New Capability or technology Insertion
Implementing Reliability, Maintainability, and Availability (R, M & A) Improvements

Depot Repair/Modifications will be performed when field repair is not possible, practical, or affordable. Vehicle overhaul could include modifications, reliability centered maintenance, and repair of structural abnormalities. The work effort will include an intense and complex corrosion control and abatement program involving large (10' X 50') parts and refinishing them with a variety of environmentally sensitive materials. This includes both ferrous and non-ferrous parts as well as aircraft-like riveted assemblies using typical aircraft aluminum alloys. Manufacturing personnel will be required to fulfill on an annual basis the requirements of process certifications in welding (e.g., AWS), corrosion control, hydraulics, riveting, and inspection. Where there are no organizational or societal procedures, the contractor will be required to develop procedures.

(4) VEHICLE OVERHAUL
Total Refurbishment of the Loader
Reliability-Centered Maintenance
Modifications

The Contractor will be responsible for OSS&E, maintaining nuclear surety certification (i.e., the contractor making no changes that would void the certification), product lifecycle management, and technical order management. Simply stated, OSS&E is establishing and preserving, throughout the life of the system, baselines for operational safety, suitability, and effectiveness. Suitability is the ability of the Tunner to operate within the Air Force system. Effectiveness is the ability of the Tunner to perform as intended. This means that any changes required as a result of obsolescence, vanishing vendors, cost reduction, correction of deficiencies, etc. must not degrade the safety (including nuclear surety certification), suitability or effectiveness of the items. The nuclear surety certification allows the use of the Tunner to handle nuclear weapons. Configuration control is necessary for status accounting of the parts installed on each loader, and any special repairs or modifications must be documented. Configuration status accounting (as maintained list) of each loader is required for future reliability analysis, correction of deficiencies, and overhaul of the loader.

The Contractor will be responsible for the performance and design of the Tunner system just as the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) carries that responsibility today. Engineering, item management, TO management, and overhaul management has never transferred to the Government. The Contractor will receive the technical data package, and historical field data collected. A number of metrics will be used to measure performance of this performance-based contract. The top level metric will be Tunner system sustainment availability (TSSA).  It will be the responsibility of the Contractor to make adjustments to the system when needed to comply with TSSA. The metrics will be at a high level so that the Contractor will have the latitude to choose which parameters to adjust to achieve the required outcome. As an example to improve TSSA, the Contractor could replace some of the lower reliable parts with more reliable parts, decrease the parts delivery times, improve the TO instructions such that maintenance downtime is reduced or maintainer/operator interface is improved, etc. Technical support shall be provided 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Requests will arrive online, by email, and by phone. Technical support shall include providing repair instructions to the field when a particular repair is not covered by the TO (i.e., non-TO repair procedure), providing explanations of the TOs to the field when needed, etc.

This PBL effort will also involve supplying parts to approximately 80 worldwide bases. The contractor will be responsible for the procurement of the parts from qualified vendors, implementing manufacturing enhancements to parts as needed to provide a finished part to the field, distribution of the new parts to the field, and tracking the retrieval of reparable parts from the field. The government plans to pay the contractor for parts on a flat revenue rate per operating hour to be paid on a monthly basis (i.e., "power by the hour").

During the first 18 months, the contractor (non-OEM) shall become qualified to conduct Tunner overhauls. Contractor will be provided two Tunners during this period for qualification. This will be followed by two years of low-rate overhaul after which the contractor will be expected to conduct depot overhaul on 32 loaders each year.

The Government will provide Tunner engineering drawings to the contractor. Manufacturing tools and fixtures will not be available. However, the contractor will be expected to provide the required initial inventory and adjust the inventory to usage needs of the bases as field operations dictate.

One or more of the items under this acquisition is subject to Free Trade Agreements.
One or more of the items under this acquisition is subject to the World Trade Organization Government Procurement Agreement and Free Trade Agreements.