Sources Sought - Aviation Rapid Action Team (ARAT)

The Department of the Navy, Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) at Patuxent River, Maryland is conducting market research through this Sources Sought notice to identify capable contractors for Aviation Rapid Action Team (ARAT) support services. The procurement encompasses engineering and technical support services including capability analysis, design and development, component testing and repair, reverse engineering, software and hardware failure diagnosis, material obsolescence mitigation, technical documentation, workforce training, and logistics analysis for U.S. Naval Aviation maintenance and supply systems. Critical requirements include a Secret security clearance, CMMC Level 2 self-certification with compliance to 110 security requirements derived from NIST SP 800-171, and demonstrated expertise in Artificial Intelligence proficiency including design, development, tuning, and deployment of AI models. Specific experience is required in Naval Aviation Enterprise support, automated test systems (particularly CASS ATE), component repairs across multiple domains, test system prototyping and validation, and custom test solutions. Capabilities statements of up to 15 pages must be submitted electronically by 2:00 PM EST on March 25, 2026, to Kirk B. Whorton, Lori Sinclair, and Meghan Huett, with responses clearly identifying business size, CAGE code, UEI, relevant past experience, team composition, and feedback on the draft Statement of Work.

This procurement does not utilize a set-aside designation, though the incumbent contractor, Pioneering Decisive Solutions, Inc., previously held a Small Business Set-Aside designation on contract N00421-20-D0013_N68520-21-F-0078. The estimated contract value is approximately 89,760 man-hours under a Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF) structure with Other Direct Costs (ODCs), falling under PSC R425 (Professional Engineering/Technical Support) and NAICS code 541330 (Engineering Services). Primary work locations include Patuxent River, Maryland (18% on-site government, 82% off-site contractor) and Virginia Beach, Virginia (100% on-site government), with McNamara-O'Hara Service Contract Act (SCA) compliance required. The estimated RFP release is 2nd Quarter FY26 with an estimated award date in 4th Quarter FY26, and small business primes must perform at least 50% of contract costs. Businesses of all sizes are encouraged to respond, with size standards applicable at $25.5 million for military and aerospace categories.