Watercraft Operations

The Department of the Air Force Air Combat Command is seeking a contractor to provide comprehensive watercraft operations and maintenance services for the 53d Weapons Evaluation Group at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. The contractor will be responsible for operating and maintaining three 120-foot Missile Retrievers and multiple utility boats to support aerial target testing missions in the Gulf Range Complex, extending up to 200 miles from Panama City. The scope includes vessel operations, scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, dive operations, mission support activities such as launch corridor clearance and target retrieval, and specialized missions including Search and Rescue and Random Anti-Terrorism Measures. Personnel must meet specific maritime qualifications including USCG licenses and certifications, with flexible staffing approaches allowed as long as performance standards are met. The contract is structured as a performance-based acquisition under NAICS code 488330 (Navigational Services to Shipping) with PSC J020 (Maintenance/Repair/Rebuild of Ship and Marine Equipment). This is a pre-solicitation notice indicating that the formal RFP will be issued soon, with the original pre-solicitation PIID being FA481925R0009.

This opportunity is designated as a Total Small Business set-aside, restricting competition to qualified small business entities. The incumbent contractor is Florida Offshore Inc., operating under contract FA481921C0001, providing insight into the current service provider for this requirement. The contract involves supporting an estimated 120 annual missions across Full Scale Aerial Target and Sub-Scale Aerial Target operations, with potential for overnight missions and multiple vessel deployments. Operational requirements include managing facilities, conducting detailed monthly reporting, and maintaining readiness for various mission types throughout the Gulf Range Complex. The government has indicated that travel costs will not be reimbursed as part of the contract terms. Due to technical issues with the SAM system, the original PIID could not be attached to the current pre-solicitation, but draft Performance Work Statement and recent Q&A responses have been provided to interested vendors.