Sources Sought for Contractor Logistics Support (CLS) services for Commander, Naval Air Forces Reserve (CNAFR) F/A-18E/F aircraft used in an Adversary role

1.0 INTRODUCTION

The Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) Commander, Fleet Readiness Center (COMFRC) announces its intention to procure on a competitive basis Contractor Logistics Support (CLS) services for Commander, Naval Air Forces Reserve (CNAFR) F/A-18E/F aircraft used in an Adversary role.  This Market Research tool is being used to identify potential and eligible firms, of all sizes, prior to determining the method of acquisition and issuance of a solicitation. The results of the Sources Sought will be utilized to determine if any Small Business Set-Aside opportunities exist.  Additionally, this sources sought is being used to gather constructive information from industry to improve the Request for Proposal (RFP). These requirements are subject to change and the information provided below is for informational purposes only. The final requirement will be defined under a formal RFP. 

This is for the CNAFR F/A-18E/F aircraft used in an Adversary role planned to be located at Naval Air Station (NAS) New Orleans, LA. Additional primary operational locations and detachment sites may include: NAS Key West, FL, NAS Point Mugu, CA, NAS Oceana, VA, and/or NAS Lemoore, CA. This is a new requirement to provide adversary support for Fleet Replacement Squadrons, Strike Fighter Advanced Readiness Program, Carrier Air Wing Training, and Strike Fighter Weapons and Tactics Program, as well as other fleet training requirements.

2.0 DISCLAIMER

THIS SOURCES SOUGHT IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. IT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION AND SHALL NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITENT BY THE GOVERNMENT. RESPONSES IN ANY FORM ARE NOT OFFERS AND THE GOVERNMENT IS UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO AWARD A CONTRACT AS A RESULT OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. NO FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE TO PAY FOR PREPARATION OF RESPONSES TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. ANY INFORMATION SUBMITTED BY RESPONDENTS TO THIS SOURCES SOUGHT IS STRICTLY VOLUNTARY.

3.0 ANTICIPATED CONTRACT TYPE AND PROGRAM BACKGROUND

a.  The Government is anticipating this contract to be a Single Award Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract. The anticipated period of performance includes a twelve (12) month base period made up of a (6) six month Site Stand Up period and the remaining 6 months of performance, as well as four (4) option years and a three (3) month Transition Out, for a total potential performance of period of 5 years, 3 months (5.25).

b.  Program Background/Requirement: The F/A-18E/F is an all-weather fighter and attack aircraft. In its fighter mode, the F/A-18E/F provides fleet air defense as an escort aircraft. In its attack mode, it provides force projection, interdiction, and close and deep air support. Two (2) General Electric F414-GE-400 afterburning turbofan engines power the F/A-18E/F. The F414-GE- 400 engine is an advanced derivative of the F404 GE engine family.

The Contractor shall provide and maintain organizational (O), limited intermediate (I), and limited Depot (D) level aircraft maintenance, management, logistics support services for the CNAFR assets. O and limited I and D level maintenance is maintenance which is performed at the site where the aircraft are permanently assigned or on temporary detachment. The most important Contractor performance criterion is to provide safe flyable aircraft to complete the Navy's daily flight schedule. The services performed shall include associated support equipment, power plants, airframes, aviation life support systems, electronic and electrical instruments, armament radar/fire control and flight line services in order to meet the daily mission requirements. The CLS services shall be performed in accordance with industry best practices, DCMA 8210.1/NAVAIRINST 3710.1, and CNAFINST 4790.2. The Contractor's management shall be structured to ensure that aircraft are maintained to achieve maximum utilization of all assets. The Navy places special emphasis on strict adherence to approved Ground Operating Procedures which include, but is not limited to, necessary provisions from applicable USN service guidance for: hydraulic contamination, Foreign Object Damage (FOD) prevention, tool control, record keeping, compass calibration, corrosion prevention and treatment, tire and wheel maintenance safety, fuel surveillance, oil analysis, support equipment operator training, nondestructive inspection, plane captain training, survival and egress systems maintenance, low observables, and employee training, certification, and/or qualifications. The Contractor's overall approach to its maintenance program shall comply with all provisions of the USG approved maintenance plans and instructions and applicable maintenance manuals and all requirements specified. The Government may issue any waivers or deviations on a case-by-case basis. In achieving this requirement, the Contractor shall meet the OPNAV objective of continually improving material readiness and safety with the optimum use of economic resources. In performance of the services described herein, the Contractor shall maintain an efficient organization, provide adequate supervisory control, and perform all maintenance and other services as specified for the aircraft the F/A-18E/F.

4.0 SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS AND REQUIRED CAPABILITIES

It is anticipated that any resultant contract will have the following specialist requirements and required capabilities:

a.  Security Classification level of Secret, with Special Access Program requirements

b. Compliance with the Service Contract Labor Standards (SCLS)

5.0 ELIGIBILITY

a. The applicable NAICS code for this requirement is 488190, "Other Support Activities for Air Transportation” with a Small Business Size Standard of $40M.

b. The Product Service Code is J015 "Maintenance, repair, and rebuilding of Equipment - Aircraft and Airframe Structural Components."

c. Businesses of all sizes are encouraged to respond; however, each respondent must clearly identify their business size in their capabilities statement. Note: FAR 52.219-14 Limitation on Subcontracting requires a small business prime on a Set-Aside to perform at least 50% of the cost of contract performance. Small business primes may now count “first tier subcontracted” work performed by similarly situated entities as if it were performed by the prime itself. Please read the full text of the clause deviation (52.219-14 Class Deviation 2021-O0008, revision 1).

To assist in our market research and determination of any applicable small business set-aside for this effort, if you are a small business interested in priming this effort and plan to utilize “similarly situated entities” to meet the Limitations on Subcontracting, please identify the name & CAGE Code of the specific firm(s) you intend to partner/subcontract with to meet the requirements as well as their SB size status under the NAICS that you as the prime would assign for their workshare. Information regarding any planned similarly situated entity should be included in answering any questions outlined in the Sources Sought Notice in order to assist the Government’s capability determination.

6.0 SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

1. To assist in our market research, the government is requesting interested vendors submit contract references demonstrating experience as the prime contractor on projects of a similar scope. Each reference should include the issuing agency, contract number, a summary of the awarded contract's scope, and a clear explanation outlining the similarities between that contract and the requirements described herein.
2. Aircraft Maintenance. State any experience in providing Contractor Logistics Support for F/A-18E/F (please specify configuration) and/or EA-18G aircraft, as well as the following minimum requirements:
   1. O-Level Maintenance. State any experience in performing all scheduled and unscheduled O-Level Maintenance of F/A-18E/F and/or E/A-18G aircraft, engines, integrated and non-integrated weapon systems, support equipment, and aviation life support systems, as well as technical directive compliance.  Additionally, state any experience in F/A-18E/F and/or E/A-18G weight and balance certification, releasing aircraft safe for flight, aircraft logs and records, armament, and USN ordnance qualifications and certification.
   2. I-Level Maintenance. State any experience with performing F/A-18E/F and/or E/A-18G Level I and II non-destructive inspections to include eddy current, liquid penetrant, magnetic particle, and ultrasonic methods in accordance with National Aerospace Standard 410 and experience in being certified to Level II non-destructive inspection standards.
   3. D-Level Maintenance. State any experience with D-Level Maintenance of F/A-18E/F and/or E/A-18G aircraft to include, but not limited to, full aircraft paint, fuel cell replacement, and in-service structural repairs.  
   4. Site Establishment and Staffing. State any experience establishing and staffing of a new F/A-18E/F and/or EA-18G O-level, I-level, and/or D-Level maintenance operation to include multiple detachment sites simultaneously.  Include total timeline to fully train and qualify contractor personnel, total timeline to achieve Safe for Flight certification, the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) positions, and number of detachment sites supported.  
   5. Special Access Program. State any experience with Special Access Program (SAP) and in-house capabilities to provide a Contractor Special Security Officer (CSSO) to maintain Secret and SAP security clearance requirements.
   6. Aviation Maintenance Organization. State if AS9110 certified and any experience in obtaining AMO certification. Provide: certifying authority; scope of certification; certificate number, issuing authority, and effective/expiration dates; copy of results of most recent government or independent quality and/or compliance audit.
3. The Government is currently assessing the optimal Period of Performance (PoP) to attract the most qualified contractors and ensure a successful outcome. From your perspective, what PoP length would allow for a sufficient return on investment (ROI) for your company to justify the proposal effort and subsequent project execution? We are considering options in the 5-8-year range and are open to feedback.
4. Please note that under a Small-Business Set-Aside, in accordance with FAR 52.219-14, the small business prime must perform at least 50% of the work themselves in terms of the cost of performance. Provide an explanation of your company’s ability to perform at least 50% of the tasking for the base period as well as the option periods. Similarly situated small businesses may team together to meet the 50% requirement. If your company is planning to team with a similarly situated small business, the response must clearly identify the proposed team members and the capability statement must clearly articulate which portion of the work each team member will be responsible for. The response must be detailed enough for the Government to make a determination whether or not the proposed team will be able to perform 50% of the work when combined.
5. Provide a statement including current small/large business status and company profile to include number of employees, annual revenue history, office locations, Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number, etc.
6. Respondents to this notice also must indicate whether they qualify as a Small, Small Disadvantaged, Women-Owned, HUBZone, or Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Concern under the NAICS code identified for this requirement.
7. Include in your response your ability to meet the SAP security requirements.
8. In accordance with FAR Part 10, the Government is assessing if there are any existing commercial services that can meet the requirement or that can be modified to meet the requirement.  Please identify if your company has offered F/A-18E/F CLS services or similar CLS services commercially to non-government entities in the commercial marketplace.  Additionally, please identify if your company offers these services commercially on an existing governmentwide contract. Include contract number (if possible), a brief description of the services provided, and the point of contact information (if releasable). 

7.0 SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS  

Interested parties shall adhere to the following instructions for the submittal of their capabilities statements.

1. Page Limit and Format: Ten (10) 8.5 X 11 inch pages in Times New Roman font of not less than 10 point.  Copies of Certifications, contract references or audits provided will not count toward the page limit.
2. Document Type: Microsoft Word or searchable Portable Document Format (PDF)
3. Delivery: Electronic-mail (Email) Submission to the Contracting Officer, Meghan Huett, [email protected] and the Contract Specialist, Elden Greuber at [email protected].
4. Response date: Responses are due by 12:00 PM EDT on July 14th 2025.
5. No classified information shall be submitted in response to this Sources Sought.
6. No phone calls will be accepted.
7. All questions must be submitted via email to the Contracting Officer, Meghan Huett, [email protected] and the Contract Specialist, Elden Greuber at [email protected].
8. All responses shall include Sources Sought Notice name/number, Company Name, Company Address, Company Business Size, and Points of Contact (POC), including names, phone numbers, and email addresses.
9. All data received in response to this Sources Sought that is marked or designated as corporate or proprietary will be fully protected from any release outside the Government.
10. Any information or materials provided in response to this Sources Sought Notice will not be returned. The Government is not committed nor obligated to pay for the information provided, and no basis for claims against the Government shall arise as a result of a response to this Sources Sought Notice.