B-52 Heavy Weapon Release Capability (HRC) Pylon
B-52 Heavy Weapon Release Capability (HRC) Pylon
(No current NSN)
21 June 2018
THERE IS NO SOLICITATION AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME. REQUESTS FOR A SOLICITATION WILL NOT RECEIVE A RESPONSE.
This Request for Information (RFI) Market Survey is being conducted to identify potential sources that may possess the expertise, capabilities, and experience to meet the qualification requirements for the integration of replace external heavy weapons delivery system onto the B-52H aircraft for use by the U.S. Air Force (USAF).
While industry sources are requested to provide full and comprehensive responses to this questionnaire, they are reminded that all information is voluntary, and the Government will not reimburse sources in any way for responses provided. Likewise, a company's participation in the market research via this questionnaire does not obligate the Government to enter into any contractual agreement, either formally or informally, with a company.
Below is a description of the B-52 Heavy Weapon release Pylon requirement and a Contractor Capability Survey. This survey provides the government the opportunity to review your company's capability to design, develop, integrate and qualify the B-52 Heavy Weapon Release Pylon Program. If, after reviewing these documents, you desire to participate in the market research, you should provide documentation that supports your company's capabilities in meeting these requirements.
This effort is an accelerated Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) Phase that will be approximately 72 months, resulting in a replacement weapons release pylon with a heavy weapon 1760 series capability solution ready to integrate onto the aircraft with required support equipment.
Questions relative to this market research should be addressed to Stephen N. Palmer, B-52 Contracting Officer, by phone at (405) 739-4469 or by email at stephen.palmer@us.af.mil.
BACKGROUND: The current Improved Common Pylon (ICP) provides conventional and 1760 weapons carry and release capabilities for the B-52H weapons. The ICP was designed in 1959 and has been in service since the 1960s. When it was introduced, there wasn't a requirement nor did anyone foresee a need to carry weapons heavier than 5000 lbs. It was modified in the late 1990s to incorporate MIL-STD-1760 technology to the current ICP configuration and has performed exceptionally well. Although it has met all expectations to this point, it has limitations when it comes to heavy weight capacity and also due to the weight of new weapons has questionable structural integrity. With current heavy weapons exceeding 5,000 lbs there is a new requirement for a replacement external carriage pylon assembly to facilitate these and other emerging needs.
•o Qualified bidder must have the capability to design an external pylon, pylon over all weight cannot exceed 5,000 lbs.
•o Pylon will be specifically designed for use on the B-52 current wing attachment point configuration.
•o Pylon will require an internal multi hook type release mechanism capable of carrying multiple weapons in the 5,000 lb to 20,000 lb weight class.
•o Qualified bidder must have the capability to qualify the external pylon and release equipment to the B-52 environmental and flight requirements following, at a minimum, MIL-STD- 8591/810/1763/2088.
•o Qualified bidder must have the capability to conduct assessments to ensure that there are no detrimental impacts to the weight and balance, flutter, stability and control, and structural stress and loads of the B-52 aircraft.
•o Qualified bidder must be familiar with the electronics that are used to communicate with the MIL-STD-1760 weapons carried on the B-52 and be familiar with the aircraft electrical power available, data busses, GPS RF signals, EMI and lightening requirements, grounding and bonding requirements including ground loops, and MIL-STD-1760 interface requirements.
•o Qualified bidder must have the supplier base to assemble and fabricate the equipment require.
•o Qualified bidder must have ground and flight test experience to support system integration including air-worthiness certification for the B-52.
•o Qualified bidder must have the capability to design ground support equipment required to load, unload, and enable carriage of the pylon on the B-52.
•o Qualified bidder must have the ability to receive, generate, and store top secret materials.
I. COMPANY INFORMATION
1. Company Name:
2. CAGE Code:
3. Address (Including Telephone No. and E-Mail Address):
4. Points of Contact:
5. Size of business pursuant to North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code:
336/336411, size standard 1,500 employees
6. Based on the above NAICS Code, state whether your company is:
• Small Business (Yes / No)
• Woman Owned Small Business (Yes / No)
• Small Disadvantaged Business (Yes / No)
• 8(a) Certified (Yes / No)
• HUBZone Certified (Yes / No)
• Veteran Owned Small Business (Yes / No)
• Service Disabled Veteran Small Business (Yes / No)
• Central Contractor Registration (CCR) (Yes / No)
7. Is your company domestically or foreign owned (if foreign, please indicate the country of ownership)?
II. GENERAL COMPANY INFORMATION
1. Describe your company's primary business product/service line.
2. What kind of facility security clearance does your company maintain? Describe highest level of processing capability.
•a. Individual personnel clearances.
•b. Be able to provide Defense Security Service (DSS) accreditation.
3. Is your company compliant with Arms Export Control Act (Title 22, U.S.C., Sec 2751, et seq.) controlled information? If so, please provide detailed information.
4. Describe your quality assurance system program and is it compliant with requirements of ANSI/ASQ Q9001 (American National Standard, Quality Management Systems - Requirements) and SAE AS9100 (Quality System - Aerospace - Model for Quality Assurance in Design, Development, Production, Installation, and Servicing).
5. Does your company have experience with generating, storing, and submitting all unclassified Contract Data Requirements List (CDRL) and Data Accession List (DAL) items to document contractual tasks?
6. Describe your company's previous experience provisioning for USAF contracts projecting usage rates, and providing Interim Contractor Support (ICS).
III. TECHNICAL CAPABILITIES
1. Provide detailed description of your company's experience with the following:
•a. Design, development, code, test, integrate, qualify, and documenting of B-52 weapons delivery systems.
•b. Testing facilities used for the Weapons Delivery System.
The integration contractor selected for the program would be expected to perform all the following tasks:
•a. Systems Engineering
•b. Development of detailed requirements
•c. Selection of subcontractors and subsystem components
•d. Development and installation of Systems Integration Laboratory (SIL) enhancements
•e. Operating environment engineering and test
•f. Development of Technical Order and Flight Manual updates
•g. Configuration Management
•h. Risk Management
•i. Ground and Flight Testing
•j. Production management and deliveries
•k. Design and document system installation
•l. Documentation of EMI and environmental qualification tests and procedures
•m. Support formal Air Force Airworthiness Certification
•n. Support formal Air Force Cyber Security Authorization
•o. Maintenance and Operator Training
2. Give us examples of past performance (Evidence of contracts with similar scope, evidence of contracts with similar size and complexity, evidence of contracts with similar geographic coverage, evidence of customer service and timeliness of services, references and quality).
3. Describe your experience partnering with the B-52 Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) on engineering development projects. How would you support aircraft ground and flight test during the EMD phase?
4. What experience does your company have with developing and writing technical publications, technical orders and technical drawings? Include experience with and development of with aircraft modification technical data package.
5. Does your company have experience producing detailed operations and maintenance manuals, schematics, product drawing packages, training program development and management plans, test reports, provisioning data, and other similar type documents for avionics system development? If you answer affirmatively, please provide a detailed description of the work.
IV. BUSINESS PRACTICES
1. If your solution proposes proprietary data, are you willing to sell all the proprietary data to the Government?
2. What data rights will be granted to the government for any products/documentation you produce?
3. Describe your company's Earned Value Management (EVM) capability.
4. Does your company have experience with long-term contracts or purchasing agreements? If so, what is your longest long-term contract?
5. Does your company provide for discounted prices based on the quantity of the items provided?
6. Does your company offer a standard warranty on your products? Does it cover parts, labor, and /or technical support? What is the standard time duration?
7. For this effort would your company need to subcontract any part of the work? Please provide a detailed response. Indicate whether the subcontractor will be a small or large business.
8. Provide comment on opportunities for technical and/or cost tradeoffs in this program. What kind of tradeoff approach does your company recommend?
10. Provide comment on possible contract incentives your company thinks would encourage industry to deliver this program in an accelerated manner and/or at lower cost.
11. Describe your capabilities and experience in project planning, work breakdown structures, resource allocations, schedule tracking, risk analysis and cost management.
12. Describe your process in identifying Diminishing Manufacturer Sources (DMS) parts and services.
13. Describe your experience in creating, maintaining, and managing an Integrated Master Plans and Schedule (IMP/IMS).
V. INFORMATION ON REQUIREMENT SPECIFICATIONS
•1. Does your company consider that the information provided in the document is clear and concise regarding the duties and responsibilities that the Government expects the contractor to perform? If not, please identify the information that is needed or that requires additional detail and/or clarification.
•2. Did your company identify any areas in the specifications that presented excessive cost, schedule, or performance risks? If so, please provide detailed information and suggested mitigation.
VI. CONTRACT TYPE AND COMPETITION
AFLCMC B-52 System Program Office (SPO)/WWDP is contemplating a Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF) prototype/production contract type. Projected Period of Performance is 36 - 72 months EMD (Engineering/Development/Design/Integration) and test/qualification.
•1. Which contract type would be most feasible for your company in support of the engineering manufacturing development (EMD) Phase? CPFF or Firm Fixed Price (FFP)?
•2. Which contract type would be most feasible for your company in support of the production phase? CPFF or FFP?
•3. Assuming the Government selects the contract type of CPFF or FFP, do you see any risks and/or issues associated with each contract type for this effort? Do you have any other concerns for contract type?
•4. Cost Accounting System (CAS): The provisions of 48 CFR Part 9903 will be incorporated within the contract. Does your company have adequate accounting system to comply with the requirements? Reference FAR Clause 52.230-2
•5. Earned Value Management System (EVMS): Does you company have adequate capabilities to comply with the EVMS requirements? Reference FAR Clause 52-234-4
•6. Provide any other questions or concerns for contract type and competition.
The Air Force is also contemplating IAW FAR Part 6.1 Full and Open Competition unless Market Research otherwise determines and exclusion to FAR Part 6.1.
A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement.
This is NOT a formal notice of solicitation. Telephone or facsimile inquiries and/or responses will not be accepted.
ATTACHMENTS
N/A
Written responses only, no facsimiles or e-mails. Please mail two (2) copies of your responses of Section I through VI above to:
CONTRACTING OFFICE POC
Name: Stephen N. Palmer
Title: Contracting Officer, B-1/B-52 Branch
Address: AFLCMC/WWK
3001 Staff Dr., Suite 2AG76A
Tinker AFB OK 73145-3015
Phone #: (405) 739-4469
Email: stephen.palmer@us.af.mil
All responses have 30 days from the date of publication to FedBizOpps to respond to this SSS/RFI. Responses must be postage dated not later than 30 days from date of publication to FedBizOpps.
Responses due not later than 3:00 p.m. CST 20 July 2018
"Notice to Offeror(s)/Supplier(s): Funds are not available for this effort. No award will be made under this Sources Sought Synopsis (SSS) / Request for Information (RFI) Market Survey. The Government reserves the right to cancel this RFI, either before or after the closing date. In the event the Government cancels this RFI, before or after the closing date, the Government has no obligation to reimburse an offeror for any costs."
Stephen N. Palmer, Contracting Officer, Phone 4057394469, Email stephen.palmer@us.af.mil
