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Sources Sought WP-3D Maintenance Support for NOAA AOC Disclaimer This announcement constitutes a Sources Sought only, as defined in FAR 15.201(e), for the purpose of determining market capability of s... Sources Sought WP-3D Maintenance Support for NOAA AOC Disclaimer This announcement constitutes a Sources Sought only, as defined in FAR 15.201(e), for the purpose of determining market capability of sources or obtaining information. It does not constitute a Request for Proposals (RFP), a Request for Quotation (RFQ), or an indication that the Government will contract for any of the items and/or services discussed in this notice. Any formal solicitation that may subsequently be issued will be announced separately through Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps). Submission of a response to this Sources Sought is entirely voluntary. The voluntary submission of a response to this Sources Sought shall not obligate NOAA to pay or entitle the submitter of information to claim any direct or indirect costs or charges or any other remuneration whatsoever. No telephone calls will be accepted requesting a bid package or solicitation. There is no bid package or solicitation at this time. In order to protect the integrity of any future procurement, additional information will not be given and no appointments for presentations will be made in reference to this Sources Sought. All information received shall be safeguarded from unauthorized disclosure. Please do not submit any proprietary or classified information. Introduction The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO) is one of the significant operational arms of NOAA. Through its headquarters office in Silver Spring, MD and Aircraft Operations Center (AOC) in Lakeland, FL, OMAO operates, maintains and manages the aircraft used by NOAA programs to collect the critical airborne environmental observations essential to meeting NOAA's prioritized airborne requirements. Purpose The purpose of this Sources Sought is to obtain information about the capability and availability of industry to provide full service maintenance support for NOAA's two (2) WP-3D aircraft for a duration of 10-years. Background The NOAA AOC operates and maintains two WP-3D Lockheed Orion aircraft, N42RF and N43RF. These aircraft are flown in support of NOAA scientists primarily for the purpose of severe weather research in environments such as hurricanes and mesoscale thunderstorms. Both WP-3D aircraft were acquired from Lockheed Burbank in 1975 (N42RF) and 1976 (N43RF). These aircraft have been maintained throughout their life cycle in accordance with the guidelines set forth in OPNAVINST 4790. Deviations from inspection criteria set forth in OPNAVINST 4790 have been made in order to satisfy NOAA mission and operating requirements. These deviations have been made in the time or calendar cycles only. The deviations have not precluded any of the maintenance or inspection criteria set forth in this instruction. The NOAA/AOC Periodic Depot Maintenance (PDM) program is dynamic and changes to meet the mission demands and adapt to findings noted during routine inspections conducted between major scheduled maintenance. The NOAA/AOC currently follows a 72-month interval Standard Depot Level Maintenance (SDLM) program for the P-3 aircraft or a more comprehensive inspection if one exists with plans to move to an 84-month program. Scope The contractor shall provide all necessary tools, special tools, labor, and parts (encompassing all tools, special tools, labor, and parts to accomplish work to include but not limited to a major wing, empennage, and/or fuselage structural component repair or replacement) to perform the following requested work: • A full Standard Depot Level Maintenance (SDLM) inspection with 100% corrosion removal. • Inspection shall include the SSI (Structurally Significant Inspection) Revision B inspection and structural repairs required by the SSI now in affect for the P-3 aircraft. • All discrepancies found during the SDLM inspection shall be corrected unless unforeseen events such as unavailability of parts, etc. prevent correction of the discrepancy. • All "Safety of Flight" discrepancies shall be corrected before the acceptance of the aircraft by NOAA/AOC. • A limited list of any "Noted but not Corrected" (NBNC) discrepancies may be provided to NOAA/AOC for review prior to the acceptance of the aircraft. • Paint aircraft in accordance with the latest NOAA/AOC paint drawings, paint and NOAA logo stencil. Technical specifications and Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) can be found at www.ppgaerospace.com. • Weigh aircraft in accordance with NAVAIR 01-75PAA-XX upon completion of paint. Provide to NOAA/AOC a properly documented Form B showing Basic Weight, Moment, Center of Gravity in Percent of Mean Aerodynamic Cord, Center of Gravity Arm in Inches, and Index. • Structural Maintenance - Support for major structural repair requirements on WP-3D aircraft to include, but not limited to, corrosion inspections, repair and/or replacements of structural components (such as landing gear, wing flaps, flight controls, etc.), and sustainment of lower fuselage radome systems. • Engineering Support - Including platform sustainment, Local Engineering Specifications (LES) and Requests for Engineering Information (REI) functions and technical assistance. • Supply - Support for components, accessories and kit procurement that may or may not be procurable/repairable through normal supply channels, but are available through CBP without placement of additional contract vehicles. • Freight - reimbursement of freight shipment costs associated with above services. • Regulatory, safety and other upgrades/support for repairs or installations of aircraft modifications needed to meet FAA or International Civil Aviation Organization requirements and other safety needs. To include but not limited to, engineering, design and installation of updated systems and the maintenance of the Inertial Navigation Units. Quality assurance of all work tasks shall be certified as completed by the technician performing the task and verified using applicable selected contractor and OPNAV 4790.2H QA procedures. Certified technicians shall inspect and verify all completed work tasks have been accomplished using aviation industry acceptable methods, techniques and practices throughout the inspection and modification of the aircraft. A NOAA/AOC maintenance check flight crew shall support all required functional check flights in accordance with NA01-75PAC-1F, OPNAVINST 4790.2H, OPNAVINST 3710.7S, and NA01-75PAC-1 following the completion of all tasks and prior to acceptance of the aircraft. If any discrepancies are noted or system(s) failure(s) occur during any flights prior to acceptance, NOAA/AOC and the selected contractor will review and discuss options for the resolution of the discrepancies. Corrective actions, such as removal and replacement of parts, repair of parts, rigging; adjustments, etc. will be considered as an "over-and-above" expense. NA01-75PAC-1F shall be used to document the PMCF. Results of post flight inspections and corrections shall be documented in accordance with applicable NOAA/AOC and selected contractor documentation procedures. The Contractor will be responsible for all required documentation, to include but not limited to approval for return to service. Insurance against Loss or Damage to Government Property The Contractor shall, at its own expense, provide and maintain liability insurance of not less than $50,000,000.00 to cover the airframe on which the work will be performed. Parts, Discounts, and Warranties The Contractor shall provide all replacement parts, materials, and consumables. However, the Government reserves the right to provide the same, if advantageous, at any time during the contract. The Government will make the final determination on whether new, overhauled, or serviceable parts will be installed on the aircraft. Parts or components in an "as removed" condition will not be installed on the aircraft. Any part or component that has not reached its recommended service life but fails inspection and needs to be replaced will be treated as an over and above. Since the government cannot determine which parts or components, if any, meet this criteria, maintenance contractors shall provide the labor rate they will charge the government, per hour for "over and above" discrepancies. All aircraft, engine, propeller, accessory and component parts installed by the contractor shall have traceability to an approved part manufacturer. Contractor shall use FAA Advisory Circular 20-62D as a guideline to prevent the installation of unapproved parts. It is understood by the government that parts associated with the P-3 aircraft do not come with a FAA 8130-3 Airworthiness Approval Tag. However, an equivalent tag with the part number, serial number (if applicable), lot number (if applicable), date of manufacture, overhaul or repair, manufacturer, overhaul or repair facility name, and technician signature or stamp should be provided with the part. Any suspect part should be dealt with in accordance with the Advisory Circular and a new part obtained for installation on the aircraft. Period of Performance Due to mission requirements and the operational schedule of the NOAA WP-3D fleet, the selected contractor will be asked for a turn-around time not to exceed 200 calendar days for the SDLM inspection and 30 calendar days for the individual phase inspections. This period begins when the aircraft is delivered to the selected contractor's facility or designated FBO and ends when the aircraft is ready to be picked up at the contractor's facility or the selected paint shop after full repaint (for the SDLM inspection). Other periods of performance will be negotiated and agreed upon by the contractor and NOAA prior to issuance of a task order. Should abnormal requirements and/or circumstances occur which would require an extension of the agreed upon performance period, the selected contractor should immediately provide documentation to the CO (Contracting Officer) as to the reason and extent of the abnormal requirements and/or circumstances. The selected contractor shall also provide the best estimate of the extension required in calendar days. Certification Maintenance contractors must provide proof that the facility performing the service is a licensed Lockheed-Martin Orion Service Center and has performed this type of work within the last 90 days. Contractors will provide proof of FAA certificated Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) maintenance technicians or Transport of Canada certificated Aircraft Maintenance Engineers (AME) who are employed in positions which can certify work of non-certificated technicians or engineers. Response Requirements Limit Sources Sought responses to 25 pages. Responses must be unclassified and contain no proprietary information. Responses should include the company name, location of home facility, CAGE code, and DUNS number, as well as the telephone number, and mail and e-mail addresses of a point of contact having authority and knowledge to discuss the submission. Sources Sought responses should be submitted electronically in a pdf format to the point of contact in this notice. Information Requested in Responses Please include with your response the following: A. The Sources Sought number. B. If/when the aforementioned the requirement for "WP-3D Maintenance Support for NOAA AOC" is formerly solicited by the Government, would your company be interested in providing a proposal? C. Description of ability to meet the requirements of this Sources Sought. D. Descriptive literature about the capabilities and execution of similar efforts. E. Statement as licensed Lockheed-Martin Orion Service Center. F. Business Size and any socio-economic status under NAICS 488190, or appropriate North American Industry Classification Code (NAICS), if different from this Sources Sought. NOTE: NOAA encourages appropriate vendor demonstrations as a useful way for NOAA staff members to stay abreast of the types of products, technology and/or services available in the marketplace that may be useful to support NOAA operations and programs. If necessary and required based on responses to this Sources Sought, the Government reserves the right to schedule vendor meetings and have discussions between vendor personnel and NOAA representatives regarding the capabilities of the vendor services being offered. All vendor meetings will be authorized, approved, and conducted by the Contracting Officer to ensure they do not create a potential exclusive situation that gives competitive advantage or otherwise disadvantages participants in any potential future competition.