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Amendment 01 - A-10 Structures Long-Term Support Strategy Request for Information #2 - See Attachment This announcement constitutes an official Request for Information (RFI). This is not a Request for... Amendment 01 - A-10 Structures Long-Term Support Strategy Request for Information #2 - See Attachment This announcement constitutes an official Request for Information (RFI). This is not a Request for Proposal (RFP) or an Invitation for Bid (IFB), nor is it to be construed as a commitment by the government. 1.0 Scope The 416th A-10 Structures Supply Chain Management Squadron (416 SCMS), A-10 Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) Directorate, Enterprise Hill Commodity Council (EHCC) and Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) are seeking information towards developing 10-year long-term Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract type to provide fleet wide improved parts availability for Depot and field level organizations. The scope of this initiative comprises A-10 Structure end items and subcomponents, which will include approximately 2700 NIINs comprised of USAF Depot Level Reparables (DLRs) and DLA consumables. The A-10 Structures Support acquisition team plans to utilize Key Performance Indicators to measure and incentivize awardee’s performance to meet critical goals in support of the warfighter mission. 2.0 Background The A-10 Thunderbolt II, affectionately nicknamed “The Warthog”, was developed for the United States Air Force by the OEM Team from Fairchild Republic Company in the 1960’s and was acquired in 1987 by Grumman Corporation from Fairchild Republic Company, and are now part of the Northrop Grumman Corporation Defense Systems. It was designed as a Close Air Support aircraft to protect combat troops on the ground, with rugged and survivable features. The aircraft can loiter near battle areas and offers dramatic low altitude maneuverability. These features have been utilized to great effect in operations Desert Storm, Southern Watch, Provide Comfort, Desert Fix, Noble Anvil, Deny Flight, Deliberate Guard, Allied Force, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom engagements. 281 A-10 Aircraft are currently in USAF inventory (Active Duty, Guard, and Reserve). Recently, the 448 SCMW has begun to experience a decrease of A-10 Structures end-item and subcomponent availability due to the increase of internal and external supply chain issues. Many of the current supply chain issues are a direct result of the age and operational history of the A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft currently in the inventory, material obsolescence, diminishing sources, potential retirements, and lack of supplier base. In an effort to increase overall A-10 Structures supportability and re-establish a competent and qualified A-10 Structures industrial base, a long-term IDIQ strategy has been developed to increase end-item and subcomponent availability and provide adequate support to the Warfighter. 3.0 Issues and Constraints There are hundreds of A-10 Structural parts, components, and assemblies needed maintain mission capability. Depot maintainers are constrained for parts due to multiple issues such as, Technical Order and Technical Data Packages that are outdated, technical data changes due to obsolete processes, long lead times, conforming parts passing first article inspection, on-time delivery of parts, quality of parts, and limited vendors due to an atrophied industrial base. In addition, due to decreases in material availability, field-level requisitions are experiencing long lead times often preempting delivery of overhauled parts necessary for aircraft completion. 4.0 Developing Strategy The objectives of this performance based Long Term Contract (LTC) are to: (1) Improve A-10 Structures piece part and assembly supportability, which includes Air Force DLRs and DLA consumables; and (2) Increase the A-10 Structures industrial base through qualified sources. Performance requirements include on-time delivery of 100% conforming parts, e.g. matching the current engineering definition and using approved specifications and production lead time reduction for DLRs. Overall performance will be measured at the end of each twelve month period following contract award. The A-10 Structures support acquisition team is asking for feedback from industry representatives regarding the critical technical requirements for A-10 Structures end items and subcomponents and your ability to propose to each requirement. The A-10 Structures support acquisition team is looking to industry to help shape the strategy of this effort through your open comments/feedback on the topics/questions below. Questions: 1. Please provide the following business information for your company and for any teaming and joint venture programs: Company Name Address Point of Contact Cage Code Phone Number E-mail Address Web Page URL Size of Business and North American Industry Classification (NAICS) Code 2. Does your company have the capability to manufacture or source all or a portion of the NIINs/part numbers in "Attachment 1 - RFI2"? For the parts your company has the capability to source or manufacture, are there any quantity, material, or other related issues the government should be aware of? Likewise, if your company can't produce the part, are there quantity, material, or other issues that prevent your company from making or sourcing the item? 3. The below subset of requirements are likely to appear in the future Request for Proposal (RFP). In general, does your company understand these processes and does your company have procedures in place to meet each of these critical technical requirements and how would your company do so? For clarification, we are not requesting you to actually propose to these requirements, but respond on your company’s ability to propose to each requirement (e.g. plans in place). Additionally, please provide any comments and concerns on the critical factors below. REQUIREMENTS CRITICAL FOR THIS ACQUISITION a. Facilities, Testing, and Inspection Capabilities: The company must certify to the government that they have, or have access to, the required facilities and equipment to manufacture, inspect, test, package, and store the items. b. Data Verification: The company must verify that they understand how to acquire and manage technical data packages (TDPs) for each item. This verification must include a complete list of all procedures, drawings, and specifications, including change notices. The company must demonstrate their process used to verify TDPs are complete and accurate as well as procedures to work with the United States Government (USG) in correcting identified errors. The company must demonstrate the ability to maintain configuration control of product at specified effectivities. c. Manufacture/Process Verification: The company must simulate manufacture or sourcing of these items to conform to the government requirements as prescribed within the Government approved engineering/technical data package. The company must show compliance with Unique Identification (UID) requirements in accordance with DFARS 211.274 as prescribed within the Government-approved engineering/technical data package. The company must simulate and provide, data showing how the results of all quality, performance, and environmental evaluations conducted complies with the government requirements. The company can identify their sources for materials and their standards for internally used processes to include: Production process development Demonstrate the presence and applicability of internal processes and procedures for the production of aircraft structure with integrated systems. Provide examples of how these processes lead to certifiable aircraft structure. Production planning Demonstrate the level of production planning used to produce or qualify suitable suppliers of aircraft structure. Tooling design, fabrication, and maintenance Demonstrate the tooling requirements exist necessary to produce tools capable of sustaining the target production rates. Provide examples of tooling used to build aircraft structure at these rates. d. Raw materials procurement: Demonstrate the processes and controls exist to ensure that only aircraft certified materials are used in production. e. Machining: Demonstrate that the necessary parts can be built either through existing capability or through qualified suppliers. Outline the internal processes used to maintain production consistency or the processes used to accept parts provided by qualified suppliers. f. Fabrication: Demonstrate the ability to support fabrication of aircraft structure of this scale. Provide examples of similar scale fabrication performed for aircraft structure. g. Electrical, Hydraulic and Fuel Systems: Demonstrate the necessary electrical, hydraulic and fuel system expertise exists to fulfill the needs of this task. Provide examples of similar structure that is produced and integrated with hydraulic, fuel and electrical components as a finished product. h. Assembly: Demonstrate the ability to perform assembly of full-scale aircraft components. Provide examples of such assemblies. i. Auditable production quality assurance processes: Demonstrate the existence and procedures used to ensure quality for structures and systems. Outline the process used to address rejection tags. Document the Material Review Board (MRB) process. j. Engineering liaison support: Define the role of the liaison engineering and how dispositions are coordinated for action. Provide examples of how specific rejection tags for aircraft structure or systems have been dispositioned. Document the role of liaison engineering within the Material Review Board (MRB) process. Provide documentation and method descriptions on analysis methods used for deviation requests on aircraft structure. Final approving authority will reside with the Government. Deviation requests shall be provided with engineering analysis of impacts to the structure and shall include life cycle performance and impact. k. Critical Safety Items (CSIs) and Interchangeable & Replaceable (I&R) Requirements: If the item considered is a safety critical item, contains critical characteristics, and/or is fatigue and fracture critical (FFC), then the company must also provide evidence in the form of a management process in which they will manage CSIs and all of the critical characteristics and critical safety processes in accordance with SM160M1000. l. Test/Evaluation and/or Verification, Qualification Standards: The company shall prepare and submit to the government for prior approval, a qualification test plan/procedure detailing how the company intends to verify compliance with all physical, mechanical, and quality assurance requirements identified by the provided technical data package. Additionally, the company shall have a thorough understanding of, and show evidence of having AS9100, ISO 9001, NADCAP, and/or other quality equivalent industry standard certification. The government is accepting responses to this request for information via email only. Please provide written responses to the Contracting Officer and Program Manager by July 18, 2022 at the following email addresses: Kyle Swaner, Contracting Officer : kyle.swaner@us.af.mil Anna Bassett, Program Manager: anna.bassett@us.af.mil Jessica Petrilla, Deputy Program Manager: jessica.petrilla@us.af.mil