NAWCAD HX-21 CH-53K ORGANIZATIONAL LEVEL CONTRACTOR MAINTENANCE SUPPORT (CMS)

1.0 INTRODUCTION

a. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD), Naval Test Wing  Atlantic (NTWL), Air Test and Evaluation Squadron TWO ONE (HX-21), Patuxent River, MD, has a follow-on requirement for Contractor Maintenance Support (CMS) Services to perform Organizational Level (O-Level) maintenance support services on assigned CH-53K test aircraft.

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[1]Aside opportunities exist. Additionally, this Sources Sought is being used to gather constructive information from industry to improve the Request for Proposal (RFP).

This is for the NAWCAD HX-21 CH-53K O-LEVEL CMS. This is a follow-on requirement. The current contract information can be found in Section 3.0, paragraph b below. There have been significant changes to the scope as follows: estimated on-site personnel increasing from 62 FTEs to 75 FTEs.

This is not subject to bundling or consolidation.

b. The following documents are attached to this Sources Sought Notice:

1. Draft Performance Work Statement (PWS)
2. Draft Labor Categories and Staffing Matrix
3. Draft Personnel Qualifications

c. The following dates are anticipated time frames associated with this requirement:

1. Estimated Draft RFP Release: 01 May 2027
2. Estimated Final RFP Release: 01 Aug 2027
3. Estimated Award Date: 01 May 2028
4. Period of Performance: 19 Aug 2028 – 18 Aug 2033

d. Primary Work Location/Place of Performance: Primary Work Location is detailed in Attachment 1, Draft PWS.

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 COMMITMENT 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 CONTRACT/PROGRAM BACKGROUND

a. Anticipated Contract Type: C-Type Contract with Firm Fixed Price (FFP) CLINs for Labor and Cost Reimbursable CLINs for associated Other Direct Costs (ODCs). The Government is anticipating an additional Cost Reimbursable Performance Incentive CLIN. The anticipated Period of Performance includes one base period of 12 months with four one[1]year option periods for a total potential performance period of 5 years.

b. The incumbent contract information is as follows:

1. Incumbent Contractor: Adams Communication & Engineering Technology, Inc.
2. Contract Number: N68520-20-D-0032 / N00421-23-F-0619
3. Contract End Date: 13 Aug 2028
4. Contract Type: FFP
5. Previous Set-Aside Designation: Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB)
6. Number of FTEs on the Contract: 62 FTEs

c. Program Background: HX-21 has a follow-on requirement for CMS Services to perform O-Level (to include limited Intermediate Level (I-Level) and Depot Level (D[1]Level)) maintenance support services and other explicit test support tasks required to maintain assigned CH-53K aircraft to the proper standards required to meet the requirements of the HX-21 test schedule. The test schedule includes both flight and ground test events to meet the PMA-261 and other requirement owner program performance needs. The limited I-Level and D-Level work is contingent, provided skilled artisans and required tools are available and authorization is received from the cognizant authority. Services include aircraft maintenance and logistics support on aircraft, aircraft systems, and Support Equipment (SE) for which HX-21 has cognizant responsibility. Additional services include maintenance of prototype aircraft components, configuration and installation of internal/external ballast, and Helicopter Support Team (HST) duties, i.e. external sling load operations. The majority of work performance will be accomplished at Patuxent River, Maryland. Additional temporary work sites in direct support of projects are executed as detachments and include (but are not limited to) United States Naval Vessels, Department of War Installations, and Commercial Facilities which also encompass unscheduled emergent type maintenance support. A more detailed description is provided in Attachment 1, Draft PWS.

4.0 SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS AND REQUIRED CAPABILITES

Any anticipated special requirements and required capabilities are detailed in Attachment 1, Draft PWS. This document details security clearance requirements for personnel, facility requirements, and any specific certifications that are required for the performance of this requirement.

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 $40.0M.

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 2020-O0008 dated 04/03/20 at https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far).

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 (SSN) in order to assist the Government’s capability determination.

6.0 SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

a. Interested parties should address the following questions in their response. The responses to these questions will aid the Government in determining whether a company is capable in performing the requirement, so it is important to address these areas with specific details.

1. Organizational-Level Maintenance on Navy/Marine Corps Rotary Wing Aircraft. List all type/model rotary wing aircraft supported and total number of each within the past five years. Place emphasis on any modern fly-by-wire aircraft.
2. Support ground and flight operations to include launch/recovery of rotary wing aircraft and hot pressure refueling. Describe all experience with ground and flight operations to include launch/recovery of rotary wing aircraft and hot pressure refueling. List all type/model aircraft and locations / supported organization.
3. Safe for Flight (SFF) experience. The Contractor will be required to undergo a NAVAIR-led SFF Certification Inspection prior to commencing maintenance activities. Describe all experience with U.S. Navy SFF certification or similar experience. List all type/model aircraft and locations/supported organization.
4. Cargo Capabilities. The CH-53K aircraft will regularly be reconfigured with internal cargo/ballast configurations and conduct external cargo loading using Helicopter Support Team procedures. State any experience with loading / rigging of internal and external slung cargo.
5. Maintenance Training. State any experience with training a maintenance workforce on a new aircraft. List all type/model aircraft and locations / supported organization.
6. Offsite Detachment Work. List all locations where work was performed while temporarily operating away from the primary work facility (within the last three years), to include shipboard operations on US Navy vessels.
7. Recruitment Strategies. There is a limited community of CH-53K experienced maintenance personnel due to recent fleet fielding. List any experience with recruiting uniquely experienced personnel for “hard to fill” positions.
8. Performance Incentives. State any experience with providing additional non-discretionary wages to SCA Labor hourly employees as a result of awarded performance incentives.
9. 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 described in this PBSOW 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.
10. 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 (UIE) number, etc.
11. 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.

b. In addition to the above, the Government is requesting feedback on the draft PWS, draft labor categories and staffing matrix, and draft estimated labor rates by labor category. If there is any feedback on any of these documents, please include that within the capabilities statement submission. Specific details are requested to help in supporting the feedback. This feedback DOES NOT count against the page limitations for the capabilities statement and should be submitted as a separate file at the same time as the capabilities statement submission. The Government may or may not reach back out to the companies to discuss the feedback in depth.

c. 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.
2. Document Type: Microsoft Word, Adobe PDF, etc.
3. Delivery: Electronic-mail (Email) Submission to the Contract Specialist, Kelly Abrams at kelly.l.abrams.civ@us.navy.mil
4. Response date: Responses are due by 2:00PM EDT on 25 NOV 2026.
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 Contract Specialist, Kelly Abrams at kelly.l.abrams.civ@us.navy.mil.
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.