CFM56-7B27 Engine Repair RFI

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION CFM56-7B27 Engine 10 July 2025 1.0 Description 1.1 The United States Air Force, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, in support of the E-7A Program Office (AFLCMC/WIW), is seeking information from interested repair companies with an approved FAA Part 145 Repair Station Certificate that allows them to overhaul CFM56-7B27 engines. This Commercial Derivative Aircraft is projected to be operational by 2028. The Air Force is still finalizing the requirements for this acquisition. 1.2 THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes; it does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future. This RFI does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. Further, the Air Force is not at this time seeking proposals and will not accept unsolicited proposals. The U.S. Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this RFI. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future RFP, if any is issued. 2.0 Background In 2023, the Secretary of the Air Force committed to procuring the E-7A Wedgetail aircraft while starting to divest the E-3 AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) aircraft. The E-7A Wedgetail, based on the Boeing 737-700NG airframe, will be equipped with four CFM International CFM56-7B27 turbofan engines and a 180 kVA generator, a significantly more modern and efficient design. 3.0 Requested Information 3.1 The Air Force is seeking companies that have an approved FAA Part 145 Repair Station Certificate that allows them to overhaul CFM56-7B27 engines. Interested parties are requested to respond to this RFI with a white paper addressing the following topics: 3.1.1 FAA Certification: Please confirm your organization holds a valid FAA Part 145 Repair Station Certificate with the authorization to perform Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) services on CFM56-7B27 engines. 3.1.2 CFM56-7B Experience: Elaborate on your company's experience in overhauling CFM56-7B engines, including the approximate number of engines overhauled to date, annual throughput, and your history with CFM56-7B27 or any CFM56-7B engine model. Also, state your turn around time/flow days to overhaul an engine of this variant. Please consider levels of repair when responding. 3.1.3 Long-Term CFM56-7B27 Support: Given the projected long-term operational life of CFM56-7B27 engines, please explain your company's estimated timeline for maintaining MRO capabilities for this engine type. 3.1.4 Technical Data Access: Describe your access to essential technical data for CFM56-7B27 engine overhauls, including Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) maintenance manuals, service bulletins, and engineering drawings. 3.1.5 Overhaul Cost Structure: Provide a detailed cost breakdown for overhauling CFM56-7B27 engines, or any other CFM56-7B engine variants your company has experience with. This breakdown should be on a part-by-part basis, outlining the costs associated with repairing each component to operating standards. Specifically, include: Per-hour labor costs for an individual parts overhaul process. A cost breakdown for a standard overhaul of an individual part. Any factors that might influence the pricing of individual part overhauls. 3.1.6 Is there a minimum annual overhaul quantity requirement for your services? If so, what is the minimum quantity? 3.1.7 Travel for Maintenance: Does your company have experience traveling to support maintenance at various field locations, both CONUS (Continental United States) and OCONUS (Outside the Continental United States)? 4.0 Responses 4.1 Interested parties are requested to respond to this RFI with a white paper. 4.2 White papers in Microsoft Word compatible format are due no later than 10 September 2025, 17:00 CST and submitted via e-mail only to richard.axtell.2@us.af.mil and christopher.cockfield@us.af.mil. 4.3 The following support contractor companies may review the responses to this RFI: HX5, Oasis Systems and Engineering, Odyssey Systems, Sumaria Systems. Respondees should identify whether they have a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with the companies listed. If the respondee does not have an NDA that would permit the support contractor company to review and evaluate your submission, the respondee is requested to sign NDAs with each company. In your submission, please include either a copy of the executed NDAs or a statement that the respondee will not allow the Government to release its proprietary data to the Government support contractors In the absence of either of the foregoing, the Government will assume that the respondee does NOT agree to the release of its submission to Government support contractors. 4.4 Section 1 of the white paper shall provide administrative information, and shall include the following as a minimum: 4.4.1 Name, mailing address, overnight delivery address (if different from mailing address), phone number, fax number, and e-mail of designated point of contact. 4.4.2 Recommended contracting strategy. 4.4.3 Business type (large business, small business, small disadvantaged business, 8(a)-certified small disadvantaged business, HUBZone small business, woman-owned small business, very small business, veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business) based upon North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code 541512, Computer Systems Design Services. - Small business concern means a concern, including its affiliates, which is independently owned and operated, not dominant in the field of operation in which it is bidding on Government contracts, and qualified as a small business under the criteria and size standards in 13 CFR part 121. Please refer to Federal Acquisition Regulation FAR 19 for detailed information on Small Business Size Standards. The FAR is available at http://www.acquisition.gov. 4.4.4 The facility security clearance of the offeror. 4.5 Section 2 of the white paper shall answer the issues addressed in Section 3 of this RFI and shall be limited to 30 pages of text (excluding pictures, graphs, and parts list). The number of pages in Section 1 of the white paper shall not be included in the 30-page limitation, which applies only to Section 2 of the white paper. Proprietary information, if any, should be minimized and MUST BE CLEARLY MARKED. To aid the Government, please segregate proprietary information. Please be advised that all submissions become Government property and will not be returned. Solicitation does not obligate the government to issue an RFP or award a contract. 5.0 Industry Discussions E-7A Wedgetail representatives may or may not choose to meet with potential offerors. Such discussions would only be intended to get further clarification of potential capability to meet the requirements, especially any development and certification risks. 6.0 Questions Questions regarding this announcement shall be submitted in writing by email to the Contracting POCs (richard.axtell.2@us.af.mil and christopher.cockfield@us.af.mil). Verbal questions will NOT be accepted. Questions will be answered by email; accordingly, questions shall NOT contain proprietary or classified information. The Government does not guarantee that questions received after 08 September 2025 will be answered. 7.0 Summary This RFI is issued solely to identify sources that can aid the repair of E-7A Wedgetail Engines. The information provided in the RFI is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. The Air Force has not made a commitment to procure any of the items discussed, and release of this RFI should not be construed as such a commitment or as authorization to incur cost for which reimbursement would be required or sought. All submissions become Government property and will not be returned.