Component Improvement Program

The Component Improvement Program is a 9-year, cost-reimbursement contract awarded on a sole-source basis to Honeywell under a Justification and Approval document, with a base period of five years and a four-year option running from November 1, 2025, through October 31, 2035. The contract is structured as a Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF) agreement to support research and development activities for Secondary Power Systems (SPS), including Auxiliary Power Units, Jet Fuel Starters, gearboxes, and fuel controls across multiple U.S. Air Force aircraft platforms such as the F-16, F-15, C-130, B-2, A-10, B-1, and E-3. The award is justified by Honeywell's unique role as the Original Equipment Manufacturer with exclusive access to proprietary design data and specialized expertise in military airworthiness requirements, making competition infeasible due to high reverse-engineering costs and projected delays of five to ten years per system. Performance will primarily occur at Honeywell’s facility in Phoenix, Arizona, with additional work conducted at various military installations, including Hill Air Force Base, Utah, where the contracting office is located and where inspections and acceptances are expected to occur. Deliverables include engineering services, technical data packages, prototypes, test results, and resolution of Service Revealed Deficiencies, all governed by Contract Data Requirements Lists and negotiated at the task order level to ensure the government secures Government Purpose Rights or Unlimited Rights to technical data. The contract includes line items for engineering services, research and development, program management, service revealed deficiencies, travel, data delivery, and material, though specific unit prices and total estimated value remain unprovided. The contracting activity is managed by the Air Force Sustainment Center’s Office at Hill AFB, with oversight shared between the Government and contractor, but formal contracting officer, COTR, and payment office details are not disclosed. Data rights, organizational conflicts of interest, and performance-based task orders are central to the contract's framework, with no set-aside used and no formal evaluation factors or packaging standards specified beyond compliance with FAR, DFARS, and military airworthiness directives.