KC-10 Mode 5 Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) Upgrade

KC-10 Mode 5 Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) Upgrade Sources Sought/Request for Information This is a Request for Information (RFI) only, which, as part of market research, is being issued in accordance with (IAW) Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) subpart 15.201(e). This is not a solicitation/request for proposal and no contract shall be resultant from this synopsis. There is no solicitation package available at this time. All interested parties should send company and/or descriptive literature along with responses to the following questions and any comments or questions to Ms. Christi Whitlock, email christina.whitlock@us.af.mil, or address: AFLCMC/WKDK 3001 Staff Drive STE 2AI 85A, Tinker AFB, OK 73145-3020. All responses shall be received NLT 3:00 PM CST 27 Aug 2014. All questions and comments must be in writing, no telephone calls. The Government will not pay for any information received in response to this request, nor will the Government compensate any respondent for any costs incurred in developing the information provided to the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC). The AFLCMC's Contract Logistics Support Branch is seeking to identify sources that may be capable of providing the following: Description: The North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code is 541330, size standard $15 Million. Major logistics elements will include, but are not limited to providing Mode 5 Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) upgrade to the KC-10A Aircraft. The KC-10A is a Commercial Derivative Aircraft derived from a Boeing DC-10CF. The principle KC-1OA mission is to provide global air refueling (AR) for Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and Allied aircraft. The KC-1OA enables the Air Force to provide refueling for deployment, employment, sustainment, and redeployment for all refueling capable United States and coalition aircraft. Sources Sought: Mode 5 IFF Modification for KC-10A The USG is seeking potential sources to provide the cost and technical options for installing a kit modification to 59 KC-10 aircraft to provide Mode 5 IFF capability using the APX-119 Digital Transponder version 531, provided as GFE. The installation requires a FAA 145 Repair Station Capability field team to remove the existing APX-119 version 509 and replace it with the APX-119 version 531. A MIL-STD-1553B interface will be added between the CDU-7000F and APX-119 to support control commands and data transfer. The existing ELS/ADS-B Out interface between the ADLP and APX-119 will be disconnected. The existing APX-119 control panel will be removed and replaced with a blank plate, and the wires disconnected and removed. New software will be loaded to update the CDU-7000F (Control Display Unit) in order to control the APX-119 with all its functional modes, including Mode 5, Mode S, TCAS and ADS-B. Minor software updates to the MFD software will also be loaded. No antenna changes will be made. Modification Installation questions: 1) Does your company possess the expertise and certifications to install this modification outside a hangar as a field team installation at Travis AFB, CA and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst NJ? 2) Do you possess FAA 145 Repair Station Capability? 3) What GFE and services will you require to perform the installation? 4) What is your estimate of the man hours required for installation of the modification on a single KC-10 aircraft? 5) Do the projected installation man hours change if the control panel wires are capped and stowed as opposed to disconnected and removed? 6) How will the effectiveness of the installation be demonstrated/certified? 7) How will you partner with or obtain permission from the current aircraft Type Certificate/Supplemental Type Certificate holder? Small Business Questions: 1) Under NAICS 541330, are you a small business? 2) Has your company accomplished a modification of this magnitude within the last 5 years?