Notice of Intent to Award Sole Source - USAF T53 Engine Component Improvement Program Support

Engine Component Improvment Program (CIP) provides critical sustaining engineering for in-service military engines to maintain flight safety, correct service-related deficiencies, improve system Operational Readiness, and R&M, reduce engine Life Cycle Cost, and improved the sustainment of engines throughout their service life. Historically, aircraft systems change missions, tactics, and environments to meet changing/emerging threats; and new problems are often identified. These problems can be identified during deployment, production, and/or service; Engine CIP is the only funding vehicle to develop fixes for these field problems. The funding is driven by field events and type/maturity of engines, not by engine quantity. Engine CIP begins upon delivery of the first production engine purchased with procurement funds and continues over the engine's life to address any safety issues, as well as achieve established metric goals in availability, reliability, maintainability, and affordability as documented in each Type/Model/Series (TMS) Engine Life Management Plan (ELMP). Since operational and safety problems arise throughout a system's service life, Engine CIP must be maintained at a level to provide the engineering and test support to make the changes essential for continued system performance at affordable costs. This contract will provide RDT&E, sustaining engineering, technical data, drawings, change proposals, manpower support, design activities, prototype hardware, testing, product and procedure improvements, reports, etc. for the T53 engine. The CIP program is funded with RDT&E funds. . The T53 turboshaft engine provides the main source of power during flight of the TH-1H Iroquois training helicopters. Engineering services for turboshaft engines is highly specialized because of the following: - Detailed knowledge of helicopter engine operation, theories, concepts, applications, systems, performance, operability, and airframe and jet engine integration. - Strict requirements and high precision for flightworthy, aircraft components - Complex manufacturing techniques for small turboshaft jet engines and associated components - Intricate details of design and manufacturing of jet engine components - Specialized bench testing of components, jet engine testing and test criteria and post test analysis - Possession of proprietary data for aircraft and jet engine interface details and part details for redesign efforts - Experience with military airworthiness requirements The government has identified these as Key Performance Parameters (KPP) that any vendor should have in order to possess the capability to provide the services required. Therefore, this acquisition is for the development of highly specialized aircraft parts and for performance of a highly specialized engineering service.