Pilot & Co-Pilot Seats Replacement

Purpose: The purpose of this Sources Sought Synopsis (SSS) is to identify potential sources and if this effort can be competitive or a Small Business Set-Aside. This is a SSS for market research purposes ONLY. The Air Force Sustainment Center or LCMC at Tinker AFB is requesting information for the procurement of a suitable substitute for the Pilot and Co-Pilot Seats to determine available sources for the items described below under "Pending/Tentative Program Requirements". NO solicitation is available at this time. Requests for a solicitation will not receive a response. This SSS is open to all types of businesses including small businesses. The information in this notice is based on current information available to date. This information is subject to change and is not binding to the Government. Any updated information will be provided in future announcements, if applicable and posted electronically on the Federal Business Opportunities website at www.fbo.gov. Contractors not responding to this SSS will not be precluded from participation in any future solicitation, if issued. The proposed North American Industry Classification Systems (NAICS) Code is 336360 which has a corresponding Size Standard of 500. The Government will use this information to determine the best acquisition strategy for this procurement. The Government is interested in all businesses to include, Small Businesses, Small Disadvantaged Businesses 8(a)s, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses, Hubzone Businesses, and Women-Owned Small Businesses. The Government request that interested parties respond to this notice, if applicable, and identify your small business status to the identified NAICS code. Tentative Program Requirements: Synopsis: This is a Request for Information (RFI) with regard to a suitable substitute for the pilot and co-pilot seats on the E-3 Flight Deck. The E-3 user community has proposed a need for more ergonomic flight deck seats; which must meet current military requirements, be adaptable for to the E-3 / Boeing 707 airframe and or be adaptable to the existing base to fit the current mounting configuration. The purpose of this RFI is to seek rapidly-fieldable alternative flight deck seat information from industry. Current Seat Specifications: Total seat height (from floor): 38.4" Total seat width (with armrest): 23.0" Vertical raise/lower: 4" Forward/backward sliding motion: 7" Reclining: 21 degrees total (from 8 - 29 degrees) Lower seat recline angle: 0 - 10 degrees Armrests must be removable and the following dimensions: Adjustment: 10 degrees Depth (from backrest): 9.7" Width: 2.5" Flight deck seats shall meet the Fixed Aircrew Seat Standardization (FASS) specification type I (HSW-YAPA-02-FASSII/PS0001-REV I, dated 10 Oct 2008). Any proposed solutions should be produced with no known diminishing material spares issues, being supportable for the next several (12 to 15) years. Replacement items must be able to pass applicable E-3 qualification testing to include but not limited to MIL-STD-810, MIL-R-8236 and FAR 25.853. We desire a Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) of at least one year; no preflight inspection requirement as well as continued air worthiness of the seat. The maintenance concept will be organically repaired. This information is being made available for planning purposes only, subject to FAR Clause 52.215-3, entitled Request for Information or Solicitation for Planning Purposes. It does not constitute a Request for Proposal, and it is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to enter into a contract, nor will the Government pay for the information submitted in response to this request. Funding is not available for procurement at this time; this RFI is subject to review or cancellation at any time. The schedule, method of solicitation, type of contract, set aside potential, selection criteria, pricing structure, and other considerations to be used in any subsequent procurement will depend on our analysis of the responses received from this RFI. We request industry experts to provide any information, solutions, or product offering that will meet our requirements. We are looking for all pertinent technical and other information to assist us in our acquisition planning, including: rough order of magnitude for pricing, purchase, product lead time for delivery, and any information believed to be helpful in our market research and in determining industry capabilities. Responses to this RFI must include the following minimum information: Company name, address, points of contact, phone number, e-mail, and website (if applicable), number of years in business, and name of parent company (if applicable). Also required is information about the vendors business size (i.e., large, small, small disadvantaged, woman-owned, veteran-owned, service-disabled veteran owned), whether the firm is under a GSA Schedule Contract for this product, and which industries the vendor identifies itself with in the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). Detailed requirements for the acquisition have not been finalized, nor have the specifics for the acquisition strategy been determined. We intend to use the results of its market research to aid in the making of these final decisions. The objectives of this RFI are: to provide industry with preliminary information regarding this potential acquisition, solicit information about potential sources and ROM pricing estimates, to identify the capabilities of small business and other business classifications to perform the work and to invite potential offerors to submit comments regarding the fulfillment of this requirement. We request that customer feedbacks and any industry/military certifications along with test measurements accompany your response. Interested parties are requested to submit their technical information, capability statements, suggestions, as well as any comments on the acquisition approach (email only) to Robert Miller, email: robert.miller.16@us.af.mil. Responses shall be provided in Adobe pdf or other format compatible with and accessible using Microsoft Office software applications. To ensure files are not returned undeliverable, total e-mail files sizes shall not exceed 20 MB. It is the responsibility of potential offerors to monitor the Internet site for the release of any future information about this RFI and any subsequent acquisition. Disclaimer: This SSS is issued solely for informational and planning purposes. It does not constitute a solicitation (Request for Proposal or Request for Quotations) or a promise to issue a solicitation in the future release.