Procurement of Lightspeed Aviation Headsets

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Aircraft Operations Center in Lakeland, Florida, is soliciting the procurement of Lightspeed Aviation Zulu 3 ANR Headsets to replace aging equipment used by pilots averaging 750 flight hours annually, ensuring compliance with occupational noise exposure standards and improving in-flight communication. The solicitation, numbered 1333MK26Q0110, is a small business set-aside under NAICS code 336413 and requires delivery of 40 units of the LEMO plug model and 20 units of the GA dual plug model, along with 40 corresponding Refresh Kits with FrameFit ear seals. All deliveries must be made FOB destination to the NOAA AOC by September 15, 2026, with packaging and labeling required to meet clear identification standards including brand name, model variant, and quantity, accompanied by active SAM registration with UEI and CAGE code. The contract is to be awarded on a firm-fixed-price basis using a trade-off approach where non-price factors—technical capability, past performance, warranty, and personnel qualifications—are significantly more important than price, with price only serving as a tiebreaker among technically equal offers. Offerors must submit a detailed technical approach, at least two verifiable past performance references from the last three years, proof of SAM registration, liability insurance, OEM authorization, and a brand-name justification package including specifications, data sheets, and manufacturer letters. Electronic proposals must be submitted by August 13, 2026, by 4:00 PM Pacific Daylight Time to the designated contracting officer email, with all documents in PDF or Word format. The Government will inspect and accept delivery at the Lakeland site, following FAR-based quality and workmanship standards, and payment will be processed electronically via the Treasury’s Invoice Processing Platform under Net 30 terms. Additional requirements include mandatory disclosures of organizational conflicts of interest, ownership control, debarment status, and potential use of covered telecommunications equipment, with compliance monitored through FAR clauses including 52.219-6 (Small Business Set-Aside), 52.204-16 (CAGE reporting), and 52.204-17 (Ownership or Control). The solicitation explicitly excludes military packaging standards and barcoding specifications, and no contract value is specified as pricing data remains blank in the CLIN table, indicating pricing is to be submitted by offerors as part of their