Struts Solution for the Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) in support of Program Manager Advanced Amphibious Assault (PM AAA)

Sources Sought Notice

Program Executive Officer - Land Systems

Program Manager Advanced Amphibious Assault – Amphibious Combat Vehicle Struts

M67854-26-I-0067

05 December 2025

NOTE: THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION FOR PROPOSALS. THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE (SSN) ONLY. This SSN is for planning and informational purposes only and shall NOT be considered as a Request for Proposal (RFP) or an obligation on the part of the Government to acquire any products or services. The Government will NOT be responsible for any costs incurred in responding to this SSN or furnishing the requested information. No entitlement to payment of direct or indirect costs or charges by the Government will arise as a result of a respondent's submission to this SSN or the Government's use of any such information. The Government reserves the right to reject, in whole or in part, any respondent's input resulting from this SSN. No contract will be awarded from this announcement. Pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract.

1.0 Introduction:

Program Manager, Advanced Amphibious Assault (PM AAA) is responsible for the development and production of the Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) Fleet of Vehicles (FoV). The ACV acquisition program meets Acquisition Category Level I requirements.

The ACV platform is currently being produced by BAE Systems under competitively awarded contract M67854-16-C-0006.

The ship-to-shore component of the ACV Mission Profile subjects the vehicles to maritime environments for extended periods of time, unique to the ACV FoV. The vehicles are exposed to open ocean, intertidal, and brackish environments for hundreds of hours over the operational lifetime of the vehicle. The high deployment schedule combined with the high training tempo of the United States Marine Corps creates an extremely corrosive environment for the ACV not typically experienced by other vehicles. PM AAA is currently exploring solutions for salt water, corrosion resistant alternatives to certain parts and components. This RFI requests information regarding any potential strut solution that industry might have to mitigate the environmental effects on the current ACV strut. 

1.1 Purpose:

The Government is anticipating a requirement to retrofit the ACV FoV with an alternative struts solution better suited to the operational environment. PM AAA is seeking information from manufacturers to support a struts solution as described below.

This SSN constitutes market research in accordance with FAR Part 10 and is not an RFP. The Marine Corps Systems Command is issuing this SSN, in support of PEO LS, to determine if more than one interested party is capable of providing the effort described within this notice. This notice fulfills the SSN posting as required by DFARS PGI 206.302-1 for a sole or limited source justification under FAR 6.302-1.

Interested vendors are encouraged to submit information that details an alternative struts solution that meets or exceeds the specifications of the Original Equipment Manufacturer’s struts, the compatibility and interoperability with the ACV FoV, and the ability to effectively withstand the elements of the operational environments of the ACV Mission Profile for the total expected life cycle of the FoV. This information should include any current Government contracting vehicles that may be available for PM AAA to utilize in the procurement of a struts solution compatible with the specifications detailed below. The Government may use the information received from this notice to justify a sole or limited source justification for a struts solution.

1.2 Objective:

The objective of this SSN is to determine the availability of alternative struts solutions to support the durability and long-term sustainment of the ACV FoV. Data submitted in response to this SSN will be used to assess the marketplace environment for businesses capable of providing supplies in support of the requirements described herein.

2.0 ACV Mission Profile

The ACV FoV are wheeled vehicles which require an overall suspension travel of twelve (12) inches to eighteen (18) inches and the ability traverse difficult terrain while accurately deploying weapons systems to maintain superior mobility and the capability required by the Marine Corps. The ACV FoV are subject to severe off road and amphibious deployment conditions including surf zone operation, partial immersion in fresh and salt water followed by land mobility operations including soft soil and coarse-grained terrain features.

The ACV Mission Profile describes the details of a typical mission by identifying the time and distance that a vehicle will be within expected environmental conditions. This Mission Profile represents the phases of a major combat operation, consisting of four distinct scenarios each followed by reset periods. The ACV must have the reliability to complete individual scenarios without mission failure. Table 1 describes the Mission Profile in hours, miles, and nautical miles.

See posted attachment for Table 1: ACV Mission Profile

Table 2 outlines the landward terrain definitions for each surface type within the ACV Mission Profile.

See posted attachment for Table 2: Landward Terrain Profiles

The ACV FoV must be able to operate in a wide range of amphibious conditions including maneuvering in formations through open seas and across inland waterways. Table 3 describes the amphibious conditions that the ACV FoV will encounter during worldwide operations over its lifetime.

See posted attachment for Table 3: Amphibious Conditions Description

Table 4 lists the unique environmental conditions that the ACV FoV will encounter during worldwide operations over its lifetime.

See posted attachment for Table 4: ACV Unique Environmental Conditions                       

The struts solution must provide the appropriate level of performance to sufficiently stabilize the vehicle during operation and provide the level of ride quality, suspension ride height, weight distribution, and reliability expected when operating over the above terrain conditions in addition to discrete obstacle negotiation and extreme coastal conditions including beach runs and surf transitions with minimal resources for washdown procedures or extensive maintenance procedures.

The solution, inclusive of coatings, seals, strut pressure, and components, must meet MIL-STD-810H (Method 509 Salt Fog) as a minimum, however, the Government requires struts which are designed for significant corrosion resistance, water resistance, and protection from soil and other contaminants that are inherent in the ACV operational environment and not typically experienced by other vehicles. This corrosive environment includes, but is not limited to, negotiating the surf zone, transitioning between seawater conditions during littoral operations, operation over dry land, seawater splash and cyclic exposure to variable ambient temperatures and associated humidity typically found in coastal environments, and on-board ships without climate control. The struts must be able to pass six cycles of accelerated simulated seawater corrosion testing without failing, with minimal corrosion to the strut rod plating, and without the need for any repairs higher than the Marine unit level. The weight of the struts must be equal to or less than 115 pounds. In addition, the struts must offer measurable improvement over the OEM strut in the areas of cost and ability to provide improved performance over the land mission profile.

​​​​​​​2.1 Requested Information:

The Government desires a vendor which currently possesses a commercial or non-developmental solution that is representative of the best approach available on the market to mitigate the conditions described above for struts for the ACV, the ability to manufacture the anticipated requirement of over 5000 struts units over a period of about 30 months, and the ability to regularly deliver units to support the Government’s anticipated rapid retrofitting schedule of the ACV FoV beginning in second quarter Fiscal Year 2026 and continuing through Fiscal Year 2027.

Respondents are requested to provide information that fully demonstrates their ability to manufacture and deliver a struts capability which meets or exceeds the specifications stated above, with an emphasis on the performance of strut configuration for corrosion resistance, seal design, and long-term durability of the solution. This response shall include a product summary and any currently available technical data and reports to support the capability statement. Interested offerors should describe their ability to meet the anticipated requirements in support of this effort.  

3.0 Response:

Interested parties possessing the requisite skills, resources, and capabilities necessary to meet the stated requirements are invited to respond to this SSN via a submission of an executive summary on 8-1/2 x 11 in paper, no more than 10 pages in length (including cover pages), using 12-point font describing product summary, complete technical characteristics, and spare parts support capability. All responses should include the following information:

a) Company name, address, email, telephone number, point(s) of contact;

b) Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code and Unique Entity Identifier (UEI);

c) Size of business pursuant to North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code 336330;

d) Vendor’s response to all information requested in section 2.0 and describing all capabilities and relevant past performance;

e) The current availability of commercial and non-developmental solutions, or, if none exist, estimated lead times to design, manufacture, test, and deliver a solution, including timelines for these major categories of activity;

f) A list of Government contracting vehicles (if available);

g) Any relevant testing data and supporting documents for available solutions submitted as attachments to the executive summary (does not count towards the page limit stated above); and

h) Identification of any unique requirements anticipated to provide these supplies to the Government (e.g. financing terms; availability of essential raw materials; requirements for efficient manufacturing during production of the supplies; the use of advanced manufacturing technology, processes and systems; special equipment or use of modern technology production equipment; use of commercial manufacturing processes; expanded use of commercial items or non-developmental items; technical data and computer software deliverables and associated license rights).

Please be advised that any proprietary information must be marked as such on a page-by-page basis. The Government will not assume that any of the information provided by a respondent is proprietary unless it is conspicuously marked on each page containing proprietary information. Moreover, the Government does not assume any duty to contact a respondent and inquire whether any unmarked information submitted in response to this SSN is proprietary.

Please do not submit proposals at this time. The Government is only seeking sources/information for market research to determine the availability of commercial capabilities in the marketplace. Acknowledgement of receipt will not be made. Availability of any formal solicitation will be announced separately. Submittals will not be returned to the sender. Respondents will not be notified of any market research results. It is the interested party’s responsibility to check the System for Award Management (SAM) website at https://www.sam.gov/ to get additional data, if any is submitted.

Responses shall be submitted via e-mail to Kathleen Keys, Contracting Officer at kathleen.keys@usmc.mil and Matthew Mercer, Contract Specialist at matthew.mercer@usmc.mil, no later than 10:00 AM local time Quantico, VA on 23 December 2025 with the subject line “SSN – PM AAA Struts – M67854-26-I-0067.” Inquiries by telephone will not be accepted.

This SSN does NOT constitute an RFP nor a promise to issue an RFP in the future. This SSN does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service. Further, the Government is not seeking proposals at this time and will not accept unsolicited proposals. Respondents are advised the Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this SSN.

The information provided in the SSN is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. The Government has not made a commitment to procure any of the items discussed and the release of this SSN should not be construed as a commitment or as authorization to incur cost for which reimbursement would be required or sought. All submissions become Government property and will not be returned.