Loren Data's SAM Daily™

FBO DAILY ISSUE OF APRIL 30, 2004 FBO #0886
MODIFICATION

15 -- Aerial Surveillance Platform in support of the Coalition Provisional Authority - Iraq

Notice Date

4/28/2004
 

Notice Type

Modification
 

NAICS

336411 — Aircraft Manufacturing
 

Contracting Office

US Army Aviation and Missile Command (Aviation), ATTN: AMSAM-AC, Building 5303, Martin Road, Redstone Arsenal, AL 35898-5280
 

ZIP Code

35898-5280
 

Solicitation Number

W58RGZ04R0547
 

Response Due

5/3/2004
 

Archive Date

7/2/2004
 

Point of Contact

Carole Hubbard, (256)876-3390
 

E-Mail Address

US Army Aviation and Missile Command (Aviation)
(carole.hubbard@redstone.army.mil)
 

Small Business Set-Aside

N/A
 

Description

This is Amendment 0002 to combined synopsis/solicitation W58RGZ-04-R-0547 for the purpose of providing industry questions and government responses. The proposal due date has not been changed. Proposals are due either by email or facsimile no later than 3 May 2004, 4:00 p.m. Central Standard Time (CST). For those questions/responses that resulted in a change to the requirement, you will need to make a pen and ink change to the original synopsis/solicitation. Solicitation W58RGZ-04-R-0547 will not b e reposted in its entirety. Due to the immediate need for these aerial surveillance platforms, no further industry questions will be accepted after 28 April 2004, 4:00 p.m. CST. Q1: Will there be an observer onboard to operate the sensors and who is resp onsible for training this person? A1: All students will be trained as pilot and observer. Training will be provided on the system to include the plane and sensor suite. Q2: We would like to know if a proposal using the following type of aircraft would b e considered as an option for your requirements in Iraq (contractor specifications redacted). A2: Any offeror can propose based on the specifications set forth in the synopsis/solicitation. We will not comment on the technical acceptability of a particul ar aircraft except through the proposal evaluation process. Q3: Will the Army accept aircraft that use Premium Grade commercial fuels, i.e. 91 Octane unleaded or leaded fuel? If not, will it accept aircraft certified with 160 hp engines (that require the higher 91 octane) to be fitted with 150 hp engines that allow the 80/87 octane? A3: Yes, 91 octane is acceptable. An offerors proposal can address a modified fixed-wing aircraft as long as it meets the specification set forth in the synopsis/solicitatio n. Q4: What is the concept behind the 60-80 knot surveillance speed? Can the aircraft qualify if it will fly better in the 70-80 knot range? If the speed is contemplated for an observer to spot ground targets, can more accurate sensors compensate suffic iently to allow the plane to fly a little faster and higher to be out of small arms range? A4: The specification requires aircraft capable of 60-80 knots. Any variance of the requirement will be evaluated and could result in a technical evaluation of NO GO. Q5: Can the 0.2 cubic meter storage requirement be met with external pods? A5: Yes. Q6: Is there a separate contract available for actually hiring the pilots and operating the planes? A6: No. Q7: Will the aircraft be required to have an FAA regis tration number (N number)? If so, we will have to work registration and then transfer to the government. A7: No. Q8: RE: Communications Suite: Civil/Military VHF Voice 118-174 MHz. Most standard US Nav-Com Radios that provide the voice VHF Civil/Mil itary communication (Garman 530/Garman 430, etc) stop at or near 136.975 MHz. Military Radios AN/ARC 210 etc. also do not go up to 174 MHz on that band. Can you identify a civil radio by manufacturer or brand name or a military radio by nomenclature that meets the 118-174 MHz so that this requirement can be met? A8: We will accept a radio with frequencies from 118-136.975 MHz. Q9: Civil Voice UHF. (c) Civil UHF Voice 430-470 MHz. An extensive search for this type of radio indicates that it is a hand he ld device with an integral speaker and mic that would potentially interfere with navigation devices if operated as a hand-held device with no external antenna. Will the government identify any manufacturer that has this type of radio that has either a TSO or STC for installation in an aircraft? A9: The aircraft may need to communicate with Civil Forces on the ground using the frequency range 430-470 MHz. The offeror is requested to advise the government if a radio is available to meet this requirement. Q10: What is the level of training to be assumed by the contractor on the part of the pilots to be trained in terms of types of aircraft flown and number of fl ying hours? A10: Iraqi pilots are all former fixed wing MIG pilots with varying degrees of experience from basic qualified to test pilot. Q11: What is the level English speaking ability on the part of the selected pilots? A11: The training manuals shall be English and Iraqi Arabic. The pilots will be able to understand, read, write and speak English at about the 3rd or 4th grade level. The Coalition Military Assistance Training Team (CMATT)-9 will provide an interpreter with the pilots wherever the trai ning is conducted. The interpreter will not be a student. Q12: Should the English capability of the pilots in the program or the flying ability of the pilots in the program not allow the student to perform to normal commercial pilot standards IAW Federal Aviation Regulations in the training program, where in the solicitation is the governments provision for recycling the student or replacing the student in the program? A12: The contract will be awarded to include training of 16 pilots with an option to t rain up to 16 additional pilots. In the event a student fails the training program, the option would be exercised to train a single replacement pilot. Q13: RE: Acceptance Test Flight. Will the CPA perform this test before the aircraft is deployed from o ur home base and ferried overseas or will they perform this test at Basra? A13: The CPA will provide an aviator to conduct the test at the manufacturers facility. Q14: RE: Acceptance Test Flight. The contractor shall provide full support to personnel c onducting the acceptance test, including facilities, equipment, petroleum-oils-lubricants (POL), flight line maintenance support personnel, and any other support required for aircraft acceptance. If this activity is to be conducted in Iraq, what is the ad dress and phone number of the person who can authorize and provide this space as required at Basra airfield? A14: Test and acceptance can be done at the manufacturer’s facility. Q15: RE: Authority (CPA) acceptance check flight. Will the CPA provide a pilot to attend the training so as to be qualified to perform an acceptance flight check or will the contractor perform the flight with a flight qualified observer of some sort from the CPA in order to accomplish the flight check? A15: The CPA will pro vide an aviator to conduct the acceptance check flight at the manufacturer’s facility. Q16: RE: Background. The candidate aircraft must be new at the time of purchase. In view of the fact that it is proposed to ferry the aircraft from the US to Ira q and that this flight will take approximately 25-35 plus hours of flight in addition to ferry time from the factory to the installation of the sensor suite etc, what constitutes the word NEW for purposes of this solicitation? A16: The aircraft should be new at acceptance and test. A reasonable amount of hours for ferrying will be allowed for tested and accepted aircraft during the delivery phase. Q17: When the aircraft is delivered to Basra or any other location in Iraq, who is going to own and operate these aircraft and how will title be transferred? A17: A CPA representative who is authorized to receive on behalf of the CPA will sign for the aircraft. Subsequently, the CPA will turn the aircraft over to the New Iraqi Air Force. The Iraqi Air Force w ill operate the aircraft. Q18: Since the government is procuring this system, are we correct in assuming that the contractor does not have to file the ITAR/EAR licenses/approvals? A18: This aircraft requires only a Generation I infrared sensor which wil l not require a DOS determination, specific license or approval. Q19: Para 3.0.1 requires system and airframe availability rates. Please describe the calculation that will be used to measure the MC rates of the system and the availability rate of the sys tem. A19: The Mission Capable (MC) rate is based on Reporting Time (RT) hours in a reporting period, compared to the number of hours the aircraft is available for a mission. For an MC rate calculation, divide the MC hours by RT hours and multiply by 100. An aircraft is Fully Mission Capable (FMC) when the aircraft is capable of safe flight and can perform all the prescribed missions for which the aircraft equi pment required by the Operator Minimum Equipment List (MEL) is designed. FMC rate is based on the number of hours of FMC divided by the RT in a monthly reporting period. Q20: Para 3.0.1 requires light gray paint. Can you provide a mil spec or something to identify the shade of gray that is acceptable to the government? A20: The aircraft shall be painted with flat light gray paint. Q21: Para 3.0.2 requires aircraft to operate on 80-87 octane fuel. Will 91 octane fuel be acceptable? A21: Yes. See Ques tion 3. Q22: Para 3.0.4 requires the coms suite to have the capability to accommodate secure voice communication in the future. What secure equipment will the coms package have to interface with? A22: The government will accept a radio with frequencies from 118-136.975 MHz. Q23: Para 3.1.1 (5) requires additional aircraft and engine maintenance manuals. Are the aircraft and engine manuals required to be in Arabic or English? A23: The manuals shall be submitted in 3rd to 4th grade level English and Ira qi Arabic. Q24: Para 3.2 and 3.3 requires training to be conducted at the contractors location. Can this training be done in the US? A24: Yes, if the contractors training facility is in the US. Q25: Para 3.3 requires pilot training for aircraft qualif ication only. Just to confirm, the government will provide Iraqi personnel that have credentials to pilot aircraft and will just need refresher and specific airframe qualification? A25: Iraqi pilots are all former fixed wing MIG pilots with varying degre es of experience from basic qualified to test pilots. Q26: Will the maintenance personnel the government provides have aviation maintenance credential? A26: Previous qualifications are not FAA A&P licensed mechanics. You can assume these are Iraqi milit ary trained mechanics. Q27: Will the government require insurance coverages for the aircraft while being operated by the contractor for the purposes of training? A27: The government does not require specific insurance coverage for your company-owned airc raft that will be used to train pilots and maintenance technicians. Those aircraft are contractor property. Q28: With regards to the subject solicitation, would the Army be interested in the use of UAVs for this mission on the basis that the contractor w ould supply the UAV systems (including ground equipment) and UAV system operators. The contract could be on a basis of flight hours provided. A28: No. The system must be a manned fixed wing aircraft. Q29: Clarify the size standard for NAICS 336411. A2 9: The size standard of 1500 employees is the maximum number of employees for the business to be considered a small business. Q30: RE: Section 3, Mission Profile, Endurance with full payload. Are the communications and surveillance systems to be Governm ent Furnished Equipment (GFE), Government Specified Equipment (GSE), or can we choose whatever we wish from any source as long as it meets the frequency range and/or performance criteria? A30: The communications and surveillance systems will not be GFE or GSE. Offerors may choose which system to propose. Q31: If we are going to field a surveillance aircraft to be used in a hostile environment, with long mission durations, our troops deserve a more capable airframe than the current specifications indicat e. Define the mission. A31: The mission is identified in the original synopsis/solicitation, paragraph 1.0. Q32: Several sections of the solicitation refer to operations in IMC conditions. Is an IFR certified aircraft considered a GO/NO GO item? That is, will the government accept a non IFR certified aircraft if the government deems that system to be a best value to the government? A32: The aircraft must be capable of IMC flight under IFR. Your attention is directed to Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) clause 52.212-2, Evaluation-Commercial Items, as stated in the synopsis/solicitation. The technical acceptability of the aircraft will be rated on a GO /NO GO basis. There will be NO BEST VALUE evaluation conducted on the proposed aircraft. The point of contact for this action is Carole Hubbard, Contracting Officer, fax number (256) 955-8364 or email to carole.hubbard@redstone.army.mil. NOTE: THIS NOTICE WAS NOT POSTED TO WWW.FEDBIZOPPS.GOV ON THE DATE INDICATED IN THE NOTICE ITSELF (28-APR-2004); HOWEVER, IT DID APPEAR IN THE FEDBIZOPPS FTP FEED ON THIS DATE. PLEASE CONTACT fbo.support@gsa.gov REGARDING THIS ISSUE.
 

Web Link

Link to FedBizOpps document.
(http://www.eps.gov/spg/USA/USAMC/DAAH23/W58RGZ04R0547/listing.html)
 

Place of Performance

Address: US Army Aviation and Missile Command (Aviation) ATTN: AMSAM-AC, Building 5303, Martin Road Redstone Arsenal AL

Zip Code: 35898-5280

Country: US
 

Record

SN00576282-F 20040430/040428225517 (fbodaily.com)
 

Source

FedBizOpps.gov Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)

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