SOURCES SOUGHT
V -- Recovery Helicopters for Target Ops
- Notice Date
- 8/22/2012
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 481211
— Nonscheduled Chartered Passenger Air Transportation
- Contracting Office
- Other Defense Agencies, United States Transportation Command, USTRANSCOM Command Acquisition, 508 Scott Drive, Bldg 1900, Scott AFB, Illinois, 62225, United States
- ZIP Code
- 62225
- Solicitation Number
- HTC711-12-ZR10
- Point of Contact
- Mary P Chapie, Phone: 618-220-7036, Jason R. Logsdon, Phone: 618-220-7090
- E-Mail Address
-
mary.chapie@ustranscom.mil, jason.logsdon@ustranscom.mil
(mary.chapie@ustranscom.mil, jason.logsdon@ustranscom.mil)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- INTRODUCTION: U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) is conducting market research for a drone recovery service. This Request For Information (RFI) includes information on the requirement as well as questions that will aide our efforts to develop this requirement. STATEMENT OF NEED: The Atlantic Targets and Marine Operations (ATMO) office has a recurring need for drone recovery services at multiple locations off the Atlantic coast. Their drone recovery procedures includes the use of government and military assets to track, find and decontaminate assets after each test and training exercise. The ATMO office requires commercial helicopter assets to assist with the search and recovery of the drone assets. Helicopters may be required to land on US naval assets and thus pilots and/or assets may require appropriate certifications. SCOPE: The contractor shall provide flight services supporting ship weapon system testing, research and development of government equipment, and sensor stimulation. The service shall only require day and Visual Flying Rules (VFR) operations. Vertical On-board Delivery (VOD) services between ship and shore of personnel and cargo shall be provided. Ship vertical replenishment training. Internal and external installation of government provided equipment for various research and development missions, ship weapon system simulation and environmental sensing. The contractor shall provide recovery of target drones and lightweight exercise torpedoes. Contractor shall obtain facility license and/or landing permits for all U.S. military bases. The contractor shall perform the following four types of missions: 1) Passenger Transportation. Transport civilian and Government personnel and cargo to and from US and foreign navy vessels. Contractor shall have required Air Mobility Command (AMC) certifications for transporting Government passengers and shall be compliant with 14 CFR 135, extended overwater regulations. Some cargo may require HAZMAT certification. 2) Vertical Replenishment (VERTREP). Provide vertical replenishment to US and foreign navy vessels. Contractor shall have 14 CFR class B and long line certification. 3) Torpedo/Drone Recovery Support. Missions consist of over water recovery of light weight torpedoes and target drones used in Government exercises. Government personnel will operate necessary equipment for recovery. Contractor shall maintain 14 CFR class D certification. 4) Support Missions. Contractor shall allow installation of various Government equipment for research and development projects. Government personnel will operate equipment. Contractor shall maintain 14 CFR class A certification. HISTORICAL: The ATMO office has typically procured services for Bell 412 and Bell 407 aircraft appropriately affixed with the necessary equipment to perform these services. TYPES OF ASSETS: Below are the specific drone assets that are used in these tests and exercises. DRONE WEIGHT (lbs) BQM-74 250 - 550 BQM-177A 500 - 1,500 BQM-34 1,500 - 2,500 LOCATIONS: The primary locations where these services may be required are the Virginia Capes area, the Jacksonville, Florida area and potentially other specified areas in the Gulf of Mexico. FREQUENCY: The ATMO office estimates that it would require this service for approximately 20 to 60 training/testing events annually depending on training needs and budget constraints. A training or exercise event could encompass a single day and a single recovery mission or it may include multiple recovery missions spanning one day or multiple consecutive days. NOTIFICATION/SCHEDULING: The ATMO office projects that it could provide in most instances up to 30 days advance notice of an upcoming event, but at the very least will provide 15 days advance notice. Historical experience suggests that sometimes schedule slippage does occur and in these circumstances the ATMO office would provide at least 7 days advance notice of schedule slippages. SPECIFICATIONS: These are the expected specifications of the helicopter assets to be used in performance of this service. 1.) Medium Lift Helicopter a. Min 135 knots VNE at 1,000 ft altitude and 40° C. b. Min nine passenger seats not including pilot and copilot seats. c. Twin turbine engine. d. Skid configured preferable, but not mandatory. e. Range: 330 nautical miles at sea level without use of auxiliary fuel kit. f. Meet Department of Navy OPNAVINST 3100.8 allowing civilian helicopters to land aboard US Navy vessels. g. Payload: i. Hover-in-ground-effect (HIGE): 2,500 lbs at 40° C at 500 ft pressure altitude ii. Hover-out-of-ground-effect (HOGE): 1,800 lbs iii. Determined using pilot weight of 200 lbs, fuel for 1.5 hours and appropriate Hover Ceiling Charts (hovering with wind from any direction up to the maximum shall be used for computing payloads) 2.) Light-Medium Lift Helicopter a. Min 135 knots VNE at 1,000 ft altitude and 40° C. b. Min six passenger seats not including pilot and copilot seats. c. Turbine engine. d. Skid configured preferable, but not mandatory. e. Range: 330 nautical miles at sea level. f. Meet Department of Navy OPNAVINST 3100.8 allowing civilian helicopters to land aboard US Navy vessels. g. Payload: i. HIGE: 1,290 lbs at 40° C at 500 ft pressure altitude ii. HOGE: 1,290 lbs iii. Determined using pilot weight of 200 lbs, fuel for 1.5 hours and appropriate Hover Ceiling Charts (hovering with wind from any direction up to the maximum shall be used for computing payloads) 3.) Pilot Qualifications a. FAA commercial certificate b. Helicopter instrument rating of Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) c. Second class medical certificate d. 14 CFR Part 135 currency flight check e. Secret clearance f. Accumulated time as follows: i. Total Flight Hrs: 1,500 hrs in helicopter ii. Annual Reqm't: 100 hrs iii. Type of Helicopter: 100 hrs iv. Make & Model: 50 hrs v. Make & Model, last 12 months: 10 hrs vi. Any helicopter, last 60 days: 10 hrs vii. Night Reqm't: 25 hrs viii. Off-shore Reqm't: 1. 200 hrs off-shore operations including takeoffs and landings from platforms and helipads similar to oil rigs; or 2. 100 hrs off-shore operations with 50 hrs within last 12 months, and a minimum of 50 takeoff and landings to vessels or other landing areas subject to pitch and roll of the sea. 4.) Equipment a. All aircraft shall comply with OPNAVINST 3100.8A and 14 CFR Part 135 for extended overwater flight. The following are equipment requirements for the aircraft performing this service. Those marked with (GP) indicate that the equipment is Government Provided and shall be stored and maintained by the contractor. b. UHF Radios (GP) c. Navigation: All aircraft shall be equipped with TACAN (GP), GPS, and radar altimeter. d. Automated Flight Following (AFF) system with text capability. e. Cargo hook: All aircraft shall have external cargo hook that can be loaded and locked in a single motion with one hand and is rated at the maximum lifting capacity of the helicopter. The medium lift helicopter shall be capable of handling a standard Navy cargo pendant. f. Rescue Hoist (GP). g. Weather Radar: Only required for medium lift helicopters. h. Internal Communication System (ICS): ICS shall be provided for the pilot, observer, and the two cabin exit positions. i. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). PPE for pilots, crewmembers, and passengers shall meet requirements per OPNAVINST 3100.8 and 3710.7 series. PPE for pilots and crewmembers shall be provided by the contractor. The passenger PPE shall be provided by the Government. j. For medium lift helicopters missions, the contractor shall provide an additional power source for research and development projects. It shall consist of an auxiliary electrical system providing power equal to or greater than 15kVA with a surge capability of 20kVA. A MIL-STD connector rated at 50-60 amps contiguously shall be easily accessible from the cabin. This electrical power source shall operate independently of aircraft power. REQUEST FOR INFORMATION 1. Company Name and address of home office. __________________________________________________________________________________ 2. Point of contact, phone number, and e-mail address. __________________________________________________________________________________ 3. Are you interested in providing the services for this requirement? __________________________________________________________________________________ 4. What is the size status of your business? (Small Business, HUBZone, Veteran-Owned Small, Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small, Small Disadvantaged, Women-Owned Small, Large Business?). ___________________________________________________________________________ 5. Is your company a certificated FAR Part 135 or 91 air carrier? _____________________________________________________________________________ 6. Is your company a DOD approved air carrier? _________________________________________________________________________________ 7. Does your company currently have the aircraft available to provide the services required? ___________________________________________________________________________ 8. Please list the type of rotary-wing aircraft your company would use to provide the services described above. ___________________________________________________________________________ 9. Where are your aircraft based if different from your home office? ___________________________________________________________________________ 10. Does your company currently meet and maintain the required certifications listed? ___________________________________________________________________________ 11. Can you describe or provide examples of commercial pricing structures in the market for services requiring the use of rotary-wing aircraft? Is it a flat rate based on daily usage or is it variable pricing predominately based on flight hours, number of passengers, etc. or some combination of the two? ____________________________________________________________________________ 12. Can you provide a "Rough Order Magnitude" price estimate on these services based on your preferred pricing structure described in your response to question #11? ____________________________________________________________________________ 13. Considering the requirements described above, our requirement would allow 30 days advance notice for an upcoming mission. Is this timeframe typical of commercial standards? How much advance notice would you require prior to scheduling the service described above? ____________________________________________________________________________ 14. In the requirements above, it states that if a previously scheduled mission will not occur on the previously arranged/scheduled date, the Government would allow seven days notice prior to the scheduled event date? Is this timeframe typical of commercial standards? How much advance notice of a schedule slippage would you require? A schedule slippage occurs when the Government cannot support the previously scheduled mission date and that the mission will be rescheduled for a later date in the near future. ____________________________________________________________________________ 15. Is there a commercial comparable requirement/service in the commercial market place? ____________________________________________________________________________ 16. What is the normal length of contract in this industry? ______________________________________________________________________________ 17. Please provide any comments or Suggestions. ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ This agency has not made a final commitment or authorization to incur costs in anticipation of such procurement. This agency is interested in obtaining responses to this RFI from prospective contractors, but no contractor shall be reimbursed for providing this information; therefore, USTRANSCOM will accept the requested information in whatever format it is provided. The applicable North Amercian Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 481211. The SBA size standard for this NAICS is 1500 employees. All information provided by the contractor will become property of USTRANSCOM and will not be returned. Responses are requested by 31 August 2012. Responses to this RFI are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Reference FAR 15.201 (e). Interested parties capable of performing this requirement should send email to: Mary Chapie, mary.chapie@ustranscom.mil.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/ODA/USTC/USTRANSCOM/HTC711-12-ZR10/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: Multiple locations off the Atlantic Coast, United States
- Record
- SN02850076-W 20120824/120823000408-fd1bb5d2e2bb9fba29dc9028dcda5c51 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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