SAM #FA823226RB015

Sole-Source Procurement of JEDAI LRU for F-16 Fleet Modernization

This opportunity involves a sole-source procurement by the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) for a critical avionics upgrade: - Government Buyer: - Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC), Air Force Materiel Command - OEM Highlight: - General Electric (GE) Aerospace is the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) for the required solution - Products/Services Requested: - Development, qualification, testing, and sustainment of the Joint Electronic Data Acquisition Interface (JEDAI) Line Replaceable Unit (LRU) - The JEDAI LRU will replace the existing Crash Survivable Flight Data Recorder (CSFDR) system in F-16C/D Block 30/32/40/42/50/52 aircraft - No specific part numbers or quantities are provided - Unique/Notable Requirements: - Sole-source justification due to GE Aerospace's proprietary technical data and software rights - The government lacks the necessary data rights to enable competition - The procurement aims to address high failure rates and lack of repair options for the current CSFDR system - Standardization of the LRU across the F-16 fleet is a key goal to improve reliability and reduce maintenance costs - Market research confirmed no other vendors can meet requirements without significant cost and schedule impacts - Estimated contract value is $40.4 million

Description

The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) intends to award a sole-source IDIQ contract to General Electric Aerospace for the development, qualification, test, and sustainment of the Joint Electronic Data Acquisition Interface (JEDAI) Line Replaceable Unit (LRU).

The JEDAI LRU is the required fleet-wide replacement for the Crash Survivable Flight Data Recorder (CSFDR) system for the F-16C/D Block 30/32/40/42/50/52 fleet. The current CSFDR systems are experiencing critical challenges due to aging, high failure rates, and lack of repair options, which directly impacts aircraft availability and mission readiness. This effort will establish a single, standardized LRU to create a common F-16 configuration, address exhausted spares, increase system reliability, and reduce maintenance costs. The total estimated value is $40.4M.

This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government.

Justification for Sole Source (RFO 6.104-1(a)(4))

This acquisition is being conducted on a sole-source basis under the authority of 10 U.S.C. 3204(a)(1), as implemented by the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO), which states that only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements.

Rationale (RFO 6.104-1(a)(5)): General Electric (GE) Aerospace is the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) of the F-16 CSFDR. The Government does not possess the requisite technical data, drawings, or software data rights necessary to support a competitive procurement for this redesign and sustainment effort. This data is proprietary to GE, and the company has formally stated it will not sell the data rights to the Government. Market research, including multiple Sources Sought Synopses, confirmed that no other source could meet the program's requirements without substantial duplication of cost, estimated at over $40M, and unacceptable schedule delays of at least eight years. Two interested vendors responded to a 2025 Sources Sought notice; however, a comprehensive government engineering review determined their proposed solutions were technically unacceptable, failing to meet critical requirements for Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP), security, and system integration.

Instructions to Responding Parties

All responsible sources may submit a capability statement, proposal, or quotation, which shall be considered by the agency. Interested parties who believe they can meet the requirements are to submit a response that clearly details their capability to do so without incurring the cost and schedule impacts detailed above. Responses must be submitted by the closing date of this notice to the contracting officer.

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