SolicitationPosted Aug 20, 2026·Responses due Sep 3, 2026

USAFA Mach 6 Ludwieg Tube (M6LT) Force Balance

Air Force and Space Force · FA7000 10 CONS LGC

Stage
Open solicitation
NAICS
334519
Value
Not stated
Solicitation
FA700026Q0081
Set-aside
Small Business Set Aside - Total
PSC
6670
Place
USAF Academy, CO, USA
Contact
Fenton L. Fitzgerald Jr. (fenton.fitzgerald.2@us.af.mil)
CSV Email

Capture briefs (a one-page, shareable copy of this page) are part of Pro. The CSV here holds the notice, its timeline and past awards.

Where this opportunity stands

Every notice posted under solicitation FA700026Q0081 in this department, oldest first.

Early notice
None posted
Solicitation
  • Jul 23, 2026
    Solicitation
    Open
  • Jul 23, 2026
    Solicitation
    Open
  • Jul 28, 2026
    Solicitation
    Open
  • Jul 31, 2026
    Solicitation
    Open
  • Aug 20, 2026 · this notice
    Solicitation
  • Aug 20, 2026
    Solicitation
    Open
  • Sep 16, 2026
    Solicitation
    Open
Award
Not yet. Typical award: Aug 21, 2026 to Oct 15, 2026, middle of the range Sep 13, 2026.
Measured from 688 past solicitations at Dept of the Air Force that later posted an award (middle half of cases, counted from Jul 23, 2026).
Responses are due Sep 3, 2026, so an award before then is unlikely; past cases include short solicitations.

Next steps for this stage

Standard steps for the notice type; not advice about this buyer.

  • Decide bid or no bid before the response deadline.
  • Look at the past winners for likely competitors and teaming partners.
  • Follow the opportunity to hear about amendments and the award.

What the notice says

This is a solicitation for a commercial product prepared in accordance with (IAW) Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO) part 12.201-1(c)(1). This announcement constitutes the only solicitation. Offers are being requested and a separate written solicitation will not be issued. The purpose of this solicitation is for a firm-fixed-price purchase order to provide a force balance for the Mach 6 Ludwig Tube facility at the US Air Force Academy, Dean of Faculty Department of Aeronautics (DFAN). The necessary salient characteristics of this force balance are found in Attachment 1 � FA700026Q0081 Amended Sa… (show all)

lient Characteristics. This acquisition is a 100% small business competitive set-aside. All responsible and eligible Small Business concerns may submit a quote, which if received timely, may be considered by the 10th Contracting Squadron at the USAFA. This solicitation incorporates provisions and clauses by reference. The full text of provisions and clauses may be accessed electronically at www.acquisition.gov. Progress Payment will not be allowed for this acquisition, payment will be based on completion of CLIN. Notice to Offeror(s)/Supplier(s): Funds are not presently available for this effort. No award will be made under this solicitation until funds are available. The Government reserves the right to cancel this solicitation, either before or after the closing date. In the event the Government cancels this solicitation, the Government has no obligation to reimburse an offeror for any costs. It is USAFA�s preference/intent to acquire only domestic end products per the Buy American Statute (41 USC Chapter 83), except as provided in RFO 25.103. Foreign offers will be evaluated per R-DFARS 225.502 when comparing domestic and foreign offers. This requirement is for commercial items; therefore, the manufacturing country of origin will determine if the quoted product is foreign or domestic. The Buy American � Balance of Payments Program Certificate (R-DFARS 252.225-7000), Attachment 2 �252.225-7000 Buy American � Balance of Payments Program Certificate, must be completed and submitted with the quote. DESCRIPTIVE LITERATURE. For the quote to be considered by the Government, it must meet the description specified. Include any applicable descriptive literature, such as illustrations, specification sheets, or product brochures that clearly identify that the quote meets the Government�s requirements. Submission Package Requirements: To be considered responsive, contractors must email the following to fenton.fitzgerald.2@us.af.mil by 3 September 2026 at 2:00pm MDT, Direct any question to Fenton Fitzgerald by 1 September 2026: Completed and signed SF1449 (Blocks 17a include SAM UEI, 30a-c). Price for CLIN 0001 on page 3 of the SF1449, valid for a minimum of 60 days. Technical capability documentation. Authorized reseller's certificate (if applicable). Verification of active SAM.gov registration with completed FAR and DFARS representations and certifications to include FAR 52.240-90 (Security Prohibitions and Exclusions Representations and Certifications). Completed and signed Buy American Certificate (Attachment 2). FAR 52.212-2 Evaluation--Commercial Products and Commercial Services. Paragraph (a) is amended as follows: (a) The Government may submit an offer in the form of a purchase order to the quoter that represents the best value to the Government. All quotes submitted will be reviewed for completeness. Quotes that are incomplete or missing information may be considered non-responsive and excluded from the evaluation. Supplier Risk Management Scores will be evaluated IAW DFARS 252.204-7024 Notice on the Use of the Supplier Performance Risk System (SPRS) (Mar 2023). The Government will select the awardee that represents the best value based on price, past performance, and technical capability. The Government will evaluate technical capability on an acceptable/unacceptable basis (meeting all requirements in Attachment 1). As a critical element of technical capability, the Government will perform a security and supply chain compliance review in accordance with FAR 52.240-91 (Security Prohibitions and Exclusions). To maximize efficiency, the Government will utilize the following phased evaluation methodology: Phase 1 (Price Ranking): All received quotes will be ranked by total evaluated price, from lowest to highest. Phase 2 (Technical & Past Performance): The Government will initially evaluate only the quotes for technical capability (meeting all requirements in Attachment 1) and past performance. Phase 3 (Award Selection): If one of the three-lowest quotes is determined to represent the best value and is technically acceptable, award will be made to that offeror. If none of the first three quotes are determined to represent the best value to the Government, the evaluation team will evaluate the fourth lowest-priced quote, and so on, in ascending order of price, until a best value awardee is selected. (End of provision)

Who won similar work

44 award notices on SAM.gov in the last 24 months. Match: Same agency (Air Force and Space Force), same NAICS 334519.

WinnerAwardsValueLast
UNITED WESTERN TECHNOLOGIES CORP.3$6.1MSep 14, 2026
Illinois Tool Works, INC · $ITW3$784KMar 26, 2026
NEWCO INC3$389KSep 23, 2026
SAFEWARE INC3$319KSep 29, 2026
Heidelberg Resources, LLC1$5.4MSep 22, 2025
TITOMIC USA INC1$5.0MSep 23, 2026
CUBRC, INC.1$3.0MJan 13, 2026
HYDRAULICS INTERNATIONAL, INC.1$1.9MJul 15, 2026
DIT-MCO International LLC1$492KFeb 4, 2025
MTS SYSTEMS CORPORATION1$437KMar 31, 2026

Value counts single-winner awards. "Shared" awards are multiple-award contracts that list every winner with the same total ceiling; that ceiling is not one company's win, so it is not added in.

Latest awards

Competitive landscape

For the 8 most frequent past winners above. Lobbying is matched by the company's exact name or exact ticker; agencies are as named on the filings.

  • 0 of these past winners lobbied Air Force, Dept of since 2024 (0 filings)
  • 0 of their lobbyists list a past Air Force, Dept of job
  • No corporate PAC money from them to the overseeing committees since 2024
  • 0 foreign-agent (FARA) registrations
See who and the source records with Pro

Policy around it

Bills the past winners named while lobbying this agency's issues, rules from the department, and executive orders that name the agency, last 12 months.

  • 0 bills named on the past winners' lobbying filings
  • 32 rules from the department in the last 12 months
  • 0 executive orders naming the agency in the last 12 months
See who and the source records with Pro

Market

For past winners matched exactly to a listed company. Insider trades are open-market buys and sells (Form 4) in the last 90 days, shown as facts; our own study found insiders do not reliably buy ahead of awards.

  • 1 of the past winners are listed companies
  • 0 insider buys and 0 insider sells at them in the last 90 days
See who and the source records with Pro

Sources: SAM.gov notices and award notices; Senate LDA lobbying filings; FEC filings; FARA; Federal Register; congress.gov; SEC Form 4. Every row above links to its record.

Companies are matched to tickers by exact name only. A company we could not match shows no market rows; that is a miss, not a finding.