By Marina Malenic
The Air Force is poised to issue “technical corrections” to its solicitation for bids to build a fleet of aerial refueling tankers, sources said yesterday.
A source with knowledge of the pending changes to the request for proposals (RFP) describes them as revisions in the rules for foreign-owned prime contractors. The changes are expected to be announced “in the next few days,” according to government sources, and could make it easier for the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. (EADS) to bid without a U.S.-based industry partner.
The company was said to be wooing New York-based L-3 Communications [LLL], but those talks have not materialized in a partnership to date. Los Angeles-based Northrop Grumman [NOC] had paired with EADS in the tanker competition but dropped out of the contest last month, potentially leaving Chicago-based Boeing [BA] as the only bidder.
The Defense Department announced earlier this month that it would extend the deadline for proposals for the KC-X competition so that EADS potentially can compete for the contract, which officials have estimated to be worth upward of $50 billion. The offer to extend the bid-submission deadline by 60 days to July 9 angered supporters of Boeing’s bid for the contract (Defense Daily, April 1). EADS is still studying the 60-day extension offer.
When the offer was announced, the Pentagon said it did not plan to further alter its bid evaluation criteria or military requirements for the aircraft.