REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)/SOURCES SOUGHT(SS) – NULKA MK234 TCU, SCU, SCU ATE, AND CANISTER PRODUCTION AND SUSTAINMENT

Amendment 0001

The purpose of this amendment is to answer questions received from Industry partners.

Question 1:    For the Canister 'Build-to-Print' requirement and the TCU/SCU redesign efforts, will the Government-furnished TDP include complete drawings, specifications, and software with sufficient data rights (e.g., unlimited or Government Purpose Rights) to allow a respondent to manufacture, redesign, and sustain these subassemblies?   Are there any proprietary or third-party IP restrictions on the TCU Motor, SCU DC Motor, or PCB electronics that a respondent should be aware of?

Answer 1:   Companies will be permitted access to top-level control drawings per the guidance on the SAM.gov posting.   If a company believes additional information or documents are required to develop a proposal, the company should provide the Contract Specialist a white paper detailing description, specifications, etc. that are needed. 

Question 2: Does the Government anticipate awarding the four capability areas (TCU, SCU, SCU ATE, Canister) under a single contract/vehicle or via separate awards, and is there a preference for an integrated prime versus multiple specialized providers?   Additionally, can the Government share its anticipated timeline for a follow-on solicitation (RFP) and the expected production/sustainment period of performance?   

Answer 2: The Government will evaluate the Market Research results, vendors interest, vendors business size, and capabilities to determine the best strategy.   During this Market Research phase all alternatives are open for consideration.  No solicitation anticipated date can be provided at this time given the early Market Research stage.  Vendors are encouraged to continue to monitor SAM.gov.

NOTE: THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION FOR PROPOSALS SUBMISSION. This Request for Information/Sources Sought (RFI/SS) shall NOT be considered as an RFP or as an obligation on the part of the Government to acquire any products. The Government is NOT seeking or accepting unsolicited proposals. The Government will NOT be responsible for any costs incurred in responding to this RFI/SS or furnishing the requested information. The Government will not reimburse respondents for any questions submitted or information provided as a result of this notice. No entitlement to payment of direct or indirect costs or charges by the Government will arise as a result of a Contractor's submission of responses to this RFI/SS, nor the Government's use of such information. No contract will be awarded from this announcement. Responses to this RFI/SS are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. NSWC Crane is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of submissions or of the information received, or to provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted under this request for submission. This notice shall not be construed as a contract, a promise to contract, or a commitment of any kind by the Government. Specific responses will not disqualify or have an impact on participation and evaluation on future solicitations.  Not responding to this RFI/SS does not preclude participation in any future solicitation.

Description:

This RFI/SS is being issued by the United States Navy (USN), Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, on behalf of the Nulka Joint Program Office (JPO). The Australian Program Office and the United States Program Office comprise the JPO.

The Government is conducting market research to determine industry interest and capability related to the Production and Sustainment of the following Nulka MK 234 Electronic Decoy Cartridge (EDC) subassemblies and support equipment:

1. Thrust Control Unit (TCU),
2. Spin Control Unit (SCU),
3. SCU Acceptance Test Equipment (ATE)
4. Canister

Note: Interested companies are not required to respond to all four capability areas/needs.  Interested companies should respond to one, multiple, or all needs, at their discretion. 

Background:

The Nulka MK 234 EDC was jointly developed by the US and Australian governments. Since commencement of that development, both the governments have maintained a JPO to manage the Nulka capability.

The Nulka MK 234 EDC supports both the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and USN ships with a self-defense capability against incoming radar-homing Anti-Ship Missiles (ASM).

This RFI/SS relates to the following subassemblies:

1. The SCU is mounted at the top of the Decoy and provides rotational control.
2. The TCU provides vectored thrust for height and speed vector control.
3. The Canister protects the decoy from the environment and acts as its launch tube.

References:

CUI - Nulka Top level TDP.pdf

• Respondents shall have active SAM and JCP accounts to receive the TDP.   CUI and transmissions restrictions and regulations are the responsibility of the recipient. 

Statement of Needs:

The Nulka JPO is in need of the following

1. TCU
   • Redesign to overcome obsolescence
     • TCU Motor 
   • Manufacture of redesigned TCU
     • Refer to the CUI – Nulka Top Level TDP.pdf attachment for quantities
   • Sustainment of current and redesigned TCU
   • Manufacture of ATE as captured in TDP
2. SCU
   • Redesign to overcome obsolescence
     • DC Motor
     • Various electronics on Printed Circuit Board
   • Manufacture of redesigned SCU
     • Refer to the CUI – Nulka Top Level TDP.pdf attachment for quantities
   • Sustainment of current and redesigned SCU
3. SCU ATE
   • Improve design to incorporate automation and data capture
   • Manufacture for production of SCUs and for Government sustainment use (3 units)
   • Ongoing engineering and technical support for issues, upgrades, etc.
4. Canister
   • Build-to-Print
   • Refer to the CUI – Nulka Top Level TDP.pdf attachment for quantities Sustainment and repair
     • Replace outer skin due to corrosion
     • Repair or replace wire assemblies
     • Maintain canister seal integrity

Response Requirements:

1. Interested companies shall submit a Capability Statement no more than 3 pages long per Need (TCU, SCU, SCU ATE and/or Canister), for a total of no more than 12 pages, if responding to all needs.

The Capability Statement shall address the Statement of Needs (as pertains to the interested subassembly or subassemblies) in all of the following areas:

Area 1: Project Management:

1. Technical program management ability
2. Cost and schedule management
3. Performance examples with same or similar items in the past 10 years
4. Capacity and resources to fulfill the Statement of Needs

Area 2: Engineering Management:

1. System Safety Program and safety posture
2. Systems Engineering Program
3. Obsolescence management and delivery

Area 3: Design Engineering:

1. Modeling Based Simulation and Simulation Support
2. Prototyping and small batch manufacture
3. Specialist test equipment design and development

Area 4: Quality management

1. Configuration Management
2. Quality control

Area 5:  Integrated Logistics and Support

1. Technical writing ability
2. Inventory management
3. Manufacturing/acquisition of spares, parts, and supporting test equipment
4. Maintenance support design and management
5. Supply chain design and management
6. Refurbishment and repair

Supplemental:  Facilities

• Electronics laboratory
• Metal working
• Paint shop (Canister only)
• Other (as relates to interested subassembly or subassemblies)

2. Responses shall indicate any commercial solutions for any or all of the scope defined herein. 

3. Interested companies shall document in their response facility limitations for Australian foreign nationals.

4. Where interested companies have specific products/service offerings which they believe may satisfy the Statement of Needs, they should provide a functional description of these products/service offerings together with an explanation as to how these products/service offerings will meet the Statement of Needs.

5. If there is any aspect of the Statement of Needs or Scope of Effort which an interested company does not believe it can meet, the interested company should provide details of the relevant need(s) together with an explanation as to why they are not able to meet these needs.

6. Interested companies should state any limitations in handling classified information and material.

Contractors must be properly registered in the SAM and the Joint Certification Program (JCP) in order to receive the controlled attachments. Offerors may obtain information on SAM registration and annual confirmation requirements by calling 1-866-606-8220 or via the internet at https://www.sam.gov. Information about the JCP is located at https://public.logisticsinformationservice.dla.mil/PublicHome/jcp/default.aspx. When requesting access to the controlled attachments to this RFI/SS, include your company’s Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and CAGE code in the request.

Submissions:

Responses to the RFI/SS shall include the following:

Submitter’s Name

Company Name, Address, City, State, Zip Code

Business Size

Company Facility Security Clearance current level

Company’s Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)

Company’s CAGE code

Company Traditional or Non-Traditional Contractor Status:

Point of Contact (POC) & Telephone

Announcement Number:  N0016426SNB65  

This RFI/SS does not constitute an Invitation for Bids (IFB), a Request for Quote (RFQ), or a Request for Proposal (RFP) and it should not be construed as a commitment of any kind by the government to issue a formal solicitation or ultimately award a contract.  The US Government is in no way liable to pay for or reimburse any companies or entities that respond to this announcement.  Any costs incurred by interested companies in response to this announcement will NOT be reimbursed.

RFI/SS submissions may be submitted to the Point of Contact no later than 10 July 2026 at 10:00AM ET.  The Point of Contact for this effort is Maggie Riser, email: margaret.j.riser.civ@us.navy.mil.   All materials (to include questions) submitted in response to this RFI/SS shall be UNCLASSIFIED.

SUBMISSION OF CLASSIFIED INFORMATION IS PROHIBITED.  Companies shall NOT submit any CLASSIFIED information. If a potential respondent believes submission of classified material is necessary or will provide a higher quality response, please contact the Contract Specialist, who will provide submission instructions if applicable. DO NOT SEND CLASSIFIED INFORMATION TO THE ABOVE LISTED EMAIL ADDRESS.

Respondents are solely responsible for marking submitted documents with necessary proprietary markings and CUI required markings. All information marked as proprietary information will be safeguarded to prevent disclosures to non-government personnel and entities.  Your interest in the response is appreciated.

 QUESTIONS

Questions regarding this announcement shall be submitted in writing, no later than 26 June 2026 at 10:00AM ET, via e-mail to the Contract Specialist, Maggie Riser, email: margaret.j.riser.civ@us.navy.mil.  Verbal questions will not be accepted.  Questions SHALL NOT contain classified information.