RWP - High Pressure Air System Expansion

Solicitation Number: RWP-HPASE-26-001
Project Title: High Pressure Air Storage Expansion (HPASE)
Issuing Office: Air Force Test Center (AFTC)/PZIA, Arnold AFB, TN
Authority: 10 U.S.C. § 4022, Other Transactions for Prototype (OTP) Projects

1. Overview

The United States Air Force, on behalf of the Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC) at Arnold AFB, TN, is soliciting white papers for a prototype project under the authority of 10 U.S.C. § 4022. The objective is to procure innovative solutions for the design, fabrication, installation, and commissioning of a High Pressure Air Storage Expansion (HPASE).

This RWP is the first step in a multi-step solicitation process. The Government intends to award one or more Other Transaction (OT) for Prototype agreements resulting from this solicitation. Offerors are invited to submit a white paper of no more than 15 pages addressing their proposed technical and management approach. The Government will evaluate submitted white papers based on the criteria outlined in Section 7.0. Offerors who submit the most compelling solutions may be invited to submit a full proposal and engage in further discussions. The Government reserves the right to award a prototype agreement based on the initial white paper submission alone.

Note: Interested parties must meet current NIST SP 800-171 and CMMC Level 2 (Self) certification requirements. For access to the protected requirements documents, contact the Agreements Officer(s) with your company’s CAGE code. NIST and CMMC certification will be confirmed before protected documents are sent via DoD SAFE.

2. Background
High Pressure Air (HPA) is a critical utility for testing activities at AEDC. The existing HPA system has insufficient capacity to meet current and future testing demands, and its storage vessels are nearing the end of their service life. This project seeks to address these shortfalls by replacing existing storage vessels to extend the system's life and installing new storage vessels to increase overall HPA capacity.

3. Project Objectives & Definition of Success

Definition of Prototype Success: Operational Utility

Operational utility, within the Department of War, refers to the degree to which a system, weapon, technology, capability, or process contributes to the successful completion of military missions and objectives within the operational environment. It encompasses mission effectiveness, integration, logistics, cost effectiveness, and adaptability. A successful prototype project will be one that delivers a fully operational, integrated, and sustainable system(s).

The primary objective is to deliver two new, independent, and fully functional HPA storage systems at AEDC. The scope includes all engineering, design, analysis, procurement, demolition of specified legacy components, fabrication, installation, inspection, and testing required for the systems.

The new installations are expected to be generally consistent in form and function with the existing test facility installation (see Appendix F for reference), with the scaling as noted in the requirements documents.

The solution must be installed at the specific locations identified in Appendix E and integrated with existing infrastructure at the designated tie-in points.

4. Key Performance Parameters
The proposed prototype must satisfy, at a minimum, the following critical performance parameters (details may be found in the Performance Parameters and Appendices):

• Storage Capacity: Each location shall provide the following storage volumes:
  • Location 1: 27,000 ft³ (±5%)
  • Location 2: 6,800 ft³ (±5%)
• Operating Pressure: The HPA distribution system must be designed for a pressure of no less than 4,400 PSIG.
• Pressure Loss: The system shall induce no more than 50 PSID of pressure loss from any bottle's discharge to the connection point with the existing HPA distribution system.
• System Integration: The solution must seamlessly connect to the existing HPA distribution system at the headers specified in Appendix E (NPS 4 for Location 1 and NPS 18 for Location 2). Connections must feature double-block-and-bleed valve protection.
• Control System Compatibility: All control hardware and software must be compatible with the existing AEDC infrastructure, exclusively utilizing:
  • Emerson RX3i Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs)
  • Proficy Machine Edition 9.5 for PLC software
  • Cimplicity 9.5 for the HMI interface

5. Key Technical and Site Constraints
Offerors must address the following specific technical and site constraints in their white papers:

• Vessel Requirements (Ref: Appendix G):
  • Fabrication: Vessels shall be integrally forged, single-wall construction, designed per ASME BPVC Section VIII, Div. 1, and registered with the National Board. Layered vessels are not acceptable, and welding on the vessels (including for lugs) is prohibited.
  • Material: Low Alloy Steel, ASME SA-372, Grade L.
  • Design Life & Fatigue: Vessels must have a 40-year design life and be capable of withstanding specified fatigue cycles, including 204 full pressurization/depressurization cycles per year and 100 "blow down" cycles per year.
  • Configuration: Each vessel shall have a minimum volume of 94.8 ft³, a 24-inch outside diameter, and top/bottom nozzles configured as specified.
• Site & Installation (Ref: Appendix E):
  • The new systems shall be installed only within the designated "Bottle Farm Location" boundaries identified.
  • Location 2 installation may require a pipe bridge over Schriever Ave.
• Data Rights: The Government shall receive Unlimited Data Rights to all technical data, analysis, drawings, software, and code produced in the performance of this effort.

6. White Paper Format and Content
Interested offerors shall submit a white paper (not to exceed 15 pages) organized as follows:

• Section 1: Technical Approach: Describe the proposed concept and methodology. Detail how the approach will meet the performance parameters and adhere to the technical constraints, including recommendations to facilitate maintenance and repairs. Specifically address the vessel design, integration with existing systems, and control strategy.
• Section 2: Company Experience and Key Personnel: Provide three to five examples of corporate experience with successfully executed projects of similar size, scope, and complexity. Examples must demonstrate specific experience with ASME piping and pressure vessel standards with at least one example demonstrating experience with high pressure (≥ 2,500 PSIG) pressure vessels.  Experience must identify key personnel required and their relevant qualifications necessary for a successful execution, including a plan to address the qualifications of a designer required by the ASME standards.
• Section 3: Schedule and Milestones: Present a notional schedule, including key milestones, from project kickoff through system acceptance.  Provide an assessment of the Government-provided milestones, including any recommended additions, omissions, or modifications.
• Section 4: Cost – Provide a Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) cost estimate for the total effort, broken down by major cost elements (e.g., design, vessel fabrication, site prep/installation, engineering support and project management).
• Section 5: Compliance with 10 U.S.C. § 4022: Provide rationale and supporting documentation justifying how the company will satisfy at least one of the conditions for award under this authority. To satisfy 10 U.S.C. 4022(d)(1)(A)-(C) – Appropriate Use of Authority, elaborate on one of the following:

                 (A) There is at least one nontraditional defense contractor or nonprofit research institution participating to a significant extent in the prototype project.

                 (B) All significant participants in the transaction other than the Federal Government are small businesses (including small businesses participating in a program described under section 9 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 638)) or nontraditional defense contractors.

                 (C) At least one third of the total cost of the prototype project is to be paid out of funds provided by sources other than the Federal Government.

7. Evaluation Method

White papers will be evaluated based on the clarity and feasibility of the proposed technical approach, the respondent's understanding of the project objectives, demonstrated corporate experience, and the credibility of the path forward to delivering a fully integrated and sustainable system. The Government may invite select respondents to present their concepts in more detail.

8. Submission Instructions

• White papers are due by 29 June 2026 at 1:00 PM Central Time. Submissions shall be sent via email in .pdf format to the Agreements Officer, Haley Smith at haley.smith.10@us.af.mil and Agreements Specialist, Paytonne Szatkowski at paytonne.szatkowski@us.af.mil.
• Proprietary Information: Proprietary information is not encouraged but, if included, MUST BE CLEARLY MARKED on each page.
• The subject line of the email shall be: "RWP Submission for HPASE Project - [Offeror Name]". All documents should be in PDF format.
• This RWP and its source documents contain Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and all responses and inquiries must be handled accordingly.

9. Next Steps

Offerors that submit the most compelling solutions may be invited to submit a full proposal for a design of operational utility prototype that demonstrates their capability to meet the requirements detailed in the SOO and Performance Parameters, with options to move into demonstration of operational utility. The Government intends to evaluate these prototypes to select the offeror(s) best suited to perform the full scope of the HPASE effort.