Amendment 1 (Clarifications Q&A) to: Army Blood Link (ABL) – Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS)

Army Blood Link (ABL) – Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) for Blood Product Transport
Request for Proposals (RFP) – Other Transaction Authority (OTA) Prototype Project

This amendment provides clarifications in response to vendor questions and addresses identified information gaps. Please refer to the attachment titled “Amendment 1” for the complete list of questions and answers.

For any additional clarification, please contact the points of contact listed in this notice.

1. Brief Description of Requirement

The 419th Contracting Support Brigade, Fort Liberty, North Carolina, on behalf of XVIII Airborne Corps Joint Operations Innovation Outpost (JIOP), is issuing this Request for Proposals (RFP) for the competitive award of an Other Transaction Authority (OTA) prototype project for the Army Blood Link (ABL) Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS).

The Government seeks to develop and deliver two (2) prototype UAS capable of transporting 20 units of Government‑designated blood products per mission, including all approved primary, secondary, thermal‑control, shock‑protection, monitoring, and restraint packaging. Each system shall provide a minimum usable payload‑compartment volume of 1.25 cubic feet and a minimum payload capacity of 35 pounds, with a payload capacity range of 25–50 pounds.

The contractor shall provide a validated transport container that maintains the Government‑specified product temperature range for the required mission duration and environmental conditions. The ABL UAS will be employed in contested and denied environments where ground transportation is not viable and will support both training and deployed operational missions for medical units (e.g., medical brigades).

Additional technical, performance, and interface requirements are provided in the attached Salient Characteristics – Army Blood Link (ABL) UAS for Blood Product Transport, which form an integral part of this notice and the basis for proposal evaluation.

1. Period and Place of Performance

a. Prototype Period of Performance (PoP):

1. The anticipated PoP for the prototype OTA is up to 3 months from effective date of award, unless otherwise negotiated. (Recommend modification of existing commercial UAS)
2. Offerors shall propose a schedule that delivers fully functional prototype systems (including complete payload containers and support equipment) no later than 3 months after award, including time allocated to testing, refinement, and documentation in coordination with the Government.

b. Place of Performance / Delivery Location:

1. Primary delivery and demonstration locations will be within the continental United States (CONUS). The initial delivery location is anticipated to be:
   1. Fort Liberty, North Carolina (or other designated XVIII Airborne Corps / medical unit location).
2. Specific delivery instructions, test locations, and access requirements will be provided at time of award and coordinated with the Agreements Officer’s Representative (AOR).

1. Anticipated Agreement Information

a. Type of Instrument:

1. This effort will be executed as a prototype project agreement under DoD Other Transaction Authority (OTA).

b. Type of Contract/Agreement Consideration:

1. The ABL prototype effort will be structured as a Firm-Fixed Price (FFP) OTA agreement for the design, integration, delivery, and demonstration of the prototype systems, in accordance with the DoD OTA Guide and applicable implementing guidance.

c. Acquisition Procedures:

1. Acquisition procedures will follow OTA prototype project procedures as outlined in the DoD OTA Guide and implementing Army guidance for competitive prototype projects.

d. Authority:

1. This prototype project is pursued under Title 10, U.S.C., Section 4022 (Other Transaction Authority for Prototype Projects).

e. Follow‑On Production:

1. This competitive prototype project may result in a follow‑on production agreement (which may be FFP or other appropriate structure) without the use of competitive procedures, consistent with Title 10, U.S.C., Section 4022.
2. Follow‑on production is contingent upon:
   1. Successful completion of the prototype effort, as determined by the AOR; and
   2. Increased or continued demand for the ABL capability; and
   3. A clear Government determination that a follow‑on production award is in the best interest of the Government.

1. Summary of Technical and Operational Requirements

The ABL UAS shall meet or exceed the requirements set forth in the attached Salient Characteristics document, including but not limited to:

1. Mission Role & Employment:
   1. Transport Government‑designated blood products in contested/denied environments where ground transportation is not viable.
   2. Support training missions (1–5 per month) and operational deployments (multiple missions per day).
2. Payload Capacity & Volume:
   1. Transport 20 blood units including all packaging and protection.
   2. Minimum usable payload volume 1.25 ft³.
   3. Payload capacity range 25–50 lb, with minimum 35 lb capability.
3. Blood Transport Container & Thermal Control:
   1. Validated container compatible with UAS payload bay.
   2. Maintain required blood temperature for up to 3 hours at 15 °F to 120 °F with high humidity.
   3. Protection against rain, dust, sand, solar heating, and chemical contamination.
4. Range, Endurance & Mission Distance:
   1. Minimum 30 km one‑way operational radius at maximum combined fuel/energy and payload load.
   2. 100 km maximum mission distance (total route).
   3. 3–6 hours of operating time per mission, while ensuring blood remains within specified temperature limits (≤ 3 hours in container).
5. Operations & Environment:
   1. Day and night operations.
   2. Operation from ground level to 18,000 ft.
   3. Operate at 15 °F to 120 °F, high humidity.
6. Delivery & Accuracy:
   1. Delivery‑location accuracy of ≤ 10 meters.
   2. Support ground/landing delivery and optional aerial drop from 10–15 m without compromising blood integrity.
7. Command, Control & Communications:
   1. Minimum 30‑mile communications range between aircraft and ground control station.
   2. Single‑operator control of at least one aircraft, with architecture that allows multiple aircraft to operate simultaneously in the same area.
8. Autonomy & Detect‑and‑Avoid:
   1. Semi‑autonomous flight, waypoint navigation, and return‑to‑base.
   2. Sensors and logic to detect and avoid aircraft and obstacles, suitable for contested/denied environments.
9. Training & Human Factors:
   1. Operator training program (approximately 1–3 days) for basic operations, servicing, and field‑level repair.
   2. System suitable for operation and servicing by typical medical brigade personnel with minimal technical background.
10. Maintainability, Reliability & Service Life:
    1. Expected operational life 500–1500 flight hours.
    2. Servicing intervals every 300–500 cycles.
    3. Field‑repairable by unit personnel with modular/line‑replaceable components.
    4. Minimum 90% probability of successful delivery per mission.
    5. At least one‑year warranty and obsolescence/parts‑availability plan.
11. Regulatory, Origin & Approval Requirements:
    1. Design and documentation sufficient to support U.S. Army Systems Readiness Directorate (SRD) flight approval.
    2. No prohibited foreign‑made components, foreign software, foreign cloud services, or foreign technical support.
    3. Compliance with applicable U.S. and DoD sourcing restrictions.

Meeting these salient characteristics within a 20% deviation from the stated parameters is acceptable; however, proposals will be evaluated competitively and only one awardee is anticipated.

1. Evaluation Factors

All proposals will be evaluated in accordance with the Competition Evaluation Factors for the Army Blood Link (ABL), attached to this notice. The following factors and relative weights (total = 1.0) will be used to rank proposals:

1. Price – Weight: 0.30
   1. Total proposed price and overall value relative to technical performance and schedule.
2. Compact Design & Portability – Weight: 0.20
   1. Compliance with packed size/weight constraints; ease of transport, setup, and loading by medical personnel; and compact integration of the payload container.
3. Technical Performance & Mission Effectiveness – Weight: 0.15
   1. Ability to meet or exceed key salient characteristics (payload, range, endurance, accuracy, environmental performance, day/night ops, comms range).
   2. Demonstrated mission effectiveness and proposed delivery schedule (prototype delivery within 3 months of award).
4. Thermal Control & Payload Protection – Weight: 0.10
   1. Performance of the validated container in maintaining temperature and protecting blood products.
5. Autonomy, Navigation, and Detect‑and‑Avoid – Weight: 0.08

1. Quality of semi‑autonomous features and detect‑and‑avoid capabilities, including support for multi‑aircraft operations.

1. Reliability, Maintainability, and Service Life – Weight: 0.07
   1. Expected life, maintenance concept, field repairability, probability of successful delivery, warranty, and parts/obsolescence planning.
2. Compliance and Risk (Regulatory, Origin, Integration) – Weight: 0.07
   1. Compliance with sourcing and origin requirements, likelihood of SRD approval, and technical/schedule risk to achieve TRL 9 and successful demonstration.
3. Training, Human Factors, and Operational Suitability – Weight: 0.03
   1. Quality of training program, human factors, operator workload, and suitability for medical brigade employment.

The Government intends to make a single best‑value OTA prototype award, considering both price and non‑price factors.

1. Eligibility, Registration, and Invoicing Requirements

Prospective offerors must:

a. Be registered and active in the System for Award Management (SAM) prior to execution of any OTA agreement. Registration/updates: https://www.sam.gov

b. Be capable of electronic invoicing and payment processing via a Government‑approved electronic invoicing system (e.g., WAWF or successor system), as directed at time of award.

Failure to maintain an active SAM registration or required electronic invoicing capability may render an offeror ineligible for award.

1. Proposal Content and Submission Requirements

Interested parties that are capable of meeting the Army Blood Link (ABL) requirements in accordance with the attached Salient Characteristics and Evaluation Factors shall submit a written proposal. At a minimum, proposals shall include:

a. Technical Volume:

1. A narrative describing the proposed ABL solution and how it meets or exceeds each of the Salient Characteristics, including:
   1. UAS platform description, payload integration, and container design.
   2. Range, endurance, mission profiles, and delivery concepts (landing and optional aerial drop).
   3. Autonomy, detect‑and‑avoid, and communication architecture.
   4. Thermal control approach and validation strategy.

2) A description of current capability and technology readiness, including any existing COTS UAS platforms or components leveraged to achieve TRL 9.

3) A proposed prototype development schedule, including major milestones, integration events, and delivery date(s) to meet the required timeline (no later than 3 months after award for full prototype delivery).

4) A brief test and demonstration plan describing how the offeror will support operational testing in a realistic environment where Key Performance Parameters (KPPs) and Key System Attributes (KSAs) can be measured and evaluated.

b. Management and Execution Volume:

1. Project organization, key personnel, and relevant experience with similar UAS, medical logistics, or DoD prototype efforts.
2. Risk management approach and mitigation strategies for technical, schedule, and approval risks (including SRD approval considerations).
3. High‑level production and sustainment concept to support potential follow‑on production and fielding.

c. Price/Cost Volume:

1. Firm‑Fixed Price breakdown for the prototype effort, including:
   1. Design, integration, and testing.
   2. Fabrication and delivery of two (2) complete ABL UAS systems (aircraft, containers, ground stations, and support equipment).
   3. Training, documentation, and initial spares (if proposed).

2) Basis of estimate and key assumptions.

3) Any proposed options (e.g., additional units, extended warranty), clearly identified as optional.

d. Company Information:

1. Company name and address.
2. Point of Contact (POC) name and title.
3. POC e‑mail address and telephone number.
4. Business type and size status under the applicable NAICS code (to be specified in the full RFP).
5. Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code.
6. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI).
7. Important Notes

8. This notice constitutes a Request for Proposals for a competitive OTA prototype project under Title 10, U.S.C., Section 4022. It is not a FAR‑based procurement and is not subject to the full provisions of the FAR.

9. The Government is not obligated to and will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this notice. All costs associated with responding are solely at the respondent’s expense.

10. Information submitted in response to this notice will not be returned.

11. The Government reserves the right to:

1. Make one award, multiple awards, or no award;
2. Request additional information or clarification from offerors;
3. Proceed with a different acquisition approach if determined to be in the Government’s best interest.

12. Response Instructions and Deadline

Offerors shall submit proposals via e‑mail only, in PDF or Microsoft Word format, to the contracting points of contact listed below. Proposals must clearly reference:

“Army Blood Link (ABL) UAS – OTA Prototype RFP”

a. Proposal Due Date and Time:

1. No later than 21 September 2026, 12:00 Eastern Time (ET).

b. Points of Contact:

1. Primary POC / Agreements/Contracting:
   • MAJ Mikel R. Hernandez
   • E‑mail: mikel.r.hernandeztrujillo.mil@army.mil
   • Phone: (910) 396‑1078
2. Secondary POC / Technical:
   • SSG Robert Torres
   • E‑mail: robert.torres170.mil@army.mil
   • Phone: (520) 718‑3879

Proposals received after the date and time specified above may not be considered.