Category: Industry News

DLA Troop Support has issued a solicitation which will result in a four (4) year contract for supply of OTTO Fuel II protective clothing.  This clothing is designed to protect against propylene glycol dinitrate (PGDN) which is commonly used in torpedoes.

The government will be issuing periodic delivery orders on sets of pants and shirts against this contract.  DOD anticipates it will need 12,800 units each year for a total of 51,200 sets of protective gear.

The last company to supply these to the military was Richochet Mfg (1MBM2) which sold them for $47.47 per set. The NSNs that were supplied are:

NSN	Description	Quantity	Price
8415-01-560-1960	Otto fuel shirts	3,360	$26.41
8415-01-560-1706	Otto fuel pants	4,320	$21.06

Based on this pricing we anticipate this contract is worth approximately $2.4 Million dollars.

All offers are due by August 5, 2025.

To learn more, log into BidLink and put SPE1C1-25-R-0037 into Search for Anything at the top.

Tired of DIBBS / SAM and bid services that don’t understand defense contracting?  Try BidLink for free at www.bidlink.net.

 

 

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Hot summer days are a good time to sit in the A/C and mine some data.  Last week we wrote about the Federal Supply Classes where DLA is spending the most money.  Over the next few weeks we’re going to analyze some of these vertical markets to see what items are making the most money.

Below are the top 20 line items in FSC 1560 for all of 2024. Number of offers data lags a few months so we couldn’t do the first 6 months of 2025.

NSN	item_name	company	total 1
1560-01-143-5631	DRAG BRACE ASSEMBLY	BELL TEXTRON INC	$3,813,966
1560-01-502-6111	WINDOW PANEL,AIRCRA	LLAMAS PLASTICS INC	$3,434,350
1560-01-714-4390	TANK ASSEMBLY,FUEL,	KAMPI COMPONENTS CO	$3,091,493
1560-01-481-3078	PISTON,CYLINDER ASS	WOODWARD HRT INC	$3,083,261
1560-01-451-2323	SEAL,GUNMOUNT	AAR SUPPLY CHAIN, IN	$2,864,124
1560-01-473-1286	SILL PLATE,CARGO DO	THE BOEING COMPANY	$2,401,737
1560-01-562-6867	FITTING,STRUCTURAL	SIKORSKY AIRCRAFT CO	$2,230,278
1560-01-421-0999	FAIRING,AIRCRAFT	D-J ENGINEERING INC	$1,960,000
1560-01-469-2772	COVER,ACCESS,AIRCRA	NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYS	$1,745,910
1560-01-649-9469	TRANSPARENCY,CANOPY	LLAMAS PLASTICS INC	$1,473,970
1560-00-862-6365	DUCT ASSEMBLY,AIR	G. S. E. DYNAMICS, I	$1,315,990
1560-01-656-7514	BALANCE WEIGHT,ELEV	KIT PACK CO., INC.	$1,247,545
1560-01-649-9437	TRANSPARENCY,CANOPY	LLAMAS PLASTICS INC	$1,247,122
1560-01-495-9254	FAIRING,AIRCRAFT	NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYS	$1,236,686
1560-01-699-1194	CORE MATERIAL,CELLU	NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYS	$1,228,332
1560-00-175-3930	LOCK ASSEMBLY,DOOR	COORDINATED DEFENSE	$1,228,094
1560-01-502-6111	WINDOW PANEL,AIRCRA	A. J. ASSOCIATES MAN	$1,084,152
1560-01-642-0824	PANEL,STRUCTURAL,AI	LBZ, L.L.C	$1,056,240
1560-01-340-6319	FASTENER KIT,STRUCT	STANDARD AERO PARTS,	$1,040,140

The full list of 400 top 1560 NSNs is available here.

Tired of DIBBS / SAM and bid services that don’t understand defense contracting?  Many of the companies above rely on BidLink.  Try BidLink for free at www.bidlink.net.

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Time for a little data mining.  Below is a list of the top Federal Supply Classes with sales volume from DLA.

FSC	TITLE	TOTAL
8915	Fruits and Vegetables	$328,982,369
8415	Clothing, Special Purpose	$303,037,031
1560	Airframe Structural Components	$293,683,579
6140	Batteries, Rechargeable	$218,758,867
1680	Miscellaneous Aircraft Accessories and Components	$170,463,337
2840	Gas Turbines and Jet Engines, Aircraft	$142,038,921
4820	Valves, Non-powered	$129,234,116
1620	Aircraft Landing Gear Components	$116,528,070
6150	Misc. Electric Power and Distribution equipment	$116,247,695
8405	Outerwear, Men’s	$115,857,402
5340	Hardware, Commercial	$103,553,666
6685	Pressure, Temperature, and Humidity Measuring and …	$100,219,510
8470	Armor, Personal	$94,609,776
8430	Footwear, Men’s	$90,680,410
8960	Beverages, Nonalcoholic	$90,342,602
3110	Bearings, Antifriction, Unmounted	$84,495,154
3120	Bearings, Plain, Unmounted	$81,826,277
4730	Hose, Pipe, Tube, Lubrication, and Railing Fitting…	$79,649,047
8905	Meat, Poultry, and Fish	$76,907,378
9999	Miscellaneous Items	$76,156,038
5330	Packing and Gasket Materials	$74,885,439
5930	Switches	$73,737,702
1670	Parachutes; Aerial Pick Up, Delivery, Recovery	$72,806,121
8955	Coffee, Tea, and Cocoa	$71,596,734
3040	Miscellaneous Power Transmission Equipment	$70,632,785
8970	Composite Food Packages	$69,137,345
4240	Safety and Rescue Equipment	$68,726,218
1650	Aircraft Hydraulic, Vacuum, and De-icing System Co…	$67,485,406
5995	Cable, Cord, and Wire Assemblies: Communication	$66,408,107
6505	Drugs and Biologicals	$65,298,906
1660	Aircraft Air Conditioning, Heating, and Pressurizi…	$63,704,746
8340	Tents and Tarpaulins	$59,619,162
4320	Power and Hand Pumps	$58,002,285
8305	Textile Fabrics	$56,074,328
6220	Electric Vehicular Lights and Fixtures	$54,685,888
2540	Vehicular Furniture and Accessories	$54,045,804
8920	Bakery and Cereal Products	$52,933,240
6680	Liquid and Gas Flow, Liquid Level, and Mechanical	$51,367,566
9150	Oils and Greases: Cutting, Lubricating, Hydrau…	$50,785,732
4810	Valves, Powered	$50,707,246
4210	Fire Fighting Equipment	$45,740,572
5985	Antennas, Waveguides, and Related Equipment	$45,300,199
2530	Vehicular Brake, Steering, Axle, Wheel, and Track	$45,282,834
5310	Nuts and Washers	$45,223,607
2815	Diesel Engines and Components	$45,013,555
4720	Hose and Flexible Tubing	$44,806,767

Tired of DIBBS / SAM and bid services that don’t understand defense contracting?  Try BidLink for free at www.bidlink.net.

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DLA Troop Support has issued a solicitation which will result in a contract to deliver 24,408 pair of 35 Mil Neoprene chemical resistant gloves (NSN 8415-00-823-7458).  They must comply with MIL-DTL-32066.  Among other companies, Guardian manufactures these under part number 49910.

The contract is broken down into three deliveries:

DELIVERY SCHEDULE	TOTAL MAX QUANTITY
First delivery 150 days	8,136
Second delivery 180 days	8,136
Third delivery 210 days	8,136
TOTAL	24,408

There is some discussion in the solicitation about classifying this item as clothing as opposed to using the FSC for safety (4240) which may explain why the most recent procurement history for this item is from  2010.  IRIS Kim, Inc. sold 1,200 pair of gloves a unit price of $5.70. There are smaller unit sales of these gloves on GSA and through government credit cards for $35.55 / pair.  On can assume the 2010 price is obsolete so to estimate the contract value we’re guessing a 24,000 unit price of $12.  Your results may vary.

All offers are due by May 30, 2025.  This solicitation is set-aside for small business.  Buy America act applies.

To learn more, log into BidLink and put SPE1C1-25-R-0048 into Search for Anything at the top.

Tired of DIBBS / SAM and bid services that don’t understand defense contracting?  Try BidLink for free at www.bidlink.net.

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DOD contract numbers can tell you a lot about the contract type, location, and when it was awarded.  Knowing this can help you understand the different procurement methods while scanning procurement history.

A contract number (like SPE7LX-25-T-0603) is broken into sections:

SPE7LX – DODAAC or Agency code.  This is the office that issued it.

25 – The year it was issued.

T – Instrument type (9th position)

0603 – Instrument number; Usually sequential, incrementing upward.

THE NINTH POSITION

Today we focus on this ninth position (when omitting dashes) of the Procurement Instrument Identifier (PIID).  PIIDs can represent solicitations as well as contracts.

Instrument	9th position
Blanket purchase agreements	A
Invitations for bids	B
Contracts of all types except indefinite-delivery	C
Indefinite-delivery contracts (IDC)	D
Reserved for future Federal Government use	E
Orders or calls under IDC; BPA; BOA	F
Basic ordering agreements	G
Basic agreements and loan agreements	H
Not used	I
Reserved for future Federal Government use	J
Reserved for departmental or agency use	K
Lease agreements	L
Reserved for departmental or agency use	M
Reserved for departmental or agency use	N
Not used	O
Purchase Orders	P
Requests for quotations	Q
Requests for proposals	R
Reserved for departmental or agency use	S
Automated award	T
See Q, when out of numbers substitute this	U
See P, when out of numbers substitute this	V
Reserved for future Federal Government use	W
Reserved for future Federal Government use	X
Imprest fund	Y
Reserved for future Federal Government use	Z

To learn more about PIID numbers:

https://www.acquisition.gov/sites/default/files/current/far/compiled_html/subpart_4.16.html

Tired of DIBBS / SAM and bid services that don’t understand defense contracting?  Try BidLink for free at www.bidlink.net.

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DLA Troop Support has issued a solicitation for 150 Ammunition Grade Shipping Containers (nsn 8140-01-296-7241). These containers  are side opening with dimensions of 20′ x 8′ x 8’6″.  Containers must comply with ISO standards.  Containers will be painted with FEDSTD-595, CAMO-Green #34094 with ISO Markings in white.

The last company to sell these to the military was Intrepid Eagle, Inc. which sold them for $10,998 in quantity of 200.  They were also supplied by Sea Box, Inc. for $11,250 in quantity of 78.  Based on an analysis of procurement history we estimate the value of this contract at $1.6 Million.

Containers will be shipped to McAlester Army Ammo Plant (qty 75) and Tooele Army Depot (qty 75). Awardees have 220 days from the order to deliver.

All offers due by April 16, 2025.

To learn more, log into BidLink and put SPE8ED-25-Q-0482 into Search for Anything at the top.

Tired of DIBBS / SAM and bid services that don’t understand defense contracting?  Try BidLink for free at www.bidlink.net.

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DLA Land and Maritime has issued a solicitation for 8,600 padlocks (NSN 5340-00-682-1505).  This is a common style lock which is a Commercially Off The Shelf item (COTS).  Manufacturers include American Lock and Master Lock.

They were last sold to the military by Burhani Enterprises (CAGE 4NWK0) for $52 ea in quantity of 4,907.  Other suppliers include Independent Hardware, and W.W. Grainger.

Based on an analysis of past procurement history we estimate the value of this order at $447,200.  All offers are due by May 6, 2025.

To learn more, log into BidLink and put SPE7L1-25-R-0060 into Search for Anything at the top.

Tired of DIBBS / SAM and bid services that don’t understand defense contracting?  Try BidLink for free at www.bidlink.net.

 

 

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DLA Aviation has issued a solicitation for 100 seat belts (NSN 1680-01-528-3687) used in the UH-60 helicopter. There are two approved sources for this item:

MISSION SYSTEMS (99251) P/N: 015-870180-5
SIKORSKY AIRCRAFT CORP (78286) P/N: 70500-02156-103

Technical data is available if other companies believe that they can produce this seat belt.  Dealers of the above companies are also welcome.

The last company to provide these to the military was Cobham Mission Systems (a large business) for $9,667 ea in quantity of 40.  They were also supplied by Transaero, Inc for $8,640 ea in quantity of 319.

Based on past procurement history we estimate the value of this contract at $966,700.  All offers are due by April 25, 2025.

To learn more, log into BidLink and put SPE4A7-25-R-0470 into Search for Anything at the top.

Tired of DIBBS / SAM and bid services that don’t understand defense contracting?  Try BidLink for free at www.bidlink.net.

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DLA Aviation has issued a solicitation for fiberglass electrical tape (NSN 5970-00-814-9606). This solicitation will result in an IQC (Indefinite Quantity Contract) to consist of guaranteed quantities for DLA Customer Direct Locations (CONUS, OCONUS and FMS). Delivery orders may be placed for a Base Period consisting of five (5) Years.

The item description is as follows:

GLASS FIBER, SILICON ADHESIVE COATED

3.000 IN. WIDE, 36 YD. LG, 0.010 IN. THICK

Complies with mil-spec MIL-I-19166

The last company to supply this item to the military was Aircraft & Commercial Enterprises (CAGE 8Z281) which sold for $97.65 in quantity of 36.  This order was an “emergency contracting support branch requirement” which means “ship by fastest traceable means”.  Pricing is all over the place, but a more realistic comparable was an order for 4,979 rolls at $58.25 per roll.

The government anticipates ordering 6,077 rolls each year over the five year contract.  Based on this and an analysis of procurement history pricing we estimate the value of this contract at $1.7 Million.

All offers are due by April 17, 2025.

A quick review of the military market for these items yielded the following buying agencies:

SPE4AC – Corpus Christi Army Depot (CCAD) detachment (buying activity)

SPE7M0 – DLA Maritime Supply – Emergency buys ESOC (buying activity)

SPE4A6 – DLA Aviation, ASC – Commodities (buying activity)

SPE4A0 – DLA Aviation, ASC – Emergency Supply (buying activity)

N48758 – FRC WestPac MRO Depot – Japan (this is the ship to, the user for this specific contract which is a aircraft repair shop in Japan)

To learn more, log into BidLink and put SPE4A6-25-R-0238 into Search for Anything at the top.

Tired of DIBBS / SAM and bid services that don’t understand defense contracting?  Try BidLink for free at www.bidlink.net.

 

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The 2025 National Defense Authorization limits divestment of F-15 and F-22 aircraft in order to maintain current fleet levels.  In 2022 DOD planned to reduce the inventory of these aircraft in order to redirect those funds to newer programs.  Unfortunately those older planes are still needed to keep adequate force levels.

The retirement of the oldest aircraft was decided because of the high costs that it would take to upgrade those fighters, so their retirement would free up resources to upgrade the rest of the two fleets.

The NDAA states:

Sec. 8164 prohibits divesting or prepare to divest any F-15 aircraft unless the Secretary of Defense certifies
to the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate that such aircraft will
be replaced in a manner that maintains the current total aircraft assigned at a given unit and the readiness of
such unit.

The F-15E Strike Eagle fighters currently in service have two different engines, specifically 119 F-15Es powered by the Pratt&Whitney F100-PW-220 turbofan and 99 powered by the F100-PW-229. The newer -229 engines have a thrust rating of 29,000 lb, while the older -220 stops to 23,500 lb.

The Air Force planned to divest all Strike Eagles with the -220 engine by FY28, shrinking the fleet from 218 to 99 aircraft, using the freed-up resources to upgrade those 99 aircraft. The FY24 NDAA already limited the number of aircraft that could be retired from 119 to 68.

The FY25 NDAA is going to prevent the divestment of all 119 aircraft from happening for the foreseeable future, according to lawmakers.

For those with contracts relating to the F-15E and EX, it looks like you have a few more years of this business.

Tired of DIBBS / SAM and bid services that don’t understand defense contracting?  Try BidLink for free at www.bidlink.net.

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