Avionics News August 2022 - 22

UNCLE SAM WANTS YOU
Continued from page 21
APPLYING FOR A GOVERNMENT JOB
How do you get on the government's coveted " approved
provider " list? Typically, it starts with identifying a particular
opportunity and entering a bid to do the work.
" One of our first projects was really a bit of a fluke, "
explained Rick Ochs, chief executive officer of Spirit
Aeronautics. " We had a sales rep from Ryan International, the
TCAS company, in our shop, and I was showing him how to
search for government work. We went on the government's
contracting website and typed in 'Traffic Collision Avoidance
Systems.' Sure enough, an opportunity came up to have Ryan
TCAS units specifically installed on some Army aircraft.
" Actually, the job was to install TCAS on some Navy T-34C
aircraft that were being leased to the Army for some icing
research flights they were doing at Fort Rucker. We bid on the
work and won. That was Spirit's first government contract. The
work went on for a few years as it involved multiple aircraft.
Every time the Army turned the airplanes back to the Navy, we
had to uninstall the TCAS units and our other mods and then
install them in the next batch of T-34Cs. "
Ochs added that, over time, Spirit Aeronautics became the
sole-source provider for that repeat work each time it came up.
" We look to find projects that are in the very early stages
of development, " he said. " We help organizations like NASA
write up their statement of work, as they based it on our design
concepts developed working with their teams through the
project evaluation phase.
" Surprising, it's still a lot about relationships when you do
work for the government. They get used to working with us.
We have the knowledge and credentials, and that makes it a lot
easier for everyone involved. Being a veteran-owned, small
business is mostly only an advantage for gaining respect for
us as a contractor. We usually win our contracts on best value
to the government and not lowest bid price or small business
carveouts. Do it right, and it's a great source of repeat business. "
WHEN IS A MILITARY PLANE NOT A MILITARY PLANE?
While doing government/military work can be a source of
consistent business, more than a few shop owners are under the
impression they need special equipment or skills to support the
ongoing needs of these aircraft. You don't. In fact, the significant
majority of the aircraft types you will be working on are the
same ones you service on a daily basis. They're just wearing a
different uniform.
" Although we've completed a lot of government/military
contracts over the years, these aren't tactical military aircraft; not
an F-18 in the bunch of them, " Ochs said. " We typically work
22 avionics news * august 2022
on the business and general aviation airplanes that are used by
the various military branches. Yes, there is an odd De Havilland,
T-38, and Beech T-34C, but most are King Airs, Learjets,
Citations, Falcons, Gulfstreams, and the like.
" We work a lot with NASA's Langley and Glenn research
facilities. NASA gets a lot of hand-me-down airplanes from
other government branches that need updating or configuring
for a particular mission. Langley has a fleet of C-20Bs - older
Gulfstream IIIs they got from the Air Force One squadron out of
Andrews Air Force Base.
" They are 40-year-old creampuff airplanes; absolutely
pristine inside and out. They all had the old Bendix EFIS 10
CRT displays in the panel. The displays all worked fine, but they
are no longer supported by the OEM. NASA needed them all
upgraded to more capable and reliable units. "
Of course, there's a lot more available than just panel
upgrades. As you might guess, oftentimes, these quasi-military
airplanes are " rode hard and put away wet. " There are plenty of
opportunities for a shop's expertise to be put to profitable use.
" We do everything except build the airplanes from scratch, "
explained Kevin Miesbach, Duncan Aviation's manager of
business development. " It runs the gamut from overhauling and
rebuilding components and systems, landing gear overhauls,
cabin upgrades, engine inspections; everything we do for a
regular customer, we now do for our military and government
customers. "
Yes, according to our experts, about the only thing that
differentiates a retail customer from a government contract is the
relatively conservative payout and the amount of paperwork -
two things that often scare shops away from pursuing this kind
of work.
OF RED TAPE AND GREENBACKS
" The work is the same, but the government is looking for
the lowest bid on every job we do, " Miesbach said. " Typically,
that's not how Duncan Aviation operates. We concentrate on
quality and value, and that's why we were invited to bid on a
government job back in 1992.
" With regards to the military/government work, we deliver
it with the same high quality, but at the lowest possible price.
Because of that, we do pass on some projects. "
Both Miesbach and Ochs stressed there's a lot more to
landing a government contract than just a lowball price. In fact,
that's often the lesser of all the requirements.
" The government awards contracts based on a lot of
reasons, and they're not all about the budget, " Ochs said.
" There are many times when our past government customers
will contact us to help them write the statement of work
needed. I can't say the contract is written for us to win, but it's
tailored in a way that makes our selection fall under the 'best
Avionics News August 2022

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