Federal Contract Alert: N6449826Q5244 — DEPT OF DEFENSE.DEPT OF THE NAVY.NAVSEA.NAVSEA WARFARE CENTER.NSWC PHILADELPHIA DIV

Navy NSWC Philadelphia Division Seeks Aircraft Engine Component Manufacturers – NAICS 336611

NSWC Philadelphia Division posted N6449826Q5244 on July 22, 2026, with an August 24 deadline. This is a total small business set-aside focused on aircraft engine components and related manufacturing under NAICS 336611. The contract vehicle and period of performance are visible only in the full solicitation on SAM.gov, so download the documents immediately—the narrative often reveals whether this is a $500K sprint or an $8M multi-year effort.

Navy contracts at NSWC Philadelphia typically run 2–5 years with annual funding reviews. If the statement of work emphasizes sustainment of existing platforms (P-8, MH-60, or legacy turboprop engines), expect a lower technical bar but higher compliance overhead. If it involves new design or modernization, the bar is steeper and competition is usually thinner—which can work in your favor if you have the right background.

Who Is Eligible

You must be a small business under the NAICS 336611 size standard. For aircraft engine components, that threshold is 1,000 employees. The set-aside is 100% reserved for small firms, so you don't compete against mid-caps or primes on this one. If you've never registered in SAM or your registration is expired, stop and fix that now—you cannot receive a contract award without an active registration and a valid CAGE code.

Verify your NAICS code assignment matches 336611 in your SAM profile. Miscoding costs bids. If your work spans multiple NAICS codes (for example, you do both machining and assembly), confirm which code the Navy expects. Your DUNS number and UEI must also be current and match your legal business name.

Key Dates and Where to Find the Real Details

Deadline is August 24, 2026, 4 p.m. Eastern. Questions are due before the deadline as well—typically 5–7 days prior, though the solicitation amendment will specify. Use GovWin IQ and Bloomberg Government to pull historical Navy NSWC awards, win rates, and past awardees' sales volumes. This tells you whether you're in the right ballpark or chasing noise.

Read the statement of work, specifications, and past performance requirements before deciding to bid. If the work requires 15+ years of naval aviation manufacturing experience and you have 4 years, the contracting officer will score you lower on past performance, and you won't win. Be honest about this up front.

How to Respond – Competitive Reality Check

Build your proposal around the evaluation criteria listed in the solicitation, not what you think sounds good. If the Navy weights past performance at 40%, technical approach at 35%, and price at 25%, spend your effort on the first two. Cutrate pricing won't save a weak past performance narrative.

Before you bid, answer these three questions: (1) Do I have a direct contract or subcontract win on a similar component or platform in the past 7 years? (2) Can I hit the delivery schedule without new capital or tooling? (3) Can I win this on past performance and technical merit, or am I banking entirely on low price? If you answer no to two of three, walk.

Identify the incumbent awardee using SAM.gov award history or Bloomberg Government. If the incumbent is a well-capitalized small business with a strong Navy relationship and you've never done Navy work, the contract may be effectively wired. That's not conspiracy—it's how contracting works when performance risk is high and the buyer has a trusted vendor.

CMMC & DFARS Compliance Checklist

NSWC Philadelphia work involving aircraft engines or related components almost always triggers DFARS requirements. Even if the current solicitation doesn't explicitly mention CMMC, assume Level 1 is minimum and Level 2 is likely if any design data, logistics information, or technical drawings flow to your facility.

Before bidding, verify that the solicitation includes clause 252.204-7012 (Safeguarding Controlled Unclassified Information). Check for 252.204-7019 or 252.204-7020, which reference flow-down of DFARS clauses to subcontractors. If you see either, you'll need CMMC certification or a plan to obtain it within the first 60 days of contract award.

Your SPRS (System for Predictive Risk Screening) self-assessment score must be below the Navy's risk threshold—typically 60 or lower for small businesses. Access your score via SPRS.cisa.gov using your CAGE code. If you don't know your score, look it up now. A high score (above 80) signals financial or compliance risk and may disqualify you before technical evaluation even starts.

Practical checklist before you submit: Have you nominated a CMMC point of contact? Do you have a documented Information Security plan or System Security Plan? Can you demonstrate annual employee security awareness training? Have you completed the NIST Cybersecurity Framework self-assessment? If you can't check all four boxes, contact a CMMC Authorized Assessor (C3PAO) and ask for a pre-award gap analysis. Most cost $3K–$7K and save you from bidding unprepared.

Three Actionable Tips

1. Pull the incumbent's past performance. Use SAM.gov or Bloomberg Government to find who held N6449826Q5244's predecessor contract. Review their past performance writeups from debarment searches and, if available, past contract files (FOIA requests can yield these from the Navy). Understand where they succeeded and where they stumbled. This shapes your technical approach and highlights your competitive opening.

2. Confirm your CMMC roadmap in writing. If you don't have Level 2 certification, include a crisp implementation schedule in your proposal. State which C3PAO firm you've engaged and when you'll complete the assessment. The Navy prefers a credible plan over excuses. Mention this in your compliance section and copy it into your past performance narrative if relevant.

3. Price realistically against Navy standards. Don't lowball. NSWC Philadelphia evaluates price reasonableness and past performance together. A proposal that's 40% cheaper than industry averages but staffed by new hires will lose. Bid what the work costs, prove you understand the requirements, and compete on execution credibility.

Sign up for GovEdge Weekly at https://govcontract.clicksecurity.net/ to receive curated Navy NSWC opportunities and contract updates every week. This solicitation won't be your only shot—building a repeatable bidding discipline is how small shops build a Navy customer base.