The U.S. Air Force changed the wording of a key performance parameter (KPP) during a crucial phase of the proposal requests for its high-profile multibillion-dollar combat, search and rescue (CSAR-X) helicopter competition without explicitly alerting contractors to the alteration or its impact.

While defense acquisition experts agree the wording change itself is substantial - and could have had a major impact on the competition - they disagree whether the Air Force should have made the change without drawing attention to it.

To be sure, the change - regarding the capability and readiness of the CSAR-X helicopter after being disassembled and reassembled for deployment - appeared to be legal and occurred during the regular development of the acquisition. Moreover, the onus is on the competing contractors to recognize any such changes, as one analyst said.

The Air Force has refused to comment, citing a pending contract-award protest to the congressional Government Accountability Office, which could render a decision as early as Feb. 23.

Last year, Boeing won the contract, worth $10-$15 billion, to build more than 140 CSAR-Xs to replace the aging CSAR helicopter fleet (see related charts, pages 6 and 7). The selection came after two years of high-profile competition with rival bidders Lockheed Martin Corp. and Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. - both of whom have protested the award.

In the end, many in industry predicted Lockheed's 101 would win and they considered Sikorksy's S-92 a runner-up. Both of those entries jockeyed for the high-profile presidential helicopter replacement contract while the H-47 was seen as a Vietnam-era proposal that could have trouble meeting transportability and deployment requirements.

Specifically, those requirements call for the aircraft to be disassembled and reassembled in a set time to show the helicopter could be transported and deployed for missions. This is the where the Air Force made the wording change from "mission ready" to "flight ready."

Change Timeline

In its draft request for proposals (RFP) dated May 12, 2005, the Air Force wrote this requirement for the reassembly of a disassembled CSAR aircraft: "Evaluate preparation procedures after simulated roll-off. Collect time and actions required to prepare aircraft for mission-ready status."

But in the subsequent Capability Development Document dated June 16, 2005, the Air Force listed the following as a threshold for the Deployability KPP: "The aircraft must be configurable for deployment (self-deployment or USAF C-5 or C-17) within three hours and be flight ready within three hours of arrival at destination."