Set-Aside Pulse: Where the near-term action is in DoD logistics, readiness support, and maritime chartering (late Jan–early Mar 2026)

Executive takeaway

This pulse includes a mix of immediate-action solicitations (notably USCG time charter leasing and a Navy multiple-award IDIQ for aircraft carrier readiness support) alongside market research notices (USTRANSCOM long-term HHG storage; Navy submarine sail systems field services; Air Force worldwide warehouse redistribution inspection-point services). Several notices are explicitly not set aside today, but the sources sought/RFI language signals the government is testing whether future competition could support small business participation—meaning a strong capability response can influence the acquisition strategy.

What the buyer is trying to do

Near-term solicitations (proposal/quote posture)

• USCG time charter lease to support operations across the Caribbean Basin, Gulf of America, and surrounding areas, with a 6-month base and 6-month option. The government frames this as meeting immediate operational needs and ties it to a broader HSC-Ocean IDIQ effort.
• Navy aircraft carrier readiness support via a multiple-award IDIQ to support Commander Naval Air Atlantic (CNAF) carrier readiness operations. The notice emphasizes readiness reporting, metrics integration, analytics governance, and engineering/logistics execution support.
• Air Force ROSE (Read-Out Support Equipment) is posted without a public description snippet—meaning you’ll need to rely on the solicitation package (if available) to confirm scope and fit.

Market research (influence-the-buy posture)

• Air Force “Worldwide Warehouse Redistribution Services Program” sources sought for in-transit inspection point services. The notice is explicit that it’s for planning/market research and may be used to assess whether a future effort could be competitive and/or set aside.
• USTRANSCOM NTS-R RFI for non-temporary storage services for inbound household goods from overseas to the East/West coasts, including facilities, permits/licenses, labor, management, insurance, and end-to-end handling-in/out.
• NSWCPD submarine sail systems field services sources sought requesting unclassified electronic capability statements aligned to materials/services described in attachments.

What work is implied (bullets)

• Time charter transportation & logistics support to enable USCG operations underway and in-port; performance bounded by the task order SOW and threshold requirements (verify in attachments).
• Carrier readiness engineering and sustainment support, including professional engineering assistance such as engineering technical expertise, engineering graphics solutions, configuration data management, environmental engineering, and hazardous waste/material handling.
• Readiness operations support functions including production control, material/logistical coordination, quality assurance, and computer-related capabilities to support readiness reporting and decision-making.
• In-transit inspection point services for a worldwide warehouse redistribution program (details truncated in snippet; verify full sources sought content).
• Long-term HHG storage operations covering receiving/handling-in, storage, and handling-out, including compliant facilities, operating authority, permits/licenses, mandatory insurance, staffing, office space and file storage.
• Submarine sail systems field services support aligned to an attached SSN specification and materials list (verify in attachments).
• Platform supply/sustainment support (F/A-18 EXPO) appears as an add-on requirement under an existing OEM-led contract vehicle; the notice indicates limited competitive latitude due to data/tooling obsolescence (prime likely constrained).

Who should bid / who should pass (bullets)

Strong “bid” candidates

• Maritime operators/charter managers with proven ability to meet vessel-related threshold requirements and deliver logistics support across the stated operating areas (USCG time charter).
• Engineering/logistics support firms that can staff multi-disciplinary readiness work (engineering + configuration/data + environmental + QA + production control + logistics coordination) for Navy readiness operations (multiple-award IDIQ).
• HHG storage providers and networks with compliant long-term storage capacity on U.S. coasts and mature handling-in/out processes who can respond quickly to an RFI with clear operational specifics (NTS-R).
• Firms with submarine systems field services experience that can respond unclassified with credible material/service support narratives (sources sought).

Likely “pass” (or pursue only as a teammate)

• F/A-18 EXPO support if you are not positioned in the OEM ecosystem; the notice indicates the effort is anticipated to be procured from the OEM under a sole-source authority and references technical data limitations.
• ROSE if you cannot validate scope and requirements in the solicitation package (description not provided in the notice snippet).
• Worldwide warehouse redistribution inspection-point services if you cannot support global or multi-region operations as implied by “worldwide” scope (verify full SSN before committing).

Response package checklist (bullets; if unknown say “verify in attachments”)

• USCG Time Charter Lease (RFP)
  • Task Order SOW (verify in attachments)
  • Task Order Threshold Requirements (verify in attachments)
  • Task Order price submission template for company/vessel (verify in attachments)
  • Confirmation of place of performance coverage (Caribbean Basin, Gulf of America, surrounding areas)
  • Base/option period acknowledgement (6 + 6 months)
• Navy Aircraft Carrier Readiness Support (IDIQ solicitation)
  • Technical approach addressing engineering, configuration/data management, environmental, hazardous materials handling
  • Plan for production control, logistics coordination, QA, and computer-related capabilities
  • IDIQ/multiple-award elements (task order management, staffing scalability) (verify in attachments)
• USTRANSCOM NTS-R (RFI)
  • Completed questionnaire (PDF version referenced in updates; verify in attachments)
  • Facility/authority narrative: permits, licenses, insurance, equipment, labor, management coverage
  • Process narrative: receive/handle-in/store/handle-out HHG
• NSWCPD Submarine Sail Systems Field Services (Sources Sought)
  • Unclassified electronic capability statement aligned to SSN attachment requirements (verify in attachments)
• Air Force WWRS Program (Sources Sought)
  • Market research response (capability, capacity, relevant experience) (verify in attachments)
• ROSE
  • Verify in attachments (notice snippet contains no description)

Pricing & strategy notes (how to research pricing; do not invent pricing numbers)

• Use the attachments to find the pricing structure (especially for the USCG time charter task order, which references a price attachment). Confirm whether pricing is daily rate, monthly rate, CLIN-based, or milestone-based (verify in attachments).
• For the Navy readiness IDIQ, determine whether proposals will be evaluated on labor categories, level of effort, or task-order pricing. If the solicitation allows multiple awards, assume the government is seeking a competitive field and align your pricing narrative to realistic staffing and surge coverage (verify in attachments).
• For USTRANSCOM NTS-R (RFI), treat pricing as secondary unless asked; focus on cost drivers in your narrative: compliant facilities, insurance, handling labor, and geographic coverage on East/West coasts. Use your internal historical HHG storage/handling costs to bound assumptions and document what you can scale without compromising compliance.
• For sources sought notices, prioritize credible, auditable capability (what you can do, where, and at what scale) over rate sheets. If you include any notional pricing drivers, label them as informational only and tied to capacity/throughput assumptions.

Subcontracting / teaming ideas (bullets)

• USCG time charter: pair a vessel operator with a logistics support integrator for in-port support functions, documentation, and logistics coordination (roles depend on threshold requirements; verify in attachments).
• Navy readiness IDIQ: team engineering specialists (configuration/data management, environmental engineering, hazardous materials handling) with a prime that can run production control and QA at scale.
• USTRANSCOM NTS-R: build a coast-to-coast storage network using multiple compliant facilities under a single management/QA process, with standardized handling-in/out procedures and insurance coverage alignment.
• WWRS inspection points: consider partnerships with firms that already operate logistics nodes/inspection services in multiple regions to credibly address “worldwide” implications (confirm required footprint in the SSN).

Risks & watch-outs (bullets)

• Fast turnaround windows: several response deadlines are within days. Confirm internal review time and ability to compile attachments-driven requirements quickly.
• Attachment-driven scope: ROSE has no public description snippet; USCG and NSWCPD both point heavily to attachments for SOW/threshold requirements/specifications.
• Market research is not an award path: WWRS, NTS-R, and submarine sail systems notices are explicitly market research—don’t burn proposal-level effort. Provide crisp, capability-focused responses that influence set-aside decisions.
• OEM gravity: the F/A-18 EXPO notice indicates an anticipated OEM procurement due to lack of technical data/tooling and vendor base constraints—position as a subcontractor only if you have a clear niche.
• Geographic/operational complexity: worldwide logistics/inspection and coastal HHG storage introduce compliance, permits/licenses, and operational consistency risks—address these explicitly in responses.

Related opportunities

• Time Charter Lease for Transportation and Logistics Support in Support of United States Coast Guard (USCG)
• Aircraft Carrier Readiness Support
• Non-Temporary Storage of Retrograde (NTS-R)
• PD-45-0001; Submarine Sail Systems Field Services Support
• WORLDWIDE WAREHOUSE REDISTRIBUTION SERVICES PROGRAM
• Read-Out Support Equipment (ROSE)
• Soliciting a Proposal for F/A-18 EXPO Level Support under the Boeing Captains of Industry (BCOI) Contract.

How to act on this

1. Pick your lane: decide whether you’re pursuing immediate RFPs (USCG charter; Navy readiness IDIQ) or shaping future buys (USTRANSCOM NTS-R; WWRS; submarine sail systems).
2. Pull and read the attachments first for any notice that references SOW/threshold requirements or questionnaires (verify in attachments).
3. Draft a compliance-first outline (what you will submit, in what format) and map each requirement to evidence (past performance narratives, capacity, facilities, processes).
4. Line up teammates early where footprint/surge capacity is implied (coastal storage networks; worldwide inspection points; multi-discipline readiness staffing).

If you want a fast, attachments-driven bid/no-bid and response plan for any of these notices, Federal Bid Partners LLC can help you triage requirements, build a compliant outline, and sharpen the capability narrative without wasting cycles on non-actionable market research.