Air Force eyes overhaul of PLM program as Siemens contract nears 2029 end
By
Nick Wakeman
An RFI seeking a modernized approach to how it updates and deploys the software it uses to manage data across its weapons systems.
The Air Force apparently wants to change how it manages the data across the lifecycle of its weapons systems.
Currently, the Air Force uses Siemens Teamcenter software for its product lifecycle management system. The software has been deployed through multiple task orders that have left the Air Force with a “disparate and sub-optimized implementation,” according to an Aug. 27 request for information.
Contract data from GovTribe indicate that Siemens Government Technologies Inc. is the incumbent on this work. The company has been supporting the Air Force since 2019. The contract ends in 2029
The Air Force is looking for industry feedback on how to address the fragmented nature of how the software has been deployed and maintained. Different locations run different versions and module configurations of the software.
The service wants to reactivate some 6,000 licenses at locations such as Robins, Hill and Tinker Air Force bases. They want to standardize the implementation and bring in a common configuration.
Essentially, this is a consolidation play and not a new system buildout, but the Air Force is also looking for several changes.
It wants respondents to detail their experience with Git-based configuration management and their ability to deliver build pipelines and code directly to government hosted Git-based repositories.
Git is a distributed version control system – think GitHub and GitLab. The Air Force wants to make sure that changes to configuration files, scripts and code are tracked in a Git repository. In this case, Bitbucket.
It also wants Scrum-based Agile development, a standardized data model across the enterprise, and a genuine "digital thread" connecting design through sustainment and retirement. The changes will bring the Air Force into more of a DevOps environment.
As with all RFIs, the Air Force said the market research notice doesn’t commit it to a future solicitation.
Comments are due Sept. 11.