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Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) Weapon Systems Support (WSS) has issued a Request for Information (RFI) on additive manufacturing (AM) capabilities for naval components. The notice, numbered N0010427RZ058, was posted on October 14, 2026, and responses are due by 4:00 PM ET on November 2, 2026.
Alongside a survey of what suppliers can produce, the RFI asks industry to help shape how future AM contracts could be priced and evaluated. It is a market research exercise: no contract will be awarded through it, and submissions will not be treated as binding offers.
Parts Under Review
NAVSUP WSS is asking businesses whether they can design, produce, and deliver end items and piece part components through AM while meeting manufacturing, material, performance, testing, and quality assurance requirements.
The notice lists 129 candidate parts, identified by National Item Identification Number (NIIN), across valve, fitting, and fan product lines falling under Federal Supply Classes 4820, 4810, 4730, and 4140. The list may change, and a part’s inclusion does not guarantee it will appear in a future solicitation. The Government also states it anticipates that Level I and SUBSAFE items may become eligible for AM in the future.
Government-furnished drawings and technical data packages are not included with the notice.
Information Requested From Suppliers
Respondents must email their submissions in PDF format. NAVSUP is asking for administrative details, including CAGE code, DUNS/UEI, and business size, along with a description of manufacturing capabilities and any subcontracting approach.
Suppliers are also asked to list facility certifications such as ISO 9001, AS9100, and Level I/NAVSEA approvals, and to provide examples of past performance. Four documents accompany the notice: the RFI itself, the NIIN list, a draft document titled AM 1423 Non-Level 1, and draft Section H contract language.
The RFI requests feedback on performance-based incentive structures for Firm-Fixed-Price contracts, as well as on the evaluation criteria NAVSUP could use when awarding contracts competitively.
Vendors are also encouraged to register their AM capabilities in the NAVSUP Interested Vendor Database.
Defense Buyers Test New Routes for Sourcing AM Parts
How the RFI is structured suggests NAVSUP is trying to avoid setting contract terms in isolation. By asking suppliers to weigh in on both incentive structures and evaluation criteria before drafting a solicitation, the agency appears to be testing whether its commercial approach will draw enough qualified participants to sustain competition. That matters for a procurement category where the qualified supplier pool is still developing.
The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) awards AM parts contracts under the Joint Additive Manufacturing Acceptance (JAMA) Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity Pilot Parts Program, part of a Department of Defense effort to modernize procurement. Under JAMA, Applied Rapid Technologies (ART) received a prime contractor designation in March. The vehicle is meant to source flight-safety-critical and mission-essential AM parts. It also aims to validate manufacturing processes, engage the defense industrial base, and confirm that 3D printed components meet acceptance standards for critical military applications. JAMA and NAVSUP’s RFI both address how defense buyers procure AM parts. The two differ in stage: JAMA is an awarded contract vehicle, while NAVSUP is still gathering input before setting its terms.
On the submarine side, AML3D secured an AU$2.61 million (US$1.84 million) order in March to produce five non-safety critical replacement components that are no longer available from the original equipment manufacturer. The order was signed through BlueForge Alliance, a nonprofit supporting the Navy’s Submarine Industrial Base, and followed Navy hydrostatic testing of AML3D parts. That case is an order with one supplier for a defined set of obsolete components. NAVSUP’s RFI surveys the market across 129 parts and anticipates that Level I and SUBSAFE items may eventually become eligible.
Those efforts buy AM parts through an existing vehicle or a specific order. NAVSUP’s RFI goes a step earlier, asking suppliers to help shape contract terms ahead of a solicitation.
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Featured image shows Navsup Logo. Image via Navsup.
