How to Win FAA’s PTAC High-Stakes Aviation Contract

The Federal Aviation Administration’s Program Management Office (PMO) Technical Assistance Contract (PTAC) isn’t just another contract—it’s a chance to help shape the future of the National Airspace System (NAS). Covering nearly every aspect of aviation modernization, PTAC allows contractors to expand their technical footprint while supporting one of the nation’s most critical infrastructures. However, with opportunity comes complexity: a broad scope, high visibility, and risks that demand careful planning from the outset.

PTAC Description

The PTAC scope includes 28 functional task areas, covering systems and software engineering, cybersecurity, cloud migration, human factors, unmanned aircraft system integration, and more. Work will extend across the FAA’s acquisition lifecycle, from requirements definition through implementation and sustainment, requiring vendors to demonstrate depth in both technical execution and program management. Table 1 presents an overview of PTAC descriptors.

Table 1: PTAC at a Glance

The contract will demand close coordination with five PMO directorates: Integrated Services and Analysis, Air Traffic Systems, Enterprise Services, Surveillance Services, and Telecommunications. Offerors must be prepared to integrate efforts across multiple directorates, task orders, and external stakeholders, including other federal agencies, airport personnel, and system integrators.

Finally, the PTAC will require contractors to operate in a highly regulated and security-sensitive environment. With task orders potentially involving classified work up to the Secret level, offerors must demonstrate compliance with FAA and DOD security requirements while maintaining continuity of operations. Success will depend on an offeror’s ability to balance technical innovation with disciplined program management, workforce continuity, and risk mitigation.

Potential PTAC Risks

Offerors must demonstrate technical excellence and the ability to manage transition, workforce, integration, and compliance risks. Addressing these risks directly in proposals is critical to building evaluator confidence and positioning for a win.

• Transition Risks: The FAA anticipates a 90-day transition period, requiring a seamless handoff from incumbent contractors. Offerors must demonstrate how they will mitigate staffing gaps, knowledge transfer issues, and schedule slippage.
• Workforce Continuity: With hundreds of skill sets in play, ensuring recruitment, retention, and cleared personnel across diverse technical areas is challenging.
• Integration Complexity: The PMO’s broad mission means vendors need to synchronize efforts across multiple directorates, task orders, and contractors, thereby raising risks related to coordination and accountability.
• Security and Compliance: The scope includes sensitive and classified work, requiring facility clearances, cybersecurity measures, and compliance with FAA and DOD directives.

Questions Offerors Should Consider Asking the FAA About PTAC

Asking the right questions of FAA stakeholders now can help shape compliant, competitive proposals. Here are some topics of discussion you might consider.

• How does the FAA envision PTAC contractors contributing to NextGen and NAS modernization priorities?
• What lessons learned from the current Program Support Services (PSS) and Air Traffic Engineering and Program Support (ATEPS) contracts are being applied to PTAC?
• What are the FAA’s top concerns regarding workforce continuity across critical skill areas like cybersecurity, cloud engineering, and surveillance systems?
• How will the FAA measure success across such a broad portfolio of task orders?
• Which functional task areas are expected to be most heavily used in the first year of the contract?
• What integration challenges does the FAA anticipate across directorates and external stakeholders (e.g., DOD, DHS, NASA)?

Conclusion

The FAA PTAC is more than a contract—it’s an opportunity to shape the NAS’s safety, efficiency, and innovation. However, success demands meticulous preparation, disciplined program management, and compelling proposal strategies that minimize risk and highlight strengths.

At Lohfeld Consulting, we’ve helped contractors win some of the government’s most complex aviation and IT contracts. From developing compliant, high-scoring proposals to building transition and staffing plans that evaluators trust, we bring the strategies and expertise you need to compete and win.

👉 Contact Lohfeld Consulting today to position your team for success on PTAC and beyond.

Relevant Information

• How to Thrive in Turbulence: GovCon’s Winning Edge

• Winning Strategies for Task Orders: Lohfeld’s Approach

• Spotting “AI Speak” in Proposals — and Why It Matters

By Brenda Crist, Vice President at Lohfeld Consulting Group, MPA, CPP APMP Fellow

Lohfeld Consulting Group has proven results specializing in helping companies create winning captures and proposals. As the premier capture and proposal services consulting firm focused exclusively on government markets, we provide expert assistance to government contractors in Capture Planning and Strategy, Proposal Management and Writing, Capture and Proposal Process and Infrastructure, and Training. In the last 3 years, we’ve supported over 550 proposals winning more than $170B for our clients—including the Top 10 government contractors. Lohfeld Consulting Group is your “go-to” capture and proposal source! Start winning by contacting us at www.lohfeldconsulting.com and join us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube^(TM).