Offer of Aircraft. When Contractors offer aircraft to CRAF, they are agreeing to allow said aircraft to be assigned to CRAF Stages II and III as deemed necessary by the CRAF PMO. They also agree that a minimum of one (1) aircraft, which the Contractor may nominate, will be assigned to CRAF Stage I. The Contractor may identify additional aircraft, by tail number or quantity/type, for possible Stage I assignment. Aircraft accepted into the program will be assigned to the segment/section/element best matching the aircraft’s capabilities.

Assignment of Aircraft. After aircraft are offered and determined eligible for CRAF assignment, they are assigned to the CRAF stages, completing segments, sections, and elements independently of each other, by the CRAF PMO. When the total offered WBE exceeds the requirements specified in the above paragraph (b), assignments are made to fulfill the requirements to as close to the specified level as is reasonably possible. Stage assignments are final and not subject to dispute. The CRAF PMO reserves the right to assign aircraft, when necessary, to meet CRAF requirements, to include maintaining an appropriate mix of aircraft types for all stages. This maximizes CRAF planning and operational flexibility.

Stage I. For the long-range international section of CRAF, a minimum of one (1) aircraft from each Contractor, suitably equipped with required communication and navigation capabilities, and required life support systems/emergency equipment required to operate in trans-oceanic airspace and on international routes, will be assigned to Stage I. This aircraft will typically be the most capable aircraft, established by WBE or other characteristic as determined by the PMO. The Contractor may nominate an aircraft for Stage I assignment for CRAF PMO consideration. Contractors who desire additional aircraft assigned to Stage I, above the minimum as stated above, must indicate so on the [Appendix 3A], List of Aircraft identifying the additional aircraft by tail number or quantity/type, they are offering for assignment. After the minimum of one (1) aircraft from each Contractor has been assigned to Stage I, additional aircraft required to fulfill the requirement will be selected only from those specifically offered to Stage I as described above. The PMO will rank order the eligible carriers from highest WBE Stage I offer to lowest. The PMO will then select additional aircraft from those offered for Stage I assignment, alternating among the Contractors in the rank-ordered sequence in a “bricklaying” process, selecting the most capable remaining aircraft from each carrier. This process will continue until the requirement has been fulfilled or the available pool has been exhausted. Maximum flexibility is required in CRAF planning; therefore, in long-range international segment aircraft assignment considerations, Stage I passenger section should have a minimum of 80 percent wide body aircraft and Stage I cargo a minimum of 60 percent wide body aircraft. In order to limit the overreliance on any single carrier, the PMO retains the right to apply a cap to the amount of the Stage I requirement that any one carrier can fulfill. The cap will be determined by the CO based on the best interests of the Government.