BMS or VRS have done a pretty good job with their F-16 and F-18, respectively. And they don't have formal contracts with the USAF or US NAVY, beyond maybe some copyright arrangements with the aircraft manufacturers.
With the public information available, support from operators and some educated guess to fill the 'gaps', some features can perfectly be done without formal support from USAF. I'm thinking about laser mavericks, for example.
I'd pay for an A-10C 2.0 too but let's face it, probably it's not the case for the users majority. And ED is handcuffed about what he can do with the module, due to USAF arrangemets. But an independent party shouldn't face the same restrictions, since it doesn't have the same visibility to confidential data.
Regards!