66--Intent to award a sole source contract to Robert A. Denton, Inc.

The United States Army Research, Development & Engineering Command (RDECOM), through its Natick Contracting Division on behalf of the Natick Soldier Research, Development, and Engineering Center (NSRDEC), plans to award a sole source contract to Robert A Denton, Inc. for the procurement of a specialized FOCUS Headform device. This device, exclusively manufactured by Denton ATD, Inc., is unique in its ability to simultaneously measure force-deflection on the face and eyes, making it critical for testing and validating injury thresholds and developing standard test methodologies. This equipment was developed collaboratively by the U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory (USAARL), Virginia Tech-Wake Forest Center for Injury Biomechanics, and Denton ATD, reflecting its specialized nature and sole source justification. The contract is to be awarded without a solicitation or competitive bidding process under FAR 13.5, highlighting the distinctive nature of the equipment and the necessity of obtaining it from the sole manufacturer. The contracting action is accompanied by no request for proposal or solicitation document and remains open for inquiries directed to the contracting office until the synopsis expiration date of May 11, 2009. This procurement supports ongoing research and development efforts within the Department of Defense to enhance protective equipment testing capabilities.