CLARIFICATION: 1. The objective of this effort is to develop a new wildland fire fighter uniform system that improves wearer protection and reduces user heat stress while conducting fire fighting operations. The uniform system may or may not consist of multiple garments. 2. The material performance values for Radiant Protection Performance (RPP) and the Total Heat Loss (THL) that exceed NFPA 1977-2005, refer to system level performance. A single layer of material that meets or exceeds this threshold is desirable, however, multiple layers of material that meet or exceed these thresholds will also be considered. 3. If multiple layers of materials are used to achieve the required RPP of 10, the multiple layers are desired to still meet the THL minimum requirement of 500. 4. Any single material being considered for the outer garment must meet all requirements of NFPA 1977 as certification of the outer garment is an objective of this program. 5. In addition, outer garment materials should be certifiable to NFPA 1975. 6. As a result of this change, the closing date has been extended to Friday, 20 May, 2011. This Is A Request For Information Announcement For Purposes Of Conducting Market Research Only. There Is No Solicitation Available At This Time. Requests For A Solicitation Will Not Receive A Response. The U. S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center (NSRDEC) is conducting market research to identify flame resistant fabric materials that meet or exceed criteria defined in NFPA 1977-2005, Standard on Protective Clothing and Equipment for Wildland Fire Fighting and are suitable for use in a wild land fire fighter uniform. The National Protection Center (NPC), NSRDEC, is conducting this effort on behalf of the Department of Homeland Security, Science and Technology Directorate. The objective of this program is to develop a new wild land fire fighter uniform system that will improve the current level of flame and heat protection while decreasing the heat stress of the wearer during fire fighting operations. This information will be used to select uniform materials for this application. The system will consist of an outer garment and next to skin inner layer garments. All outer garment materials must meet the requirements of NFPA 1977-2005 and the following levels of protection and comfort, as determined by the following test methods: 1. Physical Characteristics a. Tearing Strength, per ASTM D 1424 - 5 lb. min. b. Dimensional Stability, AATCC 135 - 5.0 max 2. Comfort - a. Total Heat Loss (THL), per ASTM F 1868 - THL shall be 500 or greater. b. Air permeability, per ASTM D 737 - No specific performance level is required. 3. Protection - a. Radiant Protective Performance (RPP), per ASTM 1939 - RPP shall be 10 or greater. b. Thermal Shrinkage, per NFPA 1977-2005 - 10% max c. Flame Resistance (FR), per ASTM F 6413. i. After flame - 2 seconds max ii. Char length - 4 inches max iii. Melt/drip - none Next to skin inner layer garments must meet the no melt/no drip criteria of ASTM F 6413. Material data for air permeability, per ASTM D 737 is desired. Technical testing data for the above criteria must be included in your response. Data should include the test results, who performed the testing, and when it was performed. Complete testing reports are not required. This information will be evaluated by the program office. Based on the technical data provided by each respondent, the program office will determine if materials require additional test and evaluation. The results of this program will be used by California Wild Land Fire Fighters to make decisions regarding the selection of materials for next generation duty uniforms. Because this material is not intended for a Department of Defense or a Department of Homeland Security application nor is the procurement of a wild land fire fighter duty uniform subject to FEMA grant funding, this survey is open to all sources of textile material, both foreign and domestic, to include small businesses. The sourcing of material will need to be identified since individual state and local agencies may or may not have procurement rules or regulations pertaining to sourcing of materials or garments. Respondents to this request for information shall submit: 1. A physical description of the material, including weight per square yard. 2. Test data, in accordance with the criteria mentioned above, to characterize the comfort and performance of the material. 3. Indicate whether additional material is available for purchase and the lead time required for purchase. 4. Identify the sourcing (foreign or domestic) of the material. 5. Identify the cost of the material ($ USD/square yard). 6. Any information of prior use of this material in another uniform application. 7. Any attachments shall be in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format. The Government will not reimburse any business concern for any information submitted in response to this sources sought request. Submission of information or samples is voluntary. Any proprietary information will be held confidential. Business concerns submitting responses should indicate whether they are large, small, small disadvantaged, 8(a), HUBZone or service disabled veteran owned small business. Large business concerns are not prohibited from responding to this announcement. There is no planned procurement action that will accompany this program. All interested business concerns are required to respond to this request for information announcement via email no later than Friday, 20 May 2011, 3:00 p.m. EST. Responses must include company point of contact, email address, telephone and fax numbers. All interested business concerns responding to this announcement shall send their submission to Fred Chan via email at
contact@example.gov. All technical questions regarding this sources sought announcement should be directed via email towards Fred Chan at
contact@example.gov.
