83--Intent to award a sole source contract to Production Products Manufacturing & Sales Co., Inc.

Introduction: Pursuant to FAR Subpart 13.106-1(b)(1), the U.S. Army Research, Development, and Engineering (RDEC) Acquisition Center, Natick Contracting Division, on behalf of the US Army STEFD directorate, intends to award a firm fixed price purchase order on a sole source basis to: Production Products Manufacturing & Sales Co., Inc., Saint Louis, MO 63138 THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS. NO SOLICITATION DOCUMENT IS AVAILABLE. RESPONSES WILL BE USED FOR FUTURE ACQUISITIONS ONLY. 2) Nature and description of the supplies or services required to meet the agency's needs: The System being procured is a Chemical Biological Protective liner system that has the ability to be able to be placed over mission equipment (I.e. has not floor), and can seal to the floor without needing anchoring equipment that would need to be attached (drilled, glued, etc.) to the floor. This system is being procured so that it can be evaluated for use in the Collectively Protected Deployable Medical System (CP-DEPMEDS) specifically to protect two major components of the system 1) the Expeditionary Deployable Concentrated Oxygen System EDOCS and 2) the Sterilizer contained in the Central Medical Supply Tent. The ability to protect these components against CBRNE agents would greatly enhance the CP-DEPMEDS ability to operate in a CB environment. 3) A demonstration that the proposed contractor is the only source available to provide these services or goods (i.e. unique qualifications, proprietary rights, etc.): The unique requirements that the proposed source has, that cannot be satisfied by other products are: The system's ability to be placed over existing mission equipment without having to move the equipment Being able to securely anchor the system to the floor surrounding the equipment without the need to drive anchors into the surrounding area . Providing a near air tight sea l that is critical to the Chemical Biological protection of the enclosed area. Being man portable (i.e. capable of being able to move the components of the system without the need for material handling equipment. 4) A description of the market research that was conducted and the resultsJ or a statement of the reason a market research was not conducted: After researching the market for portable collective protection, it appears that most commercially available systems fall into three categories: (1) heavyweight all-in-one systems that serve as both shelter and collective protection, (2) lightweight "clean room" style systems that can be erected in a variety of locations in a variety of ways (frame-supported, hanging from ceiling, etc.), and (3) auxiliary equipment that provides collective protection to an existing dwelling. Unfortunately none of these categories is suitable for the EDOC/CMS collective protection shelter, due to its expeditionary nature and its position in the overall CP DEPMEDS layout. A heavyweight system is not feasible because the EDOC and CMS are already housed inside a soft-walled shelter in the CP DEPMEDS layout. This soft walled shelter cannot be replaced or eliminated, so the collective protection that is used must be able to seamlessly reside inside of the existing shelter without disturbing the layout. A lightweight "clean room," is also not feasible as it does not appear to be compatible with overpressurization or provide complete protection (openings along the floor). Also, these systems are typically supported by a frame, which may not fit inside the existing shelter; or hanging mechanisms, which may not integrate well with the existing shelter frame. Applying auxiliary collective protection equipment is not practical because the shelter that currently hosts the EDGC/CMS is not airtight enough to apply collective protection without some sort of liner. In conclusion, the system proposed by Production Products is most appropriate for this application. The Non Destructive Anchoring system employed by the system allows it to be utilized in the shelter that currently hosts the EDGC/CMS without any interference with the DEPMEDS layout. It also has been designed and tested to maintain overpressure and function as an effective "shelter within a shelter" collective protection system, which is ideal for this purpose. 5) Any other facts supporting the use of other than full and open competition: The proposed supplier is currently providing a similar item as part of the Joint Program ManagerProtection (JPM-P) Joint Expeditionary Collective Protection (JECP) program. This program is currently producing Production Qualification Test PQT prototypes that include the same technology. If successful, the JECP program will proceed to Type Classify the JECP making the items available through the JECP program. 6) A statement of the actions, ifany, the agency may take to remove or overcome any barriers to competition before any subsequent acquisition for the supplies or services required: The item being procured under this effort is being used to evaluate the feasibility to protect the EDOC/CMS from Chemical and Biological agents. If the evaluation is successful, action will be taken to make this item part of the JECP family of shelters. The JECP program is procuring the technical data necessary to allow for full and open competition in the future. Interested parties may identify their interest and capability to respond to this requirement to the US Army ACC-APG, Natick Contracting Division via email to: contact@example.gov no later than 12:00 Noon (EST) on July 25, 2011. Contracting Office Address: ACC-APG Contracting Center - Natick CCAP-SCN, Natick Contracting Division 100 Medway Road Milford, MA 01757 POC: Ryan Colgan +1 (555) 000-0000 contact@example.gov