A--Military Clothing Production Research

Introduction: Pursuant to FAR Subpart 13.106-1(b)(1), the U.S. Army RDECOM Contracting Center, Natick Contracting Division, on behalf of the U.S. Army Warfighter Protection and Aerial Delivery Directorate (WarPAD), Natick Soldier RDE Center intends to award a sole source purchase order to Clemson University to support the establishment and improvement of military clothing production facilities in Afghanistan. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS. No solicitation document is available. 1. Nature and description of the supplies or services required to meet the agency's needs: Clemson will support a team of Defense Department subject matter experts in an assessment of the current state of the military clothing production facilities in Kabul, Afghanistan and assist them in developing a plan for US assistance to improve the breadth, volume and quality of products manufactured. 2. A demonstration that the proposed contractor is the only source available to provide these services or goods (i.e. unique qualifications, proprietary rights, etc.): Clemson is being awarded this purchase order contract on a sole source basis due to the compressed timeframe for performance (the assessment must be done in Mar-Apr 2010), their unique experience and knowledge in clothing production efficiency and process improvement, their prior experience supporting similar international efforts, and their extensive prior experience partnering with the Army on projects focused on production process improvements for the US military clothing and parachute industries. 3. A description of the market research that was conducted and the results, or a statement of the reason a market research was not conducted: No market research was conducted due to the urgency of this demand and the compressed timeframe for performance. 4. Any other facts supporting the use of other than full and open competition: None 5. A statement of the actions, if any, the agency may take to remove or overcome any barriers to competition before any subsequent acquisition for the supplies or services required: None 6. Interested parties may identify their interest and capability to respond to this requirement to the U.S. Army RDECOM Contracting Center, Natick Contracting Division via e-mail to: contact@example.gov no later than noon on March 9, 2010. Contracting Office Address: RDECOM Contracting Center - Natick CCRD-NA-SU, Natick Contracting Division Kansas Street, Building 1 Natick, MA 01760-5011 Point of Contact: Steven Streeter, Contract Specialist +1 (555) 000-0000 contact@example.gov