Advance Planning Brief for Industry for Extreme Cold Weather Clothing

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION: US ARMY ADVANCE PLANNING BRIEF FOR INDUSTRY (APBI) REGARDING THE IDENTIFICATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF NEXT GENERATION COLD WEATHER/ARCTIC MATERIALS AND DESIGNS Synopsis: The US Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center (NSRDEC) in collaboration with the Product Manager for Soldier Clothing and Individual Equipment (PdM-SCIE), and the Maneuver Center of Excellence (MCoE) will conduct an APBI for the purpose of informing industry on efforts to be conducted over FY17-FY19 to identify/develop novel technologies and ensemble designs in handwear, footwear, and clothing that will support future programs of record. The primary focus is improved extreme cold weather performance that exceeds the requirements of existing handwear, footwear, and clothing. Consideration should be given to novel materials, novel designs, alternate layering configurations of the base, insulation, and outer shell, moisture management (internal and external), as well as integration of flame/no melt/no drip protection. The ensemble will need to integrate with body armor and load bearing equipment. Specifications and information on current items in the Extended Cold Weather Clothing System (ECWCS) and Fire Resistant Environmental Ensemble (FREE) are available for review. Examples of recommended performance criteria for clothing (T=Threshold, O=Objective): 1) Provide environmental protection to -50F(T) and -65F(O) and maintain thermoregulation core temperature of 98F-100F. 2) Next-to-skin components must not melt and drip when exposed to flame. IE., next-to-skin components must not contribute to additional injury. 3) Outer layers must have Moisture Vapor Transmission Rate (MVTR) per ASTM E96 procedure BW(with military specification modifications) of 4200g/m2/24hours(T) and greater than 6000g/m2/24hours(O). 4) Base layers would need to dry per AATCC 201 at 1.5mL/hr(T) and 3mL/hr(O). 5) Base layers would need to wick per AATCC 198 at 75mm2/sec(T) and 155mm2/sec(O). INDUSTRY DAY An Advance Planning Brief for Industry (APBI) to present additional information regarding the next generation ensemble and the submittal process for materials, design concepts, prototypes and/or end items will be held in conjunction with the Outdoor Retailer Show in Salt Lake City, Utah on 4 August 2016 from 0800-1000 hrs at the Hilton Salt Lake City Center, 255 Southwest Temple St., Salt Lake City, UT, 84101. The brief will be followed by individual meetings. Individual meeting requests should be sent via e-mail (with the subject heading "APBI Meeting Request") to Kate Young at kate.c.young.civ@mail.mil by 22 July 2016. Please provide the name, position or title of the attendees, contact information, topics to be discussed, and business size. Meeting time per source will be limited to 20 minutes. A limited number of individual sessions are available. Meeting requests after the deadline will not be fulfilled unless space is available. At this time no written or material submissions are required or will be accepted. POC: Kate Young, kate.c.young.civ@mail.mil, 508-233-6398.