--Chemical Protective Boots

The Product Manager- Clothing and Individual Equipment (PM-CIE) at the Soldier and Biological Chemical Command, Natick, MA is conducting a market investigation to identify products, suppliers and manufacturers of Chemical Protective Boots. The boots shall be a single layer system compatible with the STEPO and ITAP ensembles. The STEPO and ITAP suits have integral booties directly attached to the suits; any boot with a height greater than 18 from the top of the insole to top of the boot will not be c ompatible. Pictures will be supplied at manufactures request. The Chemical Protective Boots must be a commercial off the shelf (COTS) item that will not require additional research and development. The following capabilities are critical requirements: (1) The Chemical Protective Boot shall provide complete protection for a period of 4 hours from chemical warfare agents (12g/m2 challenge of CW agents HD, GB, VX, and L), 21 industrial chemicals as defined in NFPA 1991 2000 ed section 5.5-1 as well as phosgen e and hydrazine, and POL products (gasoline, rocket fuels, JP8 and oxidizers) on the foot and lower leg. (2) The Chemical Protective Boot shall be capable of being decontaminated and reused for at least five cycles after 100mg/m3 vapor contamination with GB. There shall be no degradation in protection following exposure to decontaminating agent (bleach, STB, High-Test Hypochlorite (HTH) and Sodium Hydroxide). (3) The Chemical Protective Boot shall provide Gas Tight Integrity to meet the requirements speci fied in NFPA 1991 2000 ed section 4-3.5 (4) The Chemical Protective Boot shall meet the Puncture Resistance requirements as defined in NFPA 1991 2000 ed section 5.5-4 and 5-5.6 and the Abrasion Resistance requirements as defined in NFPA 1991 2000 ed secti on 5.5-7 In addition to these requirements the Chemical Protective Boot shall not generate or hold a charge sufficient to set off munitions and explosives in accordance with Explosive Safety Board. ESB information is located in DA-PAM-385-64. The Chemica l Protective Boot shall provide Impact and Compression Resistance as specified in NFPA 1991 2000 ed section 5-5.5 The boots shall be capable of being washed/cleaned a minimum of 20 times. The Chemical Protective Boot shall be able to operate in temperatures ranging from 15 F to 120 F with no loss of protection or functionality over that temperature range. The boots shall have a minimum service life of 5 missions under usual conditions a nd have a minimum shelf life of 5 years in a -25'F to 160'F environment without compromising the protection of the boots. The design of the Chemical Protective Boot must maximize the Soldiers protection, safety, comfort, and user acceptance by being equa l to or lighter than the current M2A1 TAP Boot and easier to don and doff. The boots shall have no tripping or snagging hazard, and shall not severally impair or affect the normal functions of performing a mission. The boots shall properly fit the central 90% of the military population based on the 5th percentile female through the 95th percentile male soldier. All safety hazards associated with the operation, maintenance, transportation, storage, and handling of the boots shall be eliminated or reduced to an acceptable risk level. Any potential health hazards shall be identified. Interested firms are requested to submit information on their product(s) within thirty (30) days following the publication of this synopsis. Interested sources shall include information detailed in the CBD Note 25 regarding a firms experience, personnel, and facilities. Information sh ould include, but not limited too, product cost, technical information (e. g. physical properties, performance characteristics, test methodology (e.g. ASTM, UL), certification/compliance (NFPA, ANSI/OSHA), material identification, and MSDS), illustrations and designs, color availability, warranty terms, relevant company background/experience, ISO 9000 certification, a nd any other information that the company believes demonstrates the value of their product(s) and ability to meet the requirements. Companies are also encouraged to submit samples for evaluation. Any information/samples submitted will not be returned, and no payment will be made by the Government for such samples. Responses to this notice are to be sent to Mr. David Phelps, Product Manager- Clothing and Individual Equipment (PM-CIE), ATTN: AMSSB-PM-RST-E(N), Kansas St., Natick, MA 01760-5019. This notice i s for a market survey only. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR QUOTATIONS. No solicitation document exists. The information received under this announcement may in the future be used to purchase items by the Government for testing and/or the preparation of a solici tation package for development prototypes. POC for this request is David Phelps +1 (555) 000-0000, FAX +1 (555) 000-0000, or email contact@example.gov Email your questions to US Army Robert Morris Acquisition Center at contact@example.gov