--Chemical Protective Ensemble Cooling Garment

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 domestic products, suppliers and manufacturers of a Cooling Garment (CG) compa tible with the STEPO and ITAP ensembles. Cooling garments worn inside of the STEPO and ITAP suits must be compatible with SCBA and Rebreathers and internal hose couplings. Any CG parts outside of the STEPO and ITAP suits must be compatible with the current integrated suit passthrough for cooling. External Passthroughs are dual 3/8 chrome plated brass quick couplings. Internal hose couplings are designed to integrate with 3/8 quick couplings. Pictures will be supplied at manufactures request. The Cooling G arment must be a commercial off the shelf (COTS) item that will not require additional research and development. The following capabilities are critical requirements: (1) CG shall be capable of removing an average of 175 Watts of heat from the user at an ambient temperature of 90'F. (2) The CG shall have no measurable electromagnetic radiation or interference within 9 inches of the system. Nor shall the CG emit more than 50 decibels of noise at 2 meters. (3) The CG shall be capable of operating for no le ss than two hours at its highest speed. If change out of batteries or cooling medium is required to meet the two hour requirement then the design must allow the change out of batteries and cooling medium in a contaminated environment without compromising protection. In addition to these requirements the CG 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. Any external components of th e CG that are not inside of the STEPO and ITAP suits shall provide 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 w ell as phosgene and hydrazine, and POL products (gasoline, rocket fuels, JP8 and oxidizers). The CG 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). The CG shall be capable of being washed/cleaned a minimum of 20 times. The CG shall be able to operate in temperatures ranging from 50 F to 120 F with no loss of protection or functionality over that temperature range. The garment shall have a minimum wear life of 200 hours under usual conditions and have a minimum shelf l ife of 5 years in a -25'F to 160'F environment without compromising the function or protection of the garment. The design of the CG and its auxiliary components must maximize soldier protection, safety, comfort, and user acceptance by weighing not more th an 10 lbs including batteries and cooling medium. The garment shall not interfere with the movements of the user or affect the normal functions of the user while performing a mission, and shall properly fit the central 90% of the military population based on the 5th percentile female through the 95th percentile male.. All safety hazards associated with the operation, maintenance, transportation, storage, and handling of the garment 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 rega rding a firms experience, personnel, and facilities. Information should include, but not limited too, product cost, technical information (e. g. physical properties, performance characteristics, test methodology (e.g. AS TM, UL), certification/compliance (NFPA, ANSI/OSHA), material identification, and MSDS), illustrations and designs, color availability, warranty terms, relevant company background/experience, ISO 9000 certification, and any other information that the compa ny 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 Governme nt 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 is 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 solicitation package for development prototyp es. 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