--Excera: 40 New Ceramic Tile Based Ballistic Inserts

The U.S. Army Research, Development, and Engineering Command (RDECOM) Natick Contracting Division, acting on behalf of the Soldier Systems Center in Natick, MA, plans to award a sole source purchase order to Excera Materials Group, Inc. This procurement, conducted under Federal Acquisition Regulation provisions for sole source and commercial item acquisitions, involves obtaining 40 ceramic tile-based ballistic inserts for testing and evaluation. Excera Materials Group is the exclusive provider of these proprietary ceramic plates, which have previously been qualified and utilized for the Program Executive Office Soldier's SAPI plates. The purpose of this acquisition is to support the evaluation of newly developed ceramic inserts by the Program Executive Office Soldier, underscoring Excera’s unique capability and technology in this specialized field. The solicitation, identified as USA-SNOTE-060613-003 and posted on June 13, 2006, is managed from Natick, Massachusetts, with the place of performance also tied to the Army’s facilities. Interested parties or those seeking further information are directed to contact Ms. Judy A. Collier at the Natick Contracting Division. The announcement period for this acquisition closes at noon on June 22, 2006, and the contract is categorized under NAICS code 339999, which pertains to miscellaneous manufacturing. This streamlined acquisition ensures the Army maintains access to cutting-edge protective materials integral to soldier survivability without a competitive bidding process, due to the proprietary nature and sole source status of Excera’s ceramic ballistic inserts.