Filling and Sealing of Pouches for Reduced MRE Packaging Size

SYNOPSIS: This Sources Sought Announcement is to assist the US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command - Soldier Center (DEVCOM-SC) to identify potential sources to provide information to conduct the filling and sealing of tri-laminate foil and polymer non-foil pouches with mixed nuts and marshmallow crisp recovery bars. The Government requests that responses be submitted electronically to jared.c.carson.civ@army.mil by 29May2023 Description: DEVCOM-SC is conducting a Request for Information (RFI) on technologies or capabilities to reduce food packaging volume and requires the filling and sealing of food pouches with a "nut-raisin mix with pan coated chocolate disks" (2.3oz) and a "salted caramel marshmallow crisp recovery bar" (4.5 in x 2 in x 0.5 in). There will be two sets of pouches to be filled: a tri-laminate foil-based pouch (.002in PE/ 0.00035in aluminum foil/ 0.0005in PET) and a polymer composite non-foil pouch (Toppan GL-RD 12 micron). 376 pouches are required for each food/pouch material combination for testing (nuts/foil, nuts/non-foil, bar/foil, bar/non-foil), and should be as small as possible while maintaining Army requirements for rough handling and shelf life/barrier. Specific Specifications: 1,504 pouches to be filled and sealed: (376) Nut raisin mix (2.3 oz) sealed in tri-laminate (376) Nut raisin mix (2.3 oz) sealed in polymer non-foil (376) Recovery bar sealed in tri-laminate (376) Recovery bar sealed in polymer non-foil Nut raisin mix pouches should have dimensions no larger than 5.25in x 3.5in (ignoring food thickness). Recovery bar pouches should have dimensions no larger than 5.25in x 2.75in (ignoring food thickness). Deliverables: All documentation submitted shall be submitted as MS Word, Adobe PDF, MS PowerPoint, Visio, or MS Excel files. Respondents: The White Paper should be written in respondent format, double spaced, and minimum font size of 10 pt. Paper should not exceed 12 pages, including cover. This paper should cover company information (company name, CAGE code, mailing address, and primary point of contact information (to include telephone number and email address). The paper should cover the 5 Ws, as applicable. (e.g., What, Where, When, Why and Who. Example focus areas: Please discuss any/all relevant current products and services that currently meet or will be able to meet the enclosed requirements. Vendors are encouraged to propose alternative products that may be able to meet or exceed the requirements. As applicable, please discuss how your product(s) was implemented within industry/Government. Please discuss, as applicable, proposed hardware used as part of the solution. For Foreign companies: Discuss how the proposer will be able to work with the US Government in the future (i.e, US subsidiary or partner) if required. Additional documentation accepted (and not included in the page count for the White Paper) includes, but is not limited to, the following: PowerPoint presentations, Training documentation, product specification sheets, user handbook/guides, pictures, link to demonstrations, test data, etc. Test, Certification and Accreditation (C&A) Documentation: Vendors are requested to provide any supporting documentation illustrating safety certification, government approval, test data, etc. Cost. Interested parties are invited to submit a response to this Sources Sought Announcement. THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT ANNOUNCEMENT ONLY This Sources Sought Announcement is issued solely for information and planning purposes and to identify interested sources. THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION. No contract will be awarded from this announcement. This Sources Sought does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future. It is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. Further, unsolicited proposals will not be accepted. Funding is not available at this time. The United States Army has not made a commitment to procure any of the items/services discussed, and release of this Sources Sought Announcement should not be construed as such a commitment or as authorization to incur cost for which reimbursement would be required or sought. Response to this Sources Sought Announcement is voluntary and no reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this and any follow-on information requests. All submissions become Government property and will not be returned. Not responding to this Sources Sought Announcement does not preclude participation in any future RFP if any is issued. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized on the beta.SAM.gov website. It is the responsibility of the potential responders to monitor this site for additional information pertaining to this subject. RESPONSES: Interested parties may identify their interest and capability by sending responses regarding this requirement to DEVCOM-SC via jared.c.carson.civ@army.mil ONLY no later than 29May2023. The U.S. Government will not pay for any information or administrative cost incurred in response to this Notice. All costs associated with responding to this Notice will be solely at the expense of the interested party. Please provide business size (indicate your socioeconomic status), applicable NAICS code, and CAGE code. If you hold a GSA Federal Supply Schedule contract, please identify your contract number. QUESTIONS: Any questions for clarification may be emailed to jared.c.carson.civ@army.mil and copy donna.m.glowka.civ@army.mil. Verbal questions will NOT be accepted. Questions shall NOT contain proprietary or classified information. An unattributed list of questions and answers will be published at the same web location of this Sources Sought Announcement. Contracting Office Address: BLDG 1 10 General Green Ave. Natick, Massachusetts 01760-5011