H--Army Combat Uniform Continuatin of Demonstration Project of Supply Chain Management

The U.S. Army Research Development and Engineering Command (USA RDECOM) Natick Contracting Division (NCD), has a requirement on behalf of PM-CIE, to continue with the novel acqusition concept for the supply chain integration/management of various com ponents of the new Army Combat Uniform (ACU) Ensemble. The ACU Emsemble components to be managed under this effort are the ACU coat, ACU trousers, ACU Patrol Cap and ACU Sun Hat. This procurement is a Full and Open Competitive acquisition. The governmen t has previously awarded contracts to demonstrate this concept, however, there wasnt enough data collected during the duration to make a determination. Therefore, a new procurement is being solicited. The Government anticipates awarding a Firm Fixed Pri ce contract(s) with a period of performance of approximately five months (from date of award through 30 Sept 2006). The traditional approach of procuring garments for the military is challenging to both the Government (Army) and Industry. The Army faces the challenge of having the right quantity of garments, by size, at the right time to meet Soldier demands. Demand requirements are not constant, and given the current world situation with troops deploying in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), dema nd levels are even more unstable. Additional constratints in availability of funding and Governmental regulatory and statutory procedures exacerbate the Armys challenge. Industry is faced with the challenge of forecasting demand against this extremely d ynamic environment. As the Armys demand requirements continuously change, industry is faced with rapid changes to production. The impact of demand changes increase as they travel down the supply chain. This bullwhip effect results in stops and starts in production, and these stops and starts affect quality. Given these challenges and constraints, this demonstration project intends to address the issues on a small scale using selected components of the new ACU. This project will require successor off eror(s) to establish and maintain a continuous flow of product at least one (up to three) supply chains for a delivery period specifiedc by the contractor(s) while fielding the ACU to as many deploying troops as possible. Interested sources must have expe rience in manufacturing end items or materials used in the current Army Battle Dress Uniform (BDU) or ACU. The Government highly encourages souces to team with members of the supply chain for this continuing demonstration project and will consider any mem ber of the supply chain (garment manufacturer, dying & finishing manufacturer, greige good manufacture or yar manufacturer) to be the lead (prime) contractor. Multiple contracts are anticipated as follows: up to 3 contracts (awarded on a full and open co mpetitive basis) to contractor team(s) (1) to demonstrate a novel approach to supply chain management and (2) to produce and deliver selected components of the ACU. The government currently has a contract in place with Clemson Apparel Research (CAR). CAR has developed advanced supply chain management concetps as part of the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Apparel Research Network (ARN) MANTECH project. CAR will coordinate the supply chain by maintaining total asset visibility and providing synchronized re plenishment order, shipping and manufacturing recommendations based on the supply chain concepts and tools developed for the DLA ARN program. This novel acquisition concept is intended to demonstrate total supply chain management from raw materials to fin ished garment delivery. The goal of this demonstration is to reduce both cost and schedule, while increasing quality through leveling the production flow throughout the supply chain. The Army has set aside $9M for this continuing demonstration project, s ubject to any unforseen funding constraints. The applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code is 315211; small business size standard is 500 employees. It is anticipated that the ACU Solicitation, RFP W911QY-06-R-0003, will be posted to the USA RDECOM-NCD website at https://www3.natick.army.mil on or about 31 January 2006 with an estimated closing date of 3 March 2006. This acquisiti on is being conducted under the guidance of FAR Part 15. The Government anticipates making multiple contract awards (no more than three) for this acquisition, however, the Government reserves the right to award one or none. In accordance with FAR Part 5. 102 all documents associated with this acquisition will be released via the USA RDECOM NCD webpage at https://www3.natick.army.mil . No hard copies will be provided. Any questions shall be addressed to Peggy Dube via email at contact@example.gov a nd Darlene Rideout at contact@example.gov. Telephone inquires will not be accepted. Firms shall not be reimbursed for any costs associated with proposal preparation.