M109 Family of Vehicles Production (FY24)

DESCRIPTION OF INTENT: THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes. No contract will be awarded from this announcement. This is not a Request for Proposal (RFP) or an announcement of a forthcoming solicitation, nor is it a request seeking contractors to be placed on a solicitation mailing list. Response to this RFI is voluntary and no reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to it and any follow-on information requests. Data submitted in response to this RFI will not be returned. No solicitation document exists at this time, and calls requesting a solicitation will not be answered. DISCLAIMER: Reference herein to any specific commercial company, product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or the Department of the Army (DA). The opinions of the authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or the DA, and shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes. PROPRIETARY INFORMATION: It is the responsibility of Industry, when providing any comments/responses, to properly mark such information that is considered proprietary or is otherwise restricted. The United States Government (USG) is not obligated to protect unmarked data. Nor is the Government obligated for like data in possession of third parties or for data which is afterwards placed in the public domain by the contractor or by third parties through no fault of the USG. Should the USG need to reproduce the protected data for distribution purposes between Government offices, all such data will be reproduced with restrictive legends in place. The USG acknowledges its obligations under the Federal Acquisition Regulation 3.104-4 to protect confidential information provided to the Government (18 U.S.C. - 1905). Pursuant to this statute, the USG is willing to accept any trade secrets or proprietary restrictions placed upon qualifying data forwarded in response to this RFI and to protect such information from unauthorized disclosure, subject to the following: -Qualifying data must be clearly marked PROPRIETARY and be accompanied by an explanatory text so that the Government is clearly notified as to exactly what data so qualifies. -Mark only data that is truly confidential. -Do not mark data that is already in the public domain or is already in possession of the USG or third parties on an unclassified basis. -Proprietary data transmitted electronically must have the PROPRIETARY legend on both the cover of the transmittal e-mail as well as at the beginning of the file. Proprietary information contained within the correspondence shall use the legends: "PROPRIETARY PORTION BEGINS" and "PROPRIETARY PORTION ENDS." Support Contractors: The Government sometimes uses support contractors in evaluating responses. Consequently, responses that contain proprietary information may receive only limited or no consideration since the Respondent's marking of data as "PROPRIETARY" will preclude disclosure outside the Government and therefore will preclude disclosure to these support contractors assisting the evaluation effort. The Government will use its best efforts to evaluate those responses that contain proprietary information without using support contractors consistent with the resources available. INSTRUCTIONS FOR RESPONDING TO THIS REQUEST: Responses to the RFI are due on 16 September 2024. Responses received after this, whether received by email or by mail, may not be considered. Please note that all questions and answers may be posted anonymously to this website. The cut-off date for questions is 29 August 2024. Questions that are received by this office after the deadline will be considered late and may not be answered. Responses to this request for information should be sent via e-mail to Brianna Davis and Lama Altattan at Brianna.N.Davis21.civ@army.mil and Lama.Altattan.civ@army.mil, respectively. You are requested to put "M109 FY24 Production" in the subject line of the e-mail and attachments shall be in MS Word or PDF format. Any request for clarifications shall also be addressed to Brianna Davis and Lama Altattan at Brianna.N.Davis21.civ@army.mil and Lama.Altattan.civ@army.mil, respectively. PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: M109 Family of Vehicles (FOV) The M109 FOV is a dominant artillery system providing the effects of massed and precision indirect fires and re-supply of artillery ammunition on the battlefield. The M109A7 is an aluminum armored, full-tracked 155mm self-propelled howitzer. It is operated by a crew of four, including the driver. The M109A7 is an upgrade to the M109A6 in that it includes increases in force protection and survivability, mobility, responsiveness of fires, Space, Weight, and Power (SWaP) capacity, and an enhanced Network Capability and Situational Awareness. The M992A3 (Carrier, Ammunition, Tracked) provides tactical and operational fires during both offensive and defensive operations and is the companion vehicle that supplies the M109A7 with ammunition. The M992A3 is an upgrade to the M992A2 Field Ammunition Artillery Support Vehicle (FAASV). OBJECTIVE: The objective of this Request for Information (RFI) is to identify potential sources that may be capable of performing this requirement. GENERAL INFORMATION: There is no risk to respondents for participating in this RFI. Participation in this effort is strictly voluntary with no cost or obligation to be incurred by the U.S. Government. The U.S. Government will in no way be bound to this information if any solicitation is issued. However, this is an important opportunity for industry to provide input on this program. This RFI, and all information herein, is for informational planning purposes only and does not constitute a "Request for Proposal or Invitation for Bid," nor is it to be construed as a commitment by the U.S. Government. GOAL: To identify contractors that have the facilities, capacity and capability to produce the M109A7 and M992A3. Please include any and all anticipated costs and schedules to support the requirement. Please also note these effects under "Cost/Schedule." SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION: Request for access to the documents listed below assisting in answering the RFI questions shall be submitted to Brianna Davis and Lama Altattan at Brianna.N.Davis21.civ@army.mil and Lama.Altattan.civ@army.mil, respectively. Contractor's CAGE code shall be provided along with this request for evaluation to see if requestors qualify to receive the restricted documents. If granted, contractors are responsible for protecting, handling and transmitting docuements that may be classified or controlled as CUI, correctly and appropriately. (1) M109A7 PIM-SPH Performance Specification* (2) M992A3 PIM-CAT Performance Specification* (3) M109A7 Final Inspection Report (4) M992A3 Final Inspection Report (5) M109A7/M992A3 Vehicle delivery schedule *Although these documents are subject to change, please study these documents carefully, as any significant deviation from the existing interface requirements would likely render a product unsuitable in light of the urgency of this effort. INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING THIS RFI: 1. Please respond to every question. 2. Number each response with the appropriate question number. 3. Questions do not have to be repeated in the response. 4. A "No Response" indication can be provided for those question with no answer. 5. If a response will satisfy another question, state: "See response to question XX." 6. Include relevant sales media and product manuals. If providing an ACROBAT formatted manual, annotate the manual to indicate which material is applicable to the questions. If preferred, include Internet Web links to locations where animations/videos may be viewed. 7. If providing sales media and/or manuals containing a restricted distribution statement, issue a release statement indicating that the restricted material may be distributed to Army personnel involved with this RFI. 8. Spell out any acronyms in their first instance. 9. Clearly mark any proprietary information. If applicable, the front page of the response package should state, "Proprietary Information Contained." ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION: 1. Manufacturer a. Name: b. Mailing Address: c. CAGE: DUNs Number: Business Type (Check all that apply); 8(a) Minority Owned Disabled Veteran Small Business Hub Zone Small-Disadvantaged Large Business Women Owned 2. Personnel Responding to this Questionnaire a. Name: b. Title: c. Responsibility/Position: d. Telephone/Fax Numbers: e. E-mail address: Questions, comments, or concerns, should be addressed to: Brianna Davis, Contract Specialist, by phone at 571-588-9062 or by email at Brianna.N.Davis21.civ@army.mil . Alternate point of contact is Lama Altattan; Lama.Altattan.civ@army.mil: 571.588.8784. All product brochures and/or literature that cannot be sent via email can be sent to: Army Contracting Command- Detroit Arsenal, 6501 E. 11 Mile Rd, ATTN: Brianna Davis, SFAE-GCS-FC, BLDG 229, Mail Stop: 531, Warren, MI 48397-5000. QUESTIONAIRE TRACKED OR WHEELED COMBAT VEHICLE SYSTEMS INFORMATION 1. What Tracked or Wheeled Combat Vehicle Systems has your company manufactured for the U.S. Government? a. Model Number: b. Manufacturing Plant Location: c. Fully Loaded Combat Weight: 2. For the systems built, please describe their complexity (e.g., vehicle electronics, powertrain technologies, weapons system technologies, software development, etc.). 3. For the systems built, what was the manufacturing rate? 4. Production History a. How long has your company been producing Tracked or Wheeled Combat Vehicle Systems? b. How many of these systems has your company produced and at what production rate? c. What facilities, tools and equipment are used to build the system(s)? d. What quality processes is in place at the production facility? e. If your company were to manufacture the M109A7/M992A3, please describe your company's ability to adapt existing facilities, tools, equipment, processes, etc. for this purpose. f. If existing production lines will not be used to build the M109A7/M992A3, please specify where and in what facility (new construction, sub-contractor facility, etc.) they would be made. What would be the lead-time to facilitate? g. Define your configuration management process (e.g., CM tools). h. Describe the skill set of the workforce that would be used to perform the work; including technical, management and labor (e.g., years of experience, certifications, etc.). i. Advise of the hiring/recruiting process. Does your organization/company have established relationships with Universities, Colleges, Trade schools for access to technically skilled labor? j. Describe your organizations/company's experience relative to welding steel and aluminum armor, and ballistic joints. To what armor weld standards/codes have you previously performed to? 5. Production (for systems your organization built) a. What is the current monthly rate of production for these systems at your facility? Are single or multiple shifts currently being manned? b. What is the minimum production rate to sustain the production line? Does your organization project meeting its minimum production rate for the next 5 to 10 years with current requirements? Is this based on a single shift or multiple shifts? If multiple shifts, please quantify per shift. c. What is the maximum production capability per month? What is your organizations total facility production capacity? 6. Same questions as in No. 5 above. Except estimate answers as if your organization was manufacturing the M109A7/M992A3. Please refer to the M109A7/M992A3 vehicle delivery schedule for quantity requirements per year. 7. Engineering Support in Production a. Please describe technologies your organization has designed, developed and/or integrated into existing tracked combat systems. b. Please provide examples that demonstrate your organization's/company's ability to successfully resolve issues/concerns on the production line, rework drawings, rework material and maintain quality. c. For what U.S. Government contracts and projects has your organization provided Engineering Support in Production? 8. Quality a. How much time would be required to develop and qualify your organizations manufacturing processes and equipment to produce the M109A7 and M992A3? b. What Quality Management System (QMS) is utilized at your organizations production facility? Does it have 3rd party certification? c. Is your organizations Capability Maturity Model Integration certified; and at what level? d. Describe your organizations QMS procedures relative to product/process verification in the following areas: supplier provided components, in-house manufactured components, receiving operations, in-process/assembly operation and final inspection/release. e. What is your organizations history with DCMA/USG issued Corrective Action Requests (CAR)? Discuss any Level II or III CARs issued to include reason for issuance, how it was resolved and time frame it took to resolve. f. What is your organizations history with product recalls and/or major rework? Discuss any product recalls or major rework, identifying the product/major re-work effort and how it was handled/resolved. g. Describe the methods used at your organizations production facility to control manufacturing and assembly processes, to include techniques for error proofing. h. Describe through experiences/examples of your organizations use of Key Performance indicators/metrics relative to defect reduction and continuous improvement. Describe the associated data collection and analysis approach. COST/SCHEDULE/PRODUCTION RATE 1. Cost and Schedule: a. How long after production contract award can your company deliver a vehicle for Production Verification Test (PVT)? b. Please describe any price impacts of production rate or schedule (e.g., a production interruption charge). c. Discuss any impacts material lead times would have on production rate/schedule. LIFE CYCLE SUPPORT 1. Parts and Supplies: a. For combat systems your organization manufactures, what long lead time replacement parts are associated with maintenance or operation? How often do they need replacement? Please provide reasonable predictions for the M109A7/M992A3 platforms. b. What spare parts or supplies would your organization recommend stocking and why? Again, please provide reasonable predictions for the M109A7/M992A3 platform. c. What specialized tools or Test, Measurement and Diagnostic Equipment (TMDE) does your organization have on hand to produce the M109A7/M992A3 platform? Do you anticipate the need for additional TMDE to produce the M109A7/M992A2 platform? d. Does your organization have any experience with any other U.S. Government or commercial supply support agencies? If so, please describe. 2. Supply Chain a. Discuss the structure of your organization Supply Chain group. b. Would current manpower allow your organizations Supply Chain Group to support a program of this magnitude? c. Discuss your organizations current processes for reviewing drawings/data with potential suppliers before bid and sourcing. d. Does your organization have a vendor information request (VIR) process? i. If yes, how is it managed? ii. Is travel to suppliers done on a regular basis to check up on suppliers?