Medium Caliber 20mm and 25mm Ammunition Utilizing a Proximity Fuze

Medium Caliber 20mm and 25mm Ammunition Utilizing a Proximity Fuze Request For Information (RFI) 1. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) Direct Attack Weapons Branch (EBDW), Eglin AFB FL, is issuing this Request for Information (RFI). The Air Force requests information that addresses the need to manufacture approximately 100-200 20mm cartridges and 100-200 25mm cartridges to qualify test assets and production processes. 2. Request for Information or Solicitation for Planning Purposes a. The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this solicitation or to otherwise pay for the information solicited except as an allowable cost under other contracts as provided in subsection 31.205-18, bid and proposal costs, of the Federal Acquisition Regulation. b. Although "proposal" and "offeror" are used in this Request for Information, your response will be treated as information only, it shall not be used as a proposal. c. This solicitation is issued for the purpose of exploring options to design and test medium caliber ammunition that utilizes a proximity fuze along with investigating the industry capability to produce and assemble medium caliber ammunition utilizing a proximity fuze. 3. The ammunition should be within the exact specifications. If outside the requested parameters, please provide narrative on how the proposed ammunition adapts to the situation. a. The ammunition shall be compatible with the M61A2 (20mm) and GAU-22/A (25mm) gun systems. b. The ammunition shall be able to be safely fired at a rate of at least 4,500 rounds per minute. c. The ammunition shall be compatible with Ammunition Loading System (ALS), Linkless Ammunition Loading System (LALS), and Universal Ammunition Loading System (UALS) (20mm); and the Gun Ammunition Loader Assembly (25mm) gun loading systems. d. The ammunition shall be able to defeat personnel in the open at a slant range of at least 8,000 feet. e. The ammunition shall be compatible with the current logistics footprint of the M56 (20mm) and the PGU-25 (25mm), including the existing maintenance and weapon handling procedures. f. The fuzed warhead shelf/service life shall be greater than or equivalent to the FMU-160/B. g. The ammunition shall comply with applicable system safety standards provided in MIL STD 882E. h. The effort shall comply with all federal, state, and local environmental health and safety regulations in its development and production lifecycle. 4. RFI responses will be used by the Government to refine the project's estimated cost, schedule, and technical risk assessment to support a high confidence program plan and strategy. Submissions should include: a. Describe how you would approach (i.e., partnerships, in house, subcontracting, vendors) and manage the production and "make-buy" decisions. b. Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) cost and schedule to complete necessary design, development, and manufacturing activities. c. Identify the critical corporate capabilities and certifications necessary to achieve the proposed procurement. Examples of capabilities and certifications include quality processes, failure analysis and corrective actions, production management and control, satisfactory record of integrity and business ethics and International Standards Organizations Certifications. d. Describe your capabilities and experience with assembly and production of medium caliber ammunition components, and manufacturing process controls. e. Provide estimated average yearly production rate and estimated maximum yearly production rate. f. A list of potential risks (ranked high to low) for execution of the program. A brief corresponding list of suggested mitigation techniques to deal with the potential risks. g. Provide any other information you believe would be relevant. 5. Respondents to this RFI should adhere to the following details: Interested parties are requested to respond with a white paper in the following format: Microsoft Word for Office 2007 (or newer) compatible; 15 pages or less (including cover and administrative pages); 1-inch margins; and 12 point font (or larger). Interested parties should provide a company profile to include the following: a. Company Name b. Company Address c. Point of Contact d. E-mail Address e. Web site address f. Telephone Number g. Business Category (i.e., large, small disadvantaged, veteran, woman owned, etc.) as it relates to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code 332993 number of employees. h. Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number i. Capability Statement to address the information requested within this Request for Information (RFI). 6. This notice is part of Government Market Research, which is a continuous process for obtaining the latest information on the "art of the possible" from industry with respect to their current and near-term abilities. The information collected may be used by the Government to explore future strategies and weapons implementation. Information received as a result of this request will be considered as sensitive and will be protected as such. Any company proprietary information contained in the response should be clearly marked as such, by paragraph, such that - publicly-releasable' and - proprietary' information are clearly distinguished. Any material that is not marked proprietary will be considered publicly-releasable. Any proprietary information received in response to this request will be properly protected from any unauthorized disclosure. 7. If requested, more in depth technical data for the 20mm and 25mm ammunition will be made available to qualified respondents for reference only. Respondents must officially request the documents in writing. To validate the documentation release, this request must include the company name, mailing address, e-mail address, point of contact, phone number, current Commercial And Government Entity (CAGE) number, and Central Contractor Registration (CCR) number. The written request must include acknowledgement of the Responder's responsibility under the U.S. export contract laws and regulations. Upon verification of status and acknowledgement of responsibilities under U.S. export control laws and regulations, the requested technical data will be provided upon request. 8. The submitted documentation becomes the property of the U.S. Government and will not be returned. No solicitation exists at this time. This is NOT an Invitation for Bid (IFB) or Request for Proposal (RFP). This is a request for information/market research announcement for planning purposes only. The Government will not reimburse costs associated with the documentation submitted under this request. Although the word "proposed" is used in this inquiry, your response will be treated as information only and will not be used as a proposal. 9. The US Air Force (USAF) workforce is supplemented by Jacobs Technology Inc. and OASIS Systems Inc. for contracted Advisory & Assistance Services (A&AS) and any proprietary data submitted may be handled by contract support services personnel who are subject to disclosure restrictions equivalent to the restrictions placed upon organic USAF personnel. 10. Submissions are requested within 30 days of this announcement and shall be made by e-mail. All correspondence shall be addressed to the Procuring Contracting Officer (PCO), Karen Wagner, karen.wagner.1@us.af.mil, and the Contract Specialist, Major Trent Fritz, trent.fritz@us.af.mil 11. Please note that email submissions should be less than 10 MB in size to ensure receipt. If necessary, larger submissions should be divided into multiple emails, though this approach is not encouraged. 12. Questions from interested parties will be promptly answered and posted on Federal Business Opportunities (FBO), unless release of proprietary information is involved or the answer addresses a question specific to a company, or that company's response. Post-submittal information sessions with respondents are not planned at this time; however, they may be requested of respondents to clarify the Government's understanding of submittals. 13. This notice may be updated as additional information becomes available. Please check the FBO site for updates to this announcement and register to receive e-mail notices of any updates to the FBO announcement. For more information on this RFI, please contact the PCO or Contract Specialist.