This is a market survey/sources sought for planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a Request for Proposal or as an obligation on the part of the Government. The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this market survey/sources sought or otherwise pay for information solicited. The Government will utilize the information provided only to develop the acquisition strategy for future requirements. All information submitted will be held in a confidential status. The Army Contracting Command - Rock Island (ACC-RI) is conducting a market survey to identify potential sources, specifically small business sources, capable of manufacturing and delivering the following item: M22 Simulator, Cartridge, ATWESS (Anti-Tank Weapons Effect Signature Simulator), NSN: 1370-01-085-2601, DODIC: L367. The M22 ATWESS consists of a percussion primer, first fire composition, flash composition, plastic case and other plastic parts. This simulator is used to replicate anti-tank guided missile and rocket launches when used in conjunction with a launching apparatus in a training environment. Upon ignition, the cartridge will produce a bright flash, loud report and smoke. The following functional characteristics are required for the M22 ATWESS: Temperature: shall function between 125 5 F and -25 5 F; Flash: flash signature shall be a minimum of six feet in length and two feet in width with duration of 40 to 500 milliseconds; Sound: sound intensity shall be 134 +6 -7 decibels for a maximum duration of 15 milliseconds with a rise time of 5 milliseconds. The flash composition currently contains 75% magnesium powder, 10% PTFE and 15% fluoroelastomer; however, the Government is pursuing a moisture resistant non-magnesium based flash composition for permanent replacement. The pyrotechnic composition is enclosed in a plastic tube inside a plastic case and sealed off with an end plate and a switch closure at either side. Top level drawing 12953563 is being provided with this sources sought/market survey. No further drawings or specifications will be provided at this time. Interested companies should respond by providing the Government the following information in the time-frame established below: a brief summary of the company's capabilities; description of facilities, business size as it applies to NAICS code 325920, Explosives Manufacturing - size standard 750 employees; personnel and related manufacturing experience; estimated minimum and maximum monthly production quantities with associated prices and lead-times; whether any of the items are currently in production or when last produced; the minimum procurement quantity (MPQ) required for economical production; and a Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) for a quantity of 130,000 M22 ATWESS. Additionally, interested companies should note if manufacturing resources are shared with other item/production lines and identify the approximate amount shared. A respondent to this market survey must have available a majority of the skills that are required to manufacture these items. If a respondent does not have adequate resources (technical, manufacturing, personnel, etc.) available, the respondent must be able to demonstrate and should describe his or her ability to obtain those resources in a timely fashion. If a respondent chooses to utilize the services of sub-tier vendors or subcontractors, those vendors or subcontractors must also meet these criteria. All contractors interested in this potential future solicitation must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) Database. Potential Production Concern: The composition of the pellet assembly is currently under reformulation and will be provided with the release of the Request for Proposal (RFP). While completing the R&D portion of the product improvement effort, a production concern surfaced with regard to the composition blending process. During small scale production, the new composition proved successful and the simulator performed according to the specifications. However, when moving to a larger production batch there appeared to be issues with uniform pellet density and homogenous blending, which led to simulator degradation. The simulator did not function properly, causing excess venting which ultimately broke the launching device. This blending/venting issue may simply have been an anomaly caused by an unknown variable in the R&D environment. However, the Government is bringing the concern to the attention of potentially interested parties in an effort to ascertain whether it has any impact on willingness to bid on the RFP. Interested firms have 30 calendar days from the date of this publication to submit information to be considered in the development of the acquisition strategy for this item. Any response to this market research should reference the following: M22 Simulator, Cartridge, ATWESS (Anti-Tank Weapons Effect Signature Simulator) Market Survey. Please submit to Kurt L. Kleinlein by email at:
contact@example.gov or by mail to: US Army Contracting Command- Rock Island , ATTN: CCRC-AR, Mr. Kurt Kleinlein, Building 60, 1 Rock Island Arsenal, Rock Island, IL 61299-8000.
