Radio Frequency Identification Devices (RFIDs)

This Sources Sought/Request for Information (SS/RFI) is for market research. Information gathered to be used for preliminary planning purposes in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 15.201(e). This announcement is not an Invitation for Bid or Request for Proposal (RFP) and does not commit the Government to solicit or award a contract now or in the future. No solicitation is available at this time, nor is there an estimated date of solicitation release at this time. This office does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this RFI or reimburse respondents for information solicited. Companies will not be entitled to payment for direct or indirect costs that are incurred in responding to this SS/RFI. The information provided may be used by the Army in developing its acquisition strategy, Statement of Work and/or Performance Work Statement. This information is subject to change and in no way binds this office to pursue any course of action described herein. If this office chooses to issue an RFP at some future date, another notice will be published. Overview The Product Manager Air Warrior (PM AW) is seeking to identify interested contractors that are International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) compliant, and capable of producing encapsulated populated electronic circuit boards that meet very stringent dimensional requirements in an ITAR compliant facility. The RFIDs consist of a flexible circuit board with a stainless steel backer plate. Every RFID shall be programed and tested using Government Furnished Equipment (GFE)/Government Furnished Information (GFI). Test results shall be logged and archived for five years by the RFID manufacturer. What distinguishes these RFIDs from industry standard populated circuit board fabrication and assembly procedures is the process employed which uses EN-7 as an under-fill epoxy protectant for the electronics, and a molded encapsulation overfill of the electronics and battery power source. In addition, the RFID manufacturer must possess the capability to perform the following. 1. Assemble circuit board pick and place electrical components of size 0201 and larger. 2. X-ray underneath Ball Grid Array (BGA) electrical components and other non-passive electrical components to ensure that all components are properly soldered to the flexible circuit board. 3. Demonstrate and maintain (ESD) certification to American National Standards Institute / Electrostatic Discharge (ANSI/ESD) S20.20 and/or International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61340-5-1. 4. Provide BOM end of life electrical component surveillance and provide the Government adequate time to find suitable replacement electrical components. 5. Provide configuration management, inventory and quality control functions. 6. Provide RF engineering, development and test, and manufacturing process control expertise in support of engineering development efforts to improve and/or RFID design that will be performed in partnership with the Government. 7. Demonstrate experience manufacturing similar products. Instructions: Respondents capable of meeting all of the above requirements are requested to answer each question on the attached questionnaire based upon the information presented in this RFI. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted. Interested offerors shall respond to this sources sought no later than 1300 (CST) on 01 April 2019. All interested contractors must be registered and active in the System for Award Management (SAM) to be eligible for award of Government contracts. All responses to this SS/RFI shall be submitted via email to Mr. Christopher Williams, Contracting Officer at contact@example.gov and Mr. Eddie Gordon, Contract Specialist at contact@example.gov and include W58RGZ-19-R-PRS1 in the subject line. Upon Government review of all RFI responses, there may be a need for further questions. If so, the Government will contact each vendor (as applicable), on an individual, one-on-one basis, and ask the necessary follow-on questions as required. This follow-on interview is also for market research purposes only. Data submitted in response to this RFI may be utilized to develop and document a formal RFP. To prevent inadvertent disclosure of proprietary information in any resulting RFP technical package, vendor responses shall clearly mark individual data elements that are considered proprietary in nature. The submitted responses and data will be reviewed by the Air Warrior technical team which consists of both Government and embedded support contractor Submissions can be through electronic mail only. Responses should be no more than ten pages and include, at a minimum: - Name and address of the interested company or organization; - Contact information for the primary POC; - A brief description of the potential offeror's company/organization; - A description of the potential offeror's capabilities and products; - CMMI Level certification. - A description of RTCA DAL requirements. There is no commitment by the U.S. Government to issue a solicitation, make an award or awards, or to be responsible for monies expended by an industry response to this SS/RFI. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized on the Federal Business Opportunities website located at http://fbo.gov/. All information received in response to this SS/RFI that is marked proprietary will be handled accordingly.