Request for Information - MK80 Series General Purpose Bombs

The U.S. Army Contracting Command - Rock Island, on behalf of the Project Director for Joint Bombs, is issuing a sources sought announcement in an effort to identify capable sources for the production and delivery of the following MK 80 Series Purpose Bomb Body variants for the Fiscal Years (FY) 20-22. MK 84-6 Bomb Body 1325-01-074-5693 BDU-56/B Bomb Body 1325-01-376-5088 MK 82-8 Bomb Body 1325-01-680-3858 The Government's interest would be approximately 300 per year for the MK 84-6 Bomb Body, 950 per year for the BDU-56/B, and 500 per year for the MK 82-8 Bomb Body. Any resulting contract will also contain First Article Test (FAT) requirements. The NAICS code for this item is 332993 with a business size standard of 1,500 employees. ITEM DESCRIPTION: These requirements are required to support the United States Air Force and the United States Navy bombing missions. The MK84-6, BDU-56/B, and MK82-8 bombs are used as building blocks for numerous variants of non-guided and precision-guided air delivered munitions. These bomb bodies are steel forged, similar in construction and are used in the construction of 500 and 2,000 pound bombs. The aerodynamically designed steel case can house a high explosive fill or an inert fill used for training purposes. The bomb bodies include wells in the nose and tail and are compatible with proximity sensors and mechanical, electrical, or electronic fuzes. They can be used with conical, non-retard or retarding fin assemblies, or with electro optical, laser and/or Global Positioning System (GPS) guidance airfoil kits. CRITICAL PROCESSES/SKILLS: Manufacture of the MK84-6, BDU-56/B, and MK82-8 bomb bodies require special processes, equipment, facilities, and skills; and is a complex process that requires several operations. The general process for making these GP bomb bodies using forged steel varies for each end item usage. Critical processes include forming, welding/resistance welding, heat treating, machining, coating, testing, and assembling of the bomb bodies. Critical equipment and facilities may include: band saws/cutoff machines, forging presses, large induction heaters, water cooling chambers, double end lathes, total indicator reading gages/fixtures, wall thickness gages, flame/plasma arc cutters, metal inert gas/robotic welders, Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) lathes, submerged arc welders, resistance welders, continuous flow heat treat/draw systems, shot blast systems, multiple spindle drills/tappers, CNC vertical mills/machining centers, proof load testing and hydrostatic pressure test equipment, coordinate measuring machines, Brinell hardness and universal test machine, phosphate/paint systems, and various specialized material handling equipment, all of which must be large enough to handle sizes of steel pipe up to 19 inches in diameter and 98 inches long. Critical skills needed for production of these bomb bodies include forming and heat-treating setup personnel; inspection and testing technicians; maintenance, tooling, manufacturing, and quality control engineers; and machinists. An acceptable vendor must be able to display the skills of its employees and establish expertise in completing essential operations of manufacturing the MK84-6, BDU-56/B, and MK82-8 bomb bodies. Respondents to this RFI must have the available skills required to perform all production and testing operations necessary to deliver conforming end items to the Government. These skills must be available with sufficient experience and proficiency to produce these items in a timely and efficient manner. A respondent must also have or have the ability to obtain the appropriate machinery, tooling, and manufacturing engineering skills required to support quality production limitations. Any significant lead times with equipment or materials associated with production of this item should also be noted. RESPONSES: Interested companies who consider themselves capable of manufacturing the MK84-6, BDU-56/B, and MK82-8 bomb bodies are invited to indicate their interest. This RFI is for information and planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a Request for Proposal or as an obligation on the part of the USG. The USG does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this RFI or otherwise pay for information solicited. Industry responses to this RFI will not represent binding offers, and the USG cannot accept an industry response to form a binding contract. The USG intends to use any information submitted in response to this request to develop an acquisition strategy for future requirements of this item. The USG will hold all information submitted in a confidential status. All submissions are requested electronically no later than 19 July 2019 in order to be considered in the development of acquisition strategy for this item. All responses shall be sent to Ms. Kelly Clifton, kelly.k.clifton.civ@mail.mil and Ms. Danielle Walters, danielle.m.walters3.civ@mail.mil. All responses to this RFI should reference in the subject: RFI Response for MK80 Series GP Bomb Bodies (MK84-6, BDU-56/B, and MK82-8 bomb bodies).