REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) FOR LIGHTWEIGHT, HIGH CALIBER ARMOR

This synopsis is being posted to both the Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) page located at http://www.fbo.gov/ and the Navy Electronic Commerce on Line (NECO) site located at https://www.neco.navy.mil/ While it is understood that FBO is the single point of entry for posting of synopsis and solicitations to the internet, NECO is the alternative in case FBO is unavailable. Please feel free to use either site to access information posted by NSWC Crane. SPECIAL NOTICE – REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI): The Government is issuing this RFI as part of a market survey in accordance with FAR 15.201(e) to determine the availability and technical capability of industry to provide innovative ballistic protection armor solutions for use on vehicles, waterborne vessels, and on buildings with limited structural capacity. Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC), Crane Division is interested in receiving information from suppliers of the armor product described in more detail below; key attributes include lightweight, ease of integration into current and future designs, and inexpensive compared to other armor materials with similar attributes. NSWC Crane Division intends to utilize the information garnered from this special notice to refine the Government’s understanding of the technical feasibility, risk, and cost implications associated with this armor. Additionally, the Government seeks Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) cost information associated with providing armor test samples for possible live-fire ballistic testing at a Government test range facility, and for estimated procurement and life cycle costs. This RFI is published to obtain information for use by NSWC Crane Division, for market research and planning purposes only; and is not a Request for Proposal, Invitation for Bid, or an announcement of a solicitation. There is no bid package or solicitation document associated with this announcement. This RFI is part of a continuous process for obtaining the latest information on the commercial status of the industry with respect to current and near-term abilities. Response to this RFI is strictly voluntary and will not affect any potential offeror's ability to submit an offer if a solicitation is released. No entitlement to payment of direct or indirect costs or charges by the Government will arise as a result of preparing submissions in response to this RFI and the Government's use of such information. RFI SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS: Companies are encouraged to respond if they have the capability and capacity to provide the armor described below. However, generic capability statements are not sufficient for effective analysis of respondents' capacity and capability to provide the required armor. Responses should directly demonstrate the company's capability, experience, and/or ability to marshal resources to effectively and efficiently perform while in compliance with FAR 52.219-14 Limitations on Subcontracting. The Government will not award a contract on the basis of responses, nor otherwise pay for the preparation of any information submitted, or Government’s use of such information. Responses will be separated from, and have no bearing on subsequent evaluations of proposals submitted in response to any resulting formal RFP. Eligibility in participating in a future acquisition does not depend upon a response to this notice. Proprietary information is not being solicited. Information considered proprietary, if any, should be identified as such. Responses will be reviewed only by Dept of Defense personnel and will be held in a confidential manner. Vendors may separate each unique design into a separate response. Responses to the RFI should address the following: 1. A capability statement which includes information on the type of technology used 2. Any Design Criteria section issues 3. Any Environmental Criteria section issues 4. Technological Readiness Level (TRL) if not already fielded 5. Service Life 6. Areal Density 7. Estimated pricing information by square foot 8. Standard delivery schedule by square foot 9. Business Size - Provide company business size status, ie. Small businesses (including certified 8(a), Small Disadvantaged, and HUBZone firms; veteran and service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses, and women-owned small businesses. Describe the company’s ability to meet the requirements in accordance with 52.219.14 -Limitation on Subcontracting. LIGHTWEIGHT, HIGH CALIBER ARMOR KEY ATTRIBUTES WEIGHT Material should be relatively lightweight in comparison to other ballistic materials with similar attributes. As a reference, the industry standard amount of steel plate armor has an areal density of 45lbs for the desired ballistic protection level. INTEGRATION Material shall be easily integrated into current and future designs for waterborne vessels, land-based vehicles, and buildings with limited structural capacity. PERFORMANCE The Material should have an extended service life and provide ballistic protection up to and including MIL-STD-3038 level X Class B with multi hit capability. As a reference, the industry standard service life is ten (10) years. ENVIRONMENTAL CLIMATIC and GEOGRAPHIC ENVIRONMENTS Material should suffer no degradation in ballistic protection in the climatic and geographic conditions peculiar to the locations of the waterborne vessels, as well as land-based vehicles and buildings in a maritime/waterfront environment. The material should suffer no degradation in ballistic protection in the climatic or geographic environments specified below: 1. External atmospheric temperatures are between minus ten degrees Fahrenheit (-100F) and plus one hundred twenty-five degrees Fahrenheit (+1250F). 2. Solar radiation for a period of ten (10) years. 3. Relative humidity from zero percent (0%) to one hundred percent (100%). 4. Rainfall of at least six (6) inches per hour. 5. Presence of settling dust, blowing dust, or blowing sand at concentrations typical for rural and suburban areas as defined in MIL-STD-810F. 6. Aqueous salt atmosphere as defined in MIL-STD-810F. INDUCED ENVIRONMENTS The material should suffer no performance degradation and show no evidence of damage or deformation in the induced environments specified below: 1. Following a low-pressure fresh water wash down. 2. Presence of any electromagnetic field. NATURAL ENVIRONMENTS The material should suffer no degradation in ballistic protection in the natural environments specified below: 1. Stored and in transit under the climate design types hot, basic, cold, and severe cold, as defined in MIL-STD-810F. 2. No less than 12 months of outside storage anywhere in the continental United States. 3. Shall not support fungal growth as defined in MIL-STD-810F. 4. Transported by common truck carrier, rail, and air shipment at elevations up to 35,000 feet above sea level. 5. Lightning, electrical surges and stray electrical charges. 6. Personnel-borne electrostatic discharge (ESD). 7. Nuclear, chemical, or biological contamination. DESIGN SUITABILITY and AVAILABILITY Non-critical materials should be used when practical, consistent with the requirements specified for the end item. Raw materials in mill product form should be specified in accordance with military specifications or approved industry association specifications. Designs and materials that minimize absorption of Nuclear, Biological, Chemical (NBC) contaminants, and facilitate rapid decontamination without adversely affecting the ballistic protection should be used when possible. POLLUTION PREVENTION CHARACTERISTICS Materials, items, and processes which could reasonably cause harm to environmental quality at some point in their life cycles, including ultimate disposal, should not be used in armor solutions, unless trade studies of possible less harmful alternatives have been conducted and documented which indicate that potential alternatives were found unacceptable because of valid performance, schedule, or cost factors. STANDARDIZATION The use of standard materials should be maximized. Any utilization of non-standard material shall be documented in the RFI response. Standardization should be applied, as appropriate, to reduce the cost of production and operational support and to enhance operational readiness through optimum utilization of existing or co-developed subsystems, equipment, components, parts, and materials common to other systems and available in supply. RUBBER COMPONENTS Rubber components should be classified in accordance with ASTM D2000. HUMAN FACTORS Where Human Factors are a consideration in the design of the material, they should be in accordance with MIL-STD-1472F and MIL-HDBK-46855A. SAFETY The material should be composed of inert components only, and not pose a health hazard to personnel. The material should not pose any environmental health hazard as a result of normal operational usage. The material should comply with all applicable portions of OPNAVINST 4110.2 for the control of hazardous materials. END OF LIGHTWEIGHT, HIGH CALIBER ARMOR KEY ATTRIBUTES SUBMISSIONS ARE DUE no later than 2:00pm, on Friday, AUG 26, 2011, Eastern Daylight Time. Responses shall be: 1. Identified by the RFI number (N00164-11-S-NB07); and include: Company name, mailing address, e-mail address, telephone and fax numbers, website address (if available), and the name, telephone number, and e-mail address of a point of contact having the authority and knowledge to clarify responses with Government representatives. 2. In electronic format ONLY (Adobe pdf or Microsoft Word) 3. No more than (20) pages in length; 4. Written in 12-point, Times New Roman with normal (condensed) spacing 5. Margins of 1? or greater on all sides 3. NOT submitted using marketing materials; 4. Submitted to email as indicated below. The RFI response shall be e-mailed to: contact@example.gov All information received in response to this notice that is marked proprietary will be handled accordingly. NSWC Crane makes no implied or in fact contracts by issuing this RFI. Acknowledgement of receipt of responses will not be made, nor will respondents be notified of the NSWC Crane’s view of the information received. Do not send any material that requires a non-disclosure agreement or identify information that is business sensitive. Responses to this notice will not be returned. Telephone calls/questions or inquiries will not be accepted. Primary Point of Contact: Lisa A Sandy, Contract Specialist contact@example.gov