RFI - Fog Tester Instrument Image Analysis Software

SYNOPSIS: This Sources Sought Announcement is to assist the US Army DEVCOM Soldier Center to identify potential sources to provide Software Development for Fog Tester Instrument Image Analysis software.

The Government requests that responses be submitted electronically to  David Ziegler, David.p.ziegler.civ@army.mil and Mary Prebensen, mary.k.prebensen.civ@army.mil by April 9, 2026 by 5pm EST.

Background:

The Government (DEVCOM Soldier Center) is in need of Fog Tester Instrument Image Analysis Software development to integrate with the existing Fog Tester Instrument control and data acquisition software.  Existing in-house developed software operates as separate software from the instrument control/data acquisition software and requires a high degree of user interaction and manipulation of the data to output a Pass/Fail quantitative score for eyewear items evaluated for their anti-fog performance.  The Soldier Center designed 4th Generation Fog Tester currently utilizes a LabVIEW program, named FogTester, running on a Microsoft Windows computer to operate a custom control board that provides 120VAC electrical outlet relay switching, temperature and humidity input and recording, light(s), dual camera video input, and heating circuit temperature control of the video cameras lenses.  A separate LabVIEW application, named BarTarget, is then used post-test to analyze the acquired video stills to generate a contrast ratio value of selected regions of interest.  The contrast ratio values are then manually plotted by the user in Microsoft Excel and compared to known Haze Standard values.

Description:

The improved BarTarget application should be designed to analyze the post-test acquired video images from both cameras and generate the contrast ratio value per selected region of interest and plot the contrast ratio over the duration time of the test and output a result per designated pass/fail criteria based upon the haze calibration measurements.  Additional functions should include Haze Standard calibration image acquisition and the ability to “zero” the contrast ratio, so each test article is acquired at the same starting point, this will require the application to interact with the FogTester application.

Specific Specifications: 

            (1)  Develop software code to operate on a Microsoft Windows 11 operating system for  image analysis software application that will interact with the FogTester software application in in a local host environment (no internet connection required), have users input test condition parameters (file save location, test duration, camera configuration), perform the test, analyze the data, and compute and output the results per designated pass/fail criteria.  Saved output graph and data shall be compatible with Microsoft Word and Excel programs for user reporting purposes.

               (2)  The software shall be written/developed using any of the following programming languages:  LabVIEW, .NET (C#, Visual Basic), Python.  Other programming languages may be considered but require approval by the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) and/or Contracting Officer Technical Representative (COTR) before use.

               (3)  The software shall communicate with the FogTester software via a TCP port.

Deliverables:

(1)  Develop post-test image analysis sub-program for use with Soldier Center-developed Fog Tester instrument control and data acquisition software. This sub-program will replace the current BarTarget program, and the data plotting performed in Microsoft Excel by the user.

(2)  Deliver a sub-program which shall also be able to process calibration tests, analyze the data and deliver a calibrations file for input to the pass/fail criteria.

Delivery Date: The Government anticipates 4 weeks lead time for this item. Please identify timeframe required for delivery.

Government Furnished Property (Equipment/Materials/Information/Computer Utilization): The Government shall provide the Fog Tester operation flow-chart diagram, example test and calibration data, and access to currently operated LabVIEW software or a Python simulation of the interface, as the LabVIEW software requires hardware to run. Upon request, the Government may also provide loan of a Fog Tester system to be returned to Soldier Center once the contract is completed.

Interested parties are invited to submit a response to this Sources Sought Announcement. THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT ANNOUNCEMENT ONLY

This Sources Sought Announcement is issued solely for information and planning purposes and to identify interested sources. THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION. No contract will be awarded from this announcement. This Sources Sought does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future. It is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. Further, unsolicited proposals will not be accepted. Funding is not available at this time. The United States Army has not made a commitment to procure any of the items/services discussed, and release of this Sources Sought Announcement should not be construed as such a commitment or as authorization to incur cost for which reimbursement would be required or sought. Response to this Sources Sought Announcement is voluntary and no reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this and any follow-on information requests. All submissions become Government property and will not be returned.

Not responding to this Sources Sought Announcement does not preclude participation in any future RFP if any is issued. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized in the SAM.gov website. It is the responsibility of the potential responders to monitor this site for additional information pertaining to this subject.

RESPONSES:
Interested parties may identify their interest and capability by sending responses regarding this requirement to DEVCOM Soldier Center via e-mail ONLY to mary.k.prebensen.civ@army.mil and David.p.ziegler.civ@army.mil no later than April 9, 2026 by 5:00 p.m. EST. The U.S. Government will not pay for any information or administrative cost incurred in response to this Notice. All costs associated with responding to this Notice will be solely at the expense of the interested party.

Please provide business size (indicate your socioeconomic status), applicable NAICS code, and CAGE code. If you hold a GSA Federal Supply Schedule contract, please identify your contract number.

QUESTIONS:
Any questions for clarification may be emailed to mary.k.prebensen.civ@army.mil and David.p.ziegler.civ@army.mil no later than April 6, 2026 by 5:00 p.m. EST. Verbal questions will NOT be accepted. Questions shall NOT contain proprietary or classified information. An unattributed list of questions and answers will be published at the same web location of this Sources Sought Announcement.