RFI - Operational Vest

The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center (SPAWARSYSCEN), Charleston, Code 741 (Advanced Law Enforcement Technology Branch), is seeking information on Operational Vests used for emergency responders in incident control operations. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Authorized Equipment List (AEL) item number for this equipment is 03OE-01-VSTO. These vests include duty gear and modular load bearing systems worn by emergency responders which afford responders the ability to have essential equipment readily available when performing operation-specific tasks. Review of this information is being performed for DHS, Federal Emergency Management Agency. DHS established the System Assessment and Validation for Emergency Responders (SAVER) Program to conduct comparative assessments and validation activities that provide the emergency responder community with information on important products and services. Visit the SAVER Program Web site at https://saver.fema.gov for more information on the SAVER Program. All information received will be treated as public knowledge and may be used in SAVER Program documentation; therefore, vendors should not submit proprietary information in response to this RFI. Specific information sought includes: 1. Company name and address. 2. Whether the company is a manufacturer or distributor. 3. Point of contact, telephone, fax, Web address, and e-mail address. 4. Product name and a brief description (75 words or less). 5. Additional information such as equipment reliability, maintainability, durability, environmental limits, safety reports, latest research, and new developments. 6. Cost information such as initial costs, General Services Administration (GSA) schedule information, replacement parts, accessory options, and available warranties. Do not send your piece of equipment. The submitted information will be evaluated for potential consideration in planning future SAVER equipment assessments. If a future SAVER assessment on this type of equipment is executed, the equipment selection will be based upon a number of factors, including emergency responder surveys and responder focus group inputs. Consequently, follow-up requests for feedback should not be made through the Fed BizOpps posting agency. Vendors may be contacted following submission for more detailed product information. Vendor provided information may be reformatted for publication in SAVER Program documents. Information about a particular brand/product should be submitted in electronic (MS Word) format by 4:00 pm EST on April 18, 2008 via e-mail to Carl Wetzel at contact@example.gov. If submitting via email, put RFI Operational Vest in the email subject. Submissions may also be sent by mail to: SPAWARSYSCEN Charleston, Attn: Code 56410CW, P.O. Box 190022, North Charleston, SC 29419-9022. This RFI is for information gathering and planning purposes only, and should not be construed as a Request for Proposal (RFP) or solicitation of an offer. The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this RFI or otherwise pay for the information solicited. Submission of vendor information constitutes consent to publication of that information in SAVER Program documentation. E-mail your non-technical questions to the Contracting Officer, Deborah D. McNeely at contact@example.gov.