Water Volume

THIS SOURCES SOUGHT IS BEING ISSUED FOR PLANNING PURPOSES ONLY. This is not a solicitation. Responses to this notice are not considered as offers and cannot be accepted by the government to form a binding contract. The government will not be responsible for any costs incurred by interested parties responding to this sources sought. The intent of this notice is to identify businesses, especially small business (SB) concerns, certified 8(a), HUB Zone, service disabled veteran owned small businesses (SDVOSB), and women-owned small business (WOSB) concerns capable of performing the requirements described below. The U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center (NSRDEC), Natick, MA, seeks sensing technology capable of real-time monitoring of the volume of water carried by Soldiers in their backpack hydration systems, their canteens, or both. The technology should be mobile and be able to measure the volume of water in a hydration bag and/or measure the volume of water in a canteen. Technologies must satisfy the following criteria in order for future consideration: 1- Ability to measure water volume in a hydration bag and/or a canteen 2- Ability to integrate with existing soldier hydration bag and/or canteen 3- Light weight Respondents should describe in their capabilities statement how water volume is measured; how data is collected; the size and weight of the technology; any relevant data illustrating water volume measuring capabilities; any unique or proprietary construction requirements related to the technology; costs associated with producing and maintaining the technology; relevant company background & experience, personnel, or patents; a sample (optional); and any other information that the respondent believes demonstrates the value of their technologies and the ability to meet the aforementioned desired criteria. RESPONSES TO THIS NOTICE: All interested firms and manufacturers, regardless of size, are encouraged to respond to this request for information. Information submissions should include available technology, product literature, and relevant company background/experience. Available product pricing may also be provided as part of the information submission. Information submissions must be received by 25 October 2017/3:00pm Eastern Standard Time. Responses to this notice should be e-mailed to andrea.l.albanese.civ@mail.mil and jean.t.greenwood.civ@mail.mil. Please include the announcement number (W911QY-18-WaterVol) in the subject line. Responses are limited to ten (10) pages and are requested in .PDF format. All respondents shall include all of the information listed below in the response email: 1. Company name and announcement number in the email subject line 2. Company address, telephone number, primary contact(s) with email address (es), business size and socioeconomic category (i.e, small/large/HUB Zone), CAGE code, and DUNS number. (Respondents must be registered in the SAM database in order to obtain a CAGE code. Firms may register with SAM at http://www.sam.gov.) 3. Product detailed descriptions and how it addresses the Government's requirement. This can also include current or past performance of providing similar products to the Government. 4. Cost information such as labor/machine rates, minimum order information, etc, if available. 5. If applicable, GSA schedule information. 6. All assumptions, including any assumed Government support. Interested sources must reply no later than the date and time stated above. No telephonic, facsimile or hardcopy submissions will be accepted. All product information shall be submitted at no cost or obligation to the Government. THIS SOURCES SOUGHT SYNOPSIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION. This sources sought is for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a Request for Quote (RFQ), Invitation for Bid (IFB) or Request for Proposal (RFP) and is not to be taken as a future commitment by the US Government to issue a solicitation. It is a market research tool used to determine the availability and adequacy of potential business/small business sources prior to final determination of the method of acquisition, if any. The US Government will not pay any costs for responses submitted. Failure to submit all information requested may result in a vendor not being considered as an interested party. All service-disabled veteran owned small businesses, certified HUBZone small businesses, certified 8(a) small businesses, and women-owned small businesses are encouraged to respond. Upon review of industry response to this sources sought synopsis, the Government will determine whether a set-aside acquisition (if any) in lieu of full and open competition is in the Government's best interest.