TARDEC Ground Vehicle Survivability & Protection Event Mailbox

The TARDEC Ground Vehicle Survivability & Protection Event Mailbox serves as the central procurement coordination point for the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command’s Ground Vehicle Systems Center, under Headquarters, TACOM. This role facilitates the acquisition of advanced survivability and protection systems for armored and tactical ground vehicles, ensuring alignment with the Army’s modernization priorities in blast mitigation, ballistic protection, and mine-resistant design. The mailbox coordinates requirements gathering, solicitation development, and contract execution for complex engineering and manufacturing efforts, working closely with technical stakeholders to translate operational needs into competitive procurement actions across the lifecycle of ground combat systems. Key contractor relationships include Schutt Industries, VAREC NV, ONTIC ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING, INC, A&M AEROSTRUCTURES, INC., and BOWHEAD AVIONICS MANUFACTURING, LLC—organizations with proven expertise in armor integration, composite materials, electronic countermeasure systems, and vehicle survivability architecture. These partnerships reflect a preference for established defense industrial base vendors with deep technical capabilities in vehicle-level protection systems, including active and passive armor solutions, spall liners, and crew protection interfaces. The mailbox consistently engages these contractors through competitive sealed bidding and negotiated procurements under full and open competition. This office maintains a 100% no set-aside procurement posture, prioritizing technical merit and industrial capacity over socioeconomic classifications. While small business participation is not formally mandated, it is not excluded—awards are driven by capability, past performance, and system integration readiness rather than socioeconomic criteria. The procurement focus centers on defense-related engineering and manufacturing services for ground vehicle survivability, encompassing NAICS categories related to defense contracting, armored vehicle systems, and military electronics. Core acquisitions include blast-resistant hulls, reactive armor packages, NBC filtration systems, and integrated sensor-based threat detection modules, reflecting deep expertise in military vehicle protection technologies and systems engineering.