Generation II (GEN II) Advanced Bomb Suit (ABS)

This announcement is not a request for proposals. Contractors shall not submit proposals in response to this notice. Generation II Advanced Bomb Suit (GEN II ABS) - for PEO Soldier Proposed Solicitation Number: W91CRB-15-R-0047 The Army Contracting Command - Aberdeen Proving Ground is issuing this pre-solicitation notice to announce the intent to issue a solicitation for the GEN II ABS. Estimated Solicitation Issue Date: On or before 22 October 2015 with all documents, attachments and amendments posted at the FedBizOpps website located at the following address: https://www.fbo.gov. No hard copies of the RFP will be issued. All respondents shall be responsible for obtaining the documentation from the website listed above. The Government intends to procure this requirement on an unrestricted, full and open procurement using procedures at Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) part 15. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code for this requirement is 315990 Apparel Accessories and Other Apparel Manufacturing with a size standard of 500 employees. The U.S. Army Contracting Command - Aberdeen Proving Ground (ACC-APG), in support of Program Executive Office - Soldier (PEO Soldier), Product Manager Soldier Protective Equipment (PM SPE) has a requirement for Gen II ABS systems. The current Advanced Bomb Suit (ABS) ensemble, consisting of an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) 8 bomb suit and EOD 9 Gen 2 helmet, is too heavy/bulky, restricts mobility and dexterity, and has limited sizing for full body protection and efficient utilization for US Army EOD Soldiers. Further, the current ABS lacks an effective integrated cooling system capability. In response to the constantly changing and increased threats encountered, the Army has identified a need to improve and redesign the ABS ensemble to provide not only a higher level of protection, but also to improve the mobility and capability of the EOD Soldier. The Army will be seeking improvements to the helmet and suit of the ABS as a system and, individually. Further it is important to highlight that the Generation II Advanced Bomb Suit (Gen II ABS) is a Non-Developmental Item (NDI), which asks Industry to propose existing, complete designs that are either in production or waiting for a requirement to begin production. The US Army intends to place the best available Non-Developmental GEN II ABS in the hands of the Warfighter as quickly as possible. The Solicitation will use Best Value with Price Tradeoff were Soldiers feedback is significantly more important than price. Industry designs with no Government design participation will be exclusively evaluated for this program. Executed in two phases, Evaluation (Phase 1) and Production (Phase 2), this solicitation will support the evaluation of multiple designs and allow Soldiers to select the highest rated system to receive FAT approval. Phase 2 Production will be executed as a requirements contract with an estimated initial quantity of 153 (10% of the ABS Army Acquisition Objective) systems and estimated maximum quantity of 1,538 (full AAO) systems. A reduction in weight, improved sizing tariff, and integrated cooling capability are the focus of this improvement effort. The number one objective of the Gen II ABS is to reduce weight while improving form, fit, and function. To achieve this, new ballistic, fragmentation, and blast protection materials offer the potential for significant weight reduction while providing the same level of protection or better. Further, the Army is seeking an expanded sizing tariff for the helmet and suit to improve the fit and function for each EOD Soldier. Finally, the Army is seeking to leverage dramatic improvements in cooling system technology by incorporating an enhanced integrated cooling system into the suit. Based upon these requirements, the following improvements are proposed as they have potential to provide immediate impact for EOD Soldiers: • Weight: The weight and weight distribution of the ABS ensemble must not significantly impede mission efficiency. The current ABS weighs 74 pounds for a size medium. The objective for the GEN II ABS is to reduce the weight of the current ABS by approximately 15% to 40% • Size: A lack of proper sizing increases the ABS' system weight issue. Currently there are only four sizes for the ABS suit (small, medium-small, medium and large) and a single helmet with a series of adjustment pads to fit the full sizing tariff. Updated anthropometric data on the US Army Soldier population indicates the need for new sizing. Specifically the Gen II ABS shall be designed to accommodate the full range of user personnel, i.e., 5th percentile female through 95th percentile male for full body protection and efficient utilization by EOD Soldiers. • Improved Cooling System. EOD technicians require an integrated cooling system to keep core body temperatures within normal range in hot environments. Prolonged exposure to high physical output and temperatures rapidly degrades the operator's ability to effectively perform their duties. The current ABS cooling system is not integrated (adds time to don/doff) and is dependent upon readily available ice in order to provide temperature cooling inside of the bomb suit. Both of these inherent design characteristics make the system unfavorable for Soldiers. General Information : Offerors shall be able to deliver one (1) medium Gen II ABS end item with all components with ballistic test data from an NIJ certified lab within sixty (60) calendar days AFTER release of solicitation. The Gen II ABS system, in any of its configurations, is considered a critical safety item (CSI). All items being procured under this acquisition are subject to the Buy American Act and Berry Amendment. The Government anticipates awarding up three (3) FFP contracts, one contract per system design under Phase One, and one (1) FFP Requirements contract with a four (4) year ordering period under Phase Two. Awards will be made to the best overall proposals (Best Value), which are determined to be the most beneficial to the Government. The point of contact for this posting is Karen Gibson at [email protected].