THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY for printed fabric materials that address Short Wave Infrared (SWIR) camouflage which are capable of meeting the basic requirements described below. This is not a Request for Quotation (RFQ), Request for Proposal (RFP) or an Invitation for Bid (IFB). It is a market research tool being used to determine the availability and adequacy of potential sources for planning purposes only. Responses to this notice are not considered as offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of responses nor otherwise pay for the preparation of any information presented or the use of any such information. DESCRIPTION: The US Army Natick Soldier, Research, Development, and Engineering Center (NSRDEC) is requesting information and printed fabric materials that address Short Wave Infrared (SWIR) camouflage by using rotary screen textile printing processes. Small quantities of printed fabrics and/or solid prints of each color of the camouflage patterns (see below), that meet SWIR reflectance goals are requested. The objective is to apply Short Wave Infrared (SWIR) signature reducing technology to several substrate fabrics while maintaining acceptable Visible (VIS) color and Near Infrared (NIR) reflectance requirements of current camouflage printed fabrics. The SWIR target reflectance values should have at least 3 levels of reflectance with evident separation among them. Laboratory data as well as printed fabric samples or single color drawdowns of each camouflage color of a pattern are requested as information/materials samples under this RFI. The NSRDEC anticipates using the information/samples from this RFI to determine the availability of existing technology and camouflage/color materials in the marketplace whose SWIR reflectance may be capable of meeting SWIR target goals as well as desired VIS and Near IR reflectance and colorfastness on each substrate. Camouflage patterns and substrate materials of interest are provided below. Substrate textile materials of interest include: • Flame Resistant Defender-M (FR-DEFM) • Flame Resistant ResQ2 (FR-ResQ2) • 100% Nylon 500D (Ny500D) Camouflage patterns/colors include: • Operational Camouflage Pattern (OCP) - 7 colors • Marine Corps Desert (MARPAT D) - 4 colors • Marine Corps Woodland (MARPAT W) - 4 colors • Marine Corps Coyote solid (MC Coyote) - 1 color The following is a list of desired fabric/camouflage pattern combinations: • FR-DEFM/OCP • FR-DEFM/MARPAT D • FR-DEFM/MARPAT W • FR-ResQ2/OCP • FR-ResQ2/MARPAT D • FR-ResQ2/MARPAT W • Ny500D/OCP • Ny500D/MARPAT D • Ny500D/MARPAT W • Ny500D/MC Coyote REQUESTED INFORMATION: Vendors who believe they have technology capable of meeting the above requirements are requested to submit a short (no more than 5 pages total) summary, including Company name and address, point of contact with phone number, DUNS number, Cage Code and a statement regarding any small business designation (if applicable), by the date and to the address noted below. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 313310 and the small business size is 1,000 employees. Your response should include a general description of your process on at least one of the military substrate fabrics, listed above, but could include any or all camouflage patterns or colors on several different substrate materials including Flame Resistant (FR) textiles. Additional information on the company's printing capabilities should include types of substrate materials they print on, test methodology (e.g. ASTM and AATCC), status and specifications for manufacturing and production, any unique or proprietary requirements related to the technology, total printed material cost/yard, minimum yardage quantities, if applicable, and the company's relevant background and experience. The company may provide any other information that they believe demonstrates the value of their technologies and the ability to meet the aforementioned desired performance. Material samples in the form of printed single color drawdowns or small quantities of camouflage printed fabric believed to be capable of meeting SWIR goals are requested. These samples will be used in the aforementioned assessment of currently available materials capable of meeting spectral reflectance requirements in the VIS, Near IR, and goals of the SWIR spectral region. While there is no guarantee that a subsequent solicitation will be issued and/or a contract awarded, currently, it is the Government's interest to explore the feasibility of procuring textile materials with enhanced camouflage protection in the SWIR electromagnetic spectral region while maintaining current camouflage requirements. NOTE: All textile-based technology products (all materials and manufacturing) must comply with Berry Amendment Restrictions (see DFARS 252.225-7012). Respondents are requested to provide information and printed textile sample materials identifying how their technology offers a level of camouflage protection by 16 September 2016/12:00pm Eastern Standard Time. Responses to this notice are to be sent to Mr. James Fairneny or Mrs. Anabela Dugas, Fiber and Textile Science Team, ATTN: RDNS-SEW-TMF, 15 General Greene Ave., Natick, MA 01760-5019. This notice is for information and sample materials only. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR QUOTATIONS. No solicitation document exists. POC for this request is James Fairneny or Anabela Dugas (508) 233-5209/4437, FAX (508) 233-4630 or e-mail your questions to the POCs at the US Army Natick Soldier Research, Development, and Engineering Center at the following address:
[email protected] and/or
[email protected]. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: This RFI is solely for information purposes and does not constitute a solicitation or the issuance thereof. This notice does not obligate the Government to issue a solicitation and/or award a contract. All information received in response to this RFI that is marked proprietary will be handled accordingly. Any information or sample materials submitted will not be returned, and no payment will be made by the government for such information or sample materials. Any testing results will be controlled and used for governmental purposes only. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed. Information provided will be used to assess tradeoffs and alternatives available for any potential requirement. Reference: Applicable Documents: • Detail Specification: Cloth, Duck, Textured Nylon. MIL-DTL-32439 dated 19 Feb 2013 • Letter Change: ‘Updates and Technical Changes for the MIL-DTL-32439 CLOTH, DUCK TEXTURED NYLON, dated 19 February 2013.' Dated 19 June 2014 o Type III - 500 denier * Class 3 - 8.0 oz/sq yd, Water repellent/back coated • Style A - ‘Solid Shade' [Coyote] • Style E - ‘Woodland Camouflage printed Marine Pattern (MARPAT)' • Style F - ‘Desert Camouflage printed, Marine Pattern (MARPAT) ‘ • Style H - ‘Operational Camouflage Pattern (OCP)' • Purchase Description: Uniform, Enhanced Flame Resistant Combat Ensemble (EFRCE) Blouse and Trouser. MIL-PRF-EFRCE dated JAN 2016 o Cloth, Type I - Woven, Woodland, Marine Corps Pattern (MARPAT) Camouflage Printed o Cloth, Type II - Woven, Desert, MARPAT Camouflage Printed • Purchase Description: ‘Cloth, Flame Resistant' GL-PD-07-12, Rev. 8, dated 02 Dec 2014. o Type III - FR Cloth, Ripstop * Class 3 - Operational Camouflage Pattern (OCP)