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), HUBZone, service disabled veteran owned small businesses (SDVOSB), and women-owned small business (WOSB) concerns capable of performing the requirements described below. The Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center (NSRDEC), located in Natick, MA, is issuing this sources sought to identify potential sources of custom compounding capabilities to blend polymer materials with pesticide into pellets for fiber processing. REQUIREMENTS: The NSRDEC seeks local area sources with the equipment and knowledge specified below to support an in-house program to developing insect resistant fibers. NSRDEC has the extensive fiber processing knowledge as well as the essential pieces of equipment to process polymer materials into fibers; however, the NSRDEC requires access to equipment and knowledge to develop the initial polymer material feed for fiber processing in order to proceed with this program. Thus, the NSRDEC is seeking information on vendors with a compounding facility that (1) has extensive experience processing plastics and liquid chemicals, (2) the ability to produce a sufficient amount of compounded material for NSRDEC fiber processing, and (3) modify compounded material in iterations to accomplish optimal fiber processing properties. Specialized equipment requirements at the vendor facility encompass twin screw extruders, material blenders, pellet and liquid feeders, and post extrusion pelletizers. Anticipated Period of Performance (POP) for this work should be no greater than 4 months. The plastic compounding company shall be capable of: (1) Twin screw extrusion for compounding plastics and chemicals, (2) Polymer testing equipment for rheology, melt flow rate, viscosity, etc., (3) Research, development and engineering (RD&E) services for plastic and chemicals, (4) Willingness to experiment with a range of polymer materials and pesticides, Due to pesticide regulations, it is required for NSRDEC personnel to travel to the plastic compounding company in order to observe and ensure proper handling and processing during all trials pertaining to this work; therefore, the NSRDEC is seeking sources capable of fulfilling this requirement that are within a 60 mile radius of NSRDEC, Natick, MA. 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 7 February 2017/4:00pm Eastern Standard Time. Responses to this notice should be e-mailed to
[email protected] AND
[email protected]. Please include the announcement number (W911QY17CMPPL) 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 being 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.