The United States Mint, Department of the Treasury is issuing this sources sought synopsis as a means of conducting market research to identify parties having an interest in and the resources to manufacture trays to transport coins in its various stages of formation made from virgin or recycled polyethylene terephthalate. The current tray used is made of high impact polystyrene composite and is introducing loose debris in our products possibly caused by the friction of the coins and trays during transport. We are seeking an improved tray that will withstand the friction of metal coins without degradation. The result of this market research will contribute to identifying potential sources of supply and determining the method of procurement. The applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code assigned to this procurement is 326112 or 333993 with a size standard of 500 employees. There is no solicitation at this time. This request for information does not constitute a request for proposals; submission of any information in response to this market survey is purely voluntary; the government assumes no financial responsibility for any costs incurred. Classification Code: 81 -- Containers, packaging, & packing supplies Product Qualifications: All products must meet the following qualifications. The dimensions of the trays shall match the provided drawings and include the following specifications: 1. The trays shall be composed of Polyethylene Terephthalate Material or a material with a higher scratch resistance 2. The material shall be matte with a clear (no color) appearance with the exception of an opaque color 1.25" x 1.25" square at the bottom corner of the trays (as seen in the attached drawings). The square color should be matte and all 6 configurations shall have a unique color that differentiates them from the other tray configurations. Although matte is preferred, some level of gloss may be considered negotiable. 3. The trays shall not introduce immediate or latent defects in coins such as tarnishing or any other reaction to metals. No sulfides or chlorides should be used in fabricating the trays or color used for the 1.25" identifying squares. 4. The trays should be able to tilt at 40° while maintaining full rows without coin spillage. 5. The trays shall be stackable without nesting. In other words, the bottom of a tray should not come in contact with the coins of a tray that is stacked underneath 6. The chamfer and/or height dimensions of the tray "ribs" may be changed, however the external width and length of the trays must remain the same as the original drawing. The height of 6 stacked trays must not exceed 1.42". The United States Mint requires one product sample for each denomination listed below. Denomination Penny/Dime Nickel Quarter Half Dollar Dollar Bullion If your company has the potential capacity to provide the required trays, please provide the following information: 1) Company name, address, email address, website address, telephone number, and business size (i.e., large, small, non-profit, educational, etc.) and type (i.e., woman-owned, service disabled veteran owned, minority-owned, 8A, etc.); 2) In order for your company to be pre-qualified, vendors must submit capability statements in accordance with the listed pre-qualification criteria. Once a vendor is pre-qualified, the United States Mint will provide a copy of the full solicitation. The government will evaluate market information to ascertain potential market capacity to: provide products consistent in scope and scale with those described in this notice and secure and apply the full range of corporate financial, human capital, and technical resources required to successfully perform similar requirements. Based on the responses to this sources sought notice/market research, this requirement may be set-aside for small businesses or procured through full and open competition. Please note, in accordance with 31 U.S.C. §5136, no provisions of law governing procurement or public contracts are applicable to the procurement of goods or services necessary for carrying out the United States Mint programs and operations. Submission Instructions: Interested parties who consider themselves qualified to provide the required products are invited to submit a response to this Sources Sought Notice by May 19, 2016 4 pm EST. All responses under this Sources Sought Notice must be emailed to Mrs. Pauletta Mobley at
[email protected] and Luwanna K. Clark at
[email protected]. Responses shall be limited to 15 pages. Proprietary information, if any, should be minimized and MUST BE CLEARLY MARKED. Please be advised that all submissions become Government property and will not be returned. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted or acknowledged, and no feedback or evaluations will be provided to companies regarding their submissions. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY to identify sources and gather additional market information. The information provided in the RFI is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. The Government reserves the right to reject, in whole or in part, any private sector input as a result of this market survey. The United States Mint has not made a commitment to procure any of the items discussed, and release of this RFI should not be construed as such a commitment or as authorization to incur cost for which reimbursement would be required or sought.