Scope The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to solicit industry feedback regarding their capability to deliver special-purpose electrical connectors for cable manufacturing to support Product Manager Ground Soldier, Ft Belvoir, VA. These connectors are part of Nett Warrior (NW), a weapon system that provides Battle Command and Situational Awareness to dismounted soldiers. These connectors are also employed in US Army expeditionary power products used in the field. The NW program established a technical architecture for interconnect cables based on earlier versions of the system, extensive qualification, field testing, trade-offs with multiple alternative sources and design iterations in earlier versions of the system. TYAD produces the interconnect cable assemblies for the NW Production and Fielding phase. Glenair Inc. designed and manufactures a line of quote mark Series 80 quote mark electrical connectors that are a miniaturized version of MIL-DTL-38999 open standard connectors. These push/pull connectors have been specified for use by the NW program. Based on program requirements, all interface cable connectors shall be fully compatible with specific versions of Glenair 807 series connectors. Information contained in this RFI is the result of preliminary research on existing depot connector resources, business intelligence capabilities, is subject to modification and is in no way binding on the Government. There is no guarantee that any submission in response to this RFI will result in a Government contract. Process In accordance with FAR 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. The Government does not intend to make an award on the basis of this RFI. This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation. Responses will be treated as information only and will not be considered a proposal. The information submitted in response to this RFI may be used to help the Government further define requirements and compatible connectors to be considered. If the Government develops a requirement that addresses any submitted or similar connectors, the resulting procurement will address technology and business requirements to achieve the required objectives. Any results developed from this RFI may be the subject of a subsequent acquisition, and any such acquisition will be publicized accordingly. Responders to this RFI will have no competitive advantage in receiving awards related to the submitted topic area. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI. The Government does not intend to pay for the information solicited. No entitlement to payment of direct or indirect costs or charges by the Government will arise because of submission of responses to this RFI and the Government's use of such information. All information received in response to this RFI that is marked as proprietary will be handled accordingly. Responses that indicate the information therein is proprietary, or represents confidential business information, will be received and held in confidence. Proprietary information submitted, as part of responses to the RFI, shall be clearly identified as COMMERCIAL IN-CONFIDENCE. TYAD reserves the right to follow up on a one-on-one basis with RFI respondents to gain additional information or clarity about information submitted by respondents, best practices, industry environment, and other subjects relevant to this RFI. Interested responders shall provide data and production representative connectors in a phased approach to determine interest and capability to provide source of supply for connector equivalents that are 100% compatible with Glenair part numbers: 8070-1675-01ZNU6-6SY, Connector Receptacle, Crimp Socket 8070-1676-06ZNU6-6PY, Connector Plug, Crimp Pins. Responses require engineering analysis, submission of drawings, providing test results, and supplying production representative sample connectors for the Government to assess compatibility with the benchmarks. The Government will evaluate progress at the completion of each phase and determine if the candidate(s) sufficiently meet the criteria, before proceeding into subsequent efforts. Detailed requirements on connector performance and test criteria are available on request. Details The Government will conduct a four phased technical assessment: Identify candidates Evaluate test results provided by industry Manufacture sample cables for supplier testing Conduct system testing by TYAD, and/or other Government agencies Phase I--Identify Candidates Interested suppliers shall submit technical details on candidate connectors to TYAD for technical evaluation. This evaluation will assess the supplier's capacity to define the appropriate interfaces, dimensions, tolerances and materials in their candidate. Suppliers shall provide drawings with sufficient information to perform an engineering assessment conducted by TYAD. The Government will not assist industry in revising submissions or provide advice on developing a conforming product. Successful candidates, as determined by the TYAD engineering analysis, will be invited to participate in Phase II. Phase II--Manufacture sample connectors and test Suppliers meeting the criteria in Phase I may continue into Phase II to produce 20 each of both types of connectors. These connectors shall undergo testing by the supplier using certified equipment or by independent certified test facilities to validate conformance to a set of performance criteria provided by the Government. Tests, as defined by TYAD, shall include mechanical and electrical compatibility with the benchmarks, as well as certain types of environmental testing tailored from MIL STD 810. TYAD will evaluate test results documentation submitted by industry. Failure to meet all requirements will be reason for dismissal of the applicant. The Government will not assist industry in revising submissions or provide advice on developing a conforming product. Successful candidates, as determined by TYAD, will be invited to participate in Phase III. Phase III--Manufacture sample interconnects for subassembly testing Suppliers that successfully complete Phase II will be invited to provide 20 each of both types of connectors and sufficient instructions for TYAD to produce cable assemblies with the candidate connectors. The supplier may advise TYAD cable manufacturing on the assembly process to assure builds are complete as intended. Process metrics will be collected to assist the Government in determining materials and labor content required to manufacture interconnect assemblies. The Government may provide assembly details on interfacing the candidate connector the currently defined wire stock, cable shielding and overmolding. Ten each of the resulting products will be returned to the supplier to conduct cable assembly testing to validate conformance to specifications and associated verification criteria. Supplier testing shall use certified equipment or be conducted by independent certified test facilities. Test data shall be submitted to TYAD for evaluation and candidates assessed as successful shall be further evaluated in Phase IV by TYAD. Phase IV--System Testing Suppliers who successfully complete Phase III will continue evaluation into Government testing. TYAD will use the remaining 10 each cable assemblies to perform detailed testing on fully configured Nett Warrior systems to examine performance at the system level. This step is necessary to assess aspects of connector-related system performance that cannot be evaluated at the component level. A final evaluation will be conducted after completing testing and results will be provided to the Nett Warrior program office. Individual respective assessments will be provided to each supplier participating in this phase. Phase I is the initial focus of this RFI. Interested participants shall provide technical information as described for Phase I, sufficient for TYAD to determine physical compatibility with the benchmarks. Note any proprietary data as defined in the Process section of this RFI. Send questions or concerns regarding this RFI through e-mail to: Stanley M Czock Nett Warrior Systems Engineer Tobyhanna Army Depot Tobyhanna, Pa 18466
[email protected] Questions submitted prior to the closing date and answered by the Government will be published and available to parties registering interest in this RFI. Complete responses to this RFI shall to be submitted electronically to the above referenced e-mail address, no later than 12:00 PM EST on 6 March 2014. Responses shall include the name, telephone number, and e-mail address of a point of contact having authority and knowledge to discuss responses with TYAD.