SOURCES SOUGHT
12 -- SOURCES SOUGHT ANNOUNCEMENT FOR WEAPON QUADRANT MOUNTS (WQM)
- Notice Date
- 1/27/2006
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- Contracting Office
- N00164 300 Highway 361, Building 64 Crane, IN
- ZIP Code
- 00000
- Solicitation Number
- N0016406R4887
- Response Due
- 3/31/2006
- Description
- This synopsis is being posted to both the Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) page located at http://www.eps.gov and the Navy Electronic Commerce on Line (NECO) site located at http://www.neco.navy.mil. While it is understood that FBO is the single point of entry for posting of synopsis and solicitations to the Internet, NECO is the alternative in case FBO is unavailable. Please feel free to use either site to access information posted by the NSWC Division Crane. PURPOSE: The Government is studying the usage of Weapon Quadrant Mounts (WQMs) for inclusion in the Special Operations Peculiar Modification (SOPMOD) Kit. This announcement is to conduct a Government Market Survey of commercially available WQM offerings and associated hardware. This Market Survey has two objectives. The first is to collect current cost, schedule, and performance information in order to place near-term small purchase orders for WQM subsystems and associated hardware. The second objective of this Market Survey is to gather any additional data that vendors may supply that will enable the Government to develop a possible future specification/solicitation that could allow for larger WQM procurements. BACKGROUND: The United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) SOPMOD program provides small arms accessories to Army, Navy, and Air Force Special Forces Operators. In 1993, USSOCOM arranged with the Naval Sea Systems Command to establish the SOPMOD Program Management Office at the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC), Crane Division, at Crane, Indiana. Since then, the SOPMOD Program has provided joint Special Operations Forces (SOF) with standardized, versatile weapons accessories to meet all needs across SOF mission scenarios. These accessories increase SOF survivability and lethality by providing enhanced weapon performance, target acquisition, and day and night precision aiming. The SOPMOD program provides these accessories to SOF operators when the accessories are developed to the point that they are operationally suitable, affordable, sustainable, and funded. SOPMOD is an evolutionary acquisition program that continues to change and to upgrade its subsystems with new combat technologies. SOF Operators utilize multiple sighting accessories from the SOPMOD kit. These accessories incorporate iron sights, laser sights, image intensification sights, thermal imaging sights, and optical (glass) riflescopes to provide SOF Operators with accurate aiming in day and night conditions. Depending on the mission, the SOF Operator may be required to attach and detach several sighting accessories to the same weapon to configure the weapon for different mission profiles. SOPMOD aiming systems are configured for direct line-of-sight, low angle fire, and are predominantly designed for 5.56 and 7.62 caliber small arms. Certain SOPMOD Systems, however, are of utility on crew-served weapons of larger caliber, such as the M2 series .50 caliber and Mark 19 40mm machineguns. These, and other SOF crew served weapons, require higher angles of fire. Most current mounts in the US stock system inventory do not have the ability to incrementally incline direct line-of-sight sighting systems. This forces the gunner to guess the elevation at longer ranges, leading to targets being missed, ammunition wasted, and less effective enemy engagement. The US Army has developed quadrant mounts for the M2 and MK 19, however, these have not been tested for adaptability to SOPMOD Program subsystems and joint SOF missions, see ATTACHMENT # 1. Recently, SOF units and the SOPMOD Program have conducted user assessments with a variety of alternative Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) quadrant sight items. The SOPMOD program has a need for these types of items and other COTS WQM alternatives that provide simple and accurate range inclination of installed aiming subsystems. The potential future demand for WQMs has caused the SOPMOD Program to issue this Sources Sought announcement and consider a future competitive acquisition for WQMs and supporting hardware. REQUIREMENTS: The validated requirement for crew-served weapons capability in the SOPMOD Program and MDNS Development Project is found in ATTACHMENT # 2. a. Operational Concept: (1) SETUP: The SOF crew served weapons operator attaches the WQM to either the M2 50 caliber Machinegun or the MK 19. The Operator attaches one or more in-line sighting systems to the WQM and zeros the sights to the weapon. Ideally, the operator would be able to attach up to three separate sights on the WQM. The WQM should have 1 (Thereshold), 3 (Objective) MILSTD 1913 rail surface(s) to accept various sights. An objective sighting combination could be: (a) RAPID AIMING: an Aimpoint? series red dot sight, miniature red dot sight, or SU-231/PEQ Reflex Sight (b) NIGHT PASSIVE AIMING: an AN/PVS-17 Mini Night Sight or SU-232/PAS Thermal Sight (c) ACTIVE AIMING: a day/night aiming laser, such as the AN/PEQ 11 or LA-5/PEQ (2) FIND AND IDENTIFY TARGETS: The operator uses night vision goggles or one of the attached weapon sights to detect and identify a long-range target. The operator or an assistant determines the range to the target using a handheld rangefinder or other means. (3) ENGAGE TARGETS: The operator applies the correct range setting to the WQM, aims at the target and fires. b. Technical Concept: The WQMs may be in a variety of configurations for specific weapons/aiming system needs. While standardization is desirable, different WQMs may be required to cover the entire range of SOF crew-served weapons and aiming accessories. Potential vendors should not be discouraged by the multiple weapons and aiming systems requiring WQMs, rather should consider providing information on one or more of the weapon/aiming accessory assemblies mentioned below. The SOPMOD PMO, in an effort to broaden competition and reduce cost and schedule, may be willing to assist in certain technical aspects, such as adaptation of COTs items to the geometries of the various sights, and the preparation of zeroing procedures and targets. The following weapons/aiming systems are of interest in the WQM effort: Immediate client weapon WQM needs: M2, .50 Caliber MG (.50 BMG), NSN: 1005-01-343-0747 Other M2 series MGs, such as M2 HB, NSNs: 1005-00-122-9368 LH and 1005-00-122-9339 RH MK 19 MOD 3, 40mm MG, NSN: 1010-01-126-9063 Possible future client weapon WQM needs: MK 47, 40mm MG (As an emergency backup system to the existing multi-mission sight) Immediate aiming accessory WQM needs: AN/PEQ-2 Infrared Illuminator, NSN: 5855-01-422-5253 AN/PEQ-2A Infrared Illuminator, NSN: 5855-01-447-8992 AN/PVS-17A Miniature Night Vision Sight, NSN: 5855-01-474-8904 M68 CCOS and ECOS-N (Aimpoint Series), NSN: Various Future aiming accessory WQM needs: AN/PEQ-11, Durable Aiming Illumination Laser, NSN: 5855-01-529-8714 LA-5/PEQ, Illuminator, Integrated, Small Arms, NSN: 5855-01-533-0555 SU-231/PEQ Reflex Sight, NSN: 1240-01-533-0941 SU-232/PAS Thermal Sight, NSN: 5855-01-533-0557 INFORMATION REQUESTED: The WQM kit(s) to be described are envisioned as a sturdy cardboard or plastic container, containing one each of the proposed WQM product or assembly, supporting hardware, and a simple set of installation, zeroing, and operating instructions. Interested vendors may provide information on one, more, or all of the host weapons/accessories of interest. Interested vendors should submit the following information regarding the WQM kit(s): a. Performance: Please submit a technical description of the product, such as photographs, physical characteristics, operational features, and performance data. This should consist of commercial product literature, operating instructions, and/or supplemental technical documentation that define the WQMs and associated hardware. b. Schedule/Cost: Please submit, as a minimum, the cost and delivery times for 1-100 each, 100-500 each, and 500-1000 each. The Government may choose to act on this information in the near term with small purchase orders for testing, user assessments, urgent requirements, or other purposes. c. Future Designs: Vendors are invited to submit cost, schedule, and performance information on planned future militarized designs or improvements to their current COTS products. The government may use this data to develop a future solicitation/specification for WQMs. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY (IP): Currently, the government desires to procure the WQMs as COTS, or militarized versions of COTS products, and has no interest in the acquisition of vendor intellectual property. The government, however, wishes to maintain open system architectures, and will have very limited interest in items that restrict future spiral development by using proprietary interfaces. The SOPMOD Program does not have technical data packages for the weapons and sighting systems listed above. Please do not request drawings or descriptions. PARTICIPATION: This announcement is a public invitation. Vendors are requested to respond to one, more, or parts of the WQM Requirements. Failure to participate in this Market Survey will not preclude abstaining vendors from bidding on possible future solicitations. This announcement is part of the full-free-and-open competition process, which encourages industry and academia to help shape Government specifications to match what is possible, affordable, and timely. Failure to participate in this open dialog process may result in a future Government performance specification over which the abstaining vendors have limited influence in the acquisition process, and may deprive abstaining vendors of potentially valuable direct early interaction with end-users, contracting officials, and acquisition planners. TECHNICAL AND SCHEDULE RISK: Small purchases of COTS WQMs could occur as soon as April 2006, when results of this Market Survey are received. For larger WQM procurements, current program planning seeks to finalize the production and fielding of the WQM capability to combat units in a time frame relevant to ongoing hostilities. The SOPMOD Program will have limited to no interest in basic research or initial applied research responses, or in early prototypical items, unless a clear, rapid path can be shown to achieve delivery of 15 units by the spring of 2006 for testing. This schedule objective may be adjusted earlier or later depending on the schedule data collected from responding vendors. COMMENTS: The technical Point of Contact (POC) for this Market Survey is Mr. Rick Tousignant. Mr. Tousignant may be reached via e-mail at: Richard.Tousignant@navy.mil, or via phone at 812-854-5965. His mailing address is: NAVSURFWARCENDIV Crane, ATTN: Mr. Rich Tousignant, Code 4081 Bldg 2521, 300 Highway 361, Crane IN 47522-5001. It should be noted that during the evaluation of all information submitted, the Government plans to utilize employees from Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) and Wexford Group International (WGI), and possibly other direct Government contractors as advisors to the Government evaluators. While the Government may use Market Survey information provided to conduct small purchases for testing, combat user assessments, and specification/solicitation preparation, this sources sought synopsis does not constitute an Invitation for Bids (IFB), a Request for Quote (RFQ), or a Request for Proposal (RFP) and it should not be construed as a commitment of any kind by the Government to issue a formal solicitation or ultimately award a contract. The U.S. Government is in no way liable to pay for or reimburse any companies or entities that respond to this announcement. Any costs incurred by interested companies in response to this announcement or incurred for participation in the Market Survey will NOT be reimbursed. All information marked as proprietary information will be safeguarded to prevent disclosures to non-Government personnel and entities. Your interest in this response is appreciated. Non-technical questions regarding this announcement may be directed to the Contracting Specialist (CTR-SAIC), Mr. Scott Bingham, Code 0562R3, Bldg. 2521, NAVSURFWARCENDIV, Crane, IN 47522, telephone (812) 854-8525, or e-mail scott.bingham@navy.mil. Information is requested in Microsoft compatible electronic format, however hard copy responses will be accepted. Please provide the information requested in this Market Survey to Mr. Scott Bingham no later than 5:30 PM EDT, 31 March 2006 .
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