SOURCES SOUGHT
10 -- FLASH SUPPRESSOR FOR .50 CALIBER M2 HB MACHINE GUN
- Notice Date
- 12/21/2006
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- Contracting Office
- N00164 300 Highway 361, Building 64 Crane, IN
- ZIP Code
- 00000
- Solicitation Number
- N0016407R4819
- Response Due
- 1/31/2007
- Description
- ?This synopsis is being posted to both the Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) page located at http://www.fbo.gov and the Navy Electronic Commerce on Line (NECO) site located at https://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.? MARKET SURVEY ? SOURCES SOUGHT SYNOPSIS: PURPOSE: The Government is studying the attachment and performance of Flash Suppressors on heavy machineguns. Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane is seeking to conduct a Product Improvement Project (PIP), seeking improved flash suppression for .50 Caliber M2 HB Machine Guns. This effort is named Flash Suppressor ? Heavy Barrel (FS-HB) until such time as the Government may assign formal nomenclature. BACKROUND: The USSOCOM Special Operations Peculiar Modification (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, signature suppression, 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 up grade its subsystems with new combat technologies. The FS-HB effort is undertaken to find a commercial item that exhibits marked improvement in performance over the current baseline .50 Caliber flash suppressor (Flash Suppressor, LSN: 1005-LL-LU0-3700). REQUIREMENTS: Platform modifications of this limited scope do not require a formal requirements document. The fundamental platform modification requirement is to decrease the visible flash signature of M2 HB .50 Caliber Machineguns, thus increasing the existing capability of the Operator to survive and win close-range gunfights, particularly at night. INFORMATION REQUESTED: a. Performance: The performance information required is to support a Government effort to explore industry capability to supply Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) flash suppressors for the M2 HB .50 Caliber Machinegun. This Government is interested in extended life, expanded application, high-endurance machine gun flash suppression solutions that demonstrate enhanced flash suppression capabilities when compared to the baseline Flash Suppressor, LSN: 1005-LL-LU0-3700. Ultimately, the goal of FS-HB is to correct any current operational performance shortfalls of the baseline Flash Suppressor, LSN: 1005-LL-LU0-3700. The Government seeks COTS items or Non-Developmental Items (NDI) that eliminate or reduce visual cues, with a product life of 50,000 rounds under various firing schedules. The FS-HB should fit the M2 HB barrel without the use of special tools or permanent modifications to the weapon or its parts, to include the barrel. The Government will have limited to no inter est in products that adversely affect the reliability, maintainability, or basic functional performance of the host M2 HB. Please submit a technical description of the product, such as physical characteristics, operational features, performance data, photographs, and physical characteristics. This submission may be in the form of commercial product literature, operating instructions, and/or supplemental technical documentation that define the item and associated hardware. Request that potential sources address Fit, Function, Flash Suppression, SOF Environment (Rough Handling, cold etc), Accuracy, and Interoperability. Potential sources should also provide any test results on the item, and should certify that the product is safe for use for its intended purpose. The product should be able to safely use all existing .50 caliber ammunition, to include SLAP (M903). If any remaining developmental or production issues exist, sources should relate their organization's experie nce, understanding, and plan for resolving the issues. b. Schedule/Cost: The SOPMOD Program is considering the establishment of a 5-year production contract for the FS-HB. Each FS-HB information package provided by vendors should be cost-estimated in a configuration that includes a container, such as a sealed plastic bag or small, sealed box. Each container will have a simple set of mounting / operating instructions, either as a folded sheet inside the container, or on the outside label. Please fill out and return the price and delivery table (attachment 1) located at http://www.crane.navy.mil/acquisition/synopcom.htm for each variety of FS-HB product described. Pricing information provided in response to this announcement will be handled by the Government as proprietary information and used by the Government for planning and budgetary purposes only. Providers will not be bound at any time to the information provided. PRICING NOTES: The SOPMOD Program seeks a low-cost solution for this FS-HB, and has an initial production price goal of less than $150 (Objective). This price expectation may be adjusted after analysis of responses to this Market Survey. The SOPMOD Program will have limited to no interest in any item having a production cost in excess of $499.00 (Threshold). This is because under current policy, end items costing $500.00 or more require centralized serial number registry control and UID codes, greatly increasing the logistics burden and life cycle cost of the item. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY (IP): Currently, the Government has no interest in the acquisition of vendor intellectual property. Should this project result in a formal solicitation, the Government will clearly define its IP interests in the solicitation. The Government 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 a drawing for the M2 .50 Caliber barrel/muzzle interface surface. The SOPMOD Program will have limited to no interest in any item requiring permanent modification of the Heavy Barrel. PARTICIPATION: This announcement is a public invitation. Failure to participate in this Market Survey will not preclude abstaining vendors from offering on possible future solicitations for the FS-HB. However, 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 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 the FS-HB could occur as soon a February, 2007, when results of this Market Survey are received and analyzed. 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 rapid delivery in a time frame relevant to current conflicts. 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. Scott Ross, telephone (812) 854-5849, e-mail to: scott.ross@navy.mil . His mailing address is: NAVSURFWARCENDIV Crane, ATTN: Mr. Scott Ross, 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), EG&G, 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 issu e 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, Ms. Stacy McAtee, Code 0562NS, Bldg. 2521, NAVSURFWARCENDIV, Crane, IN 47522, telephone (812) 854-1988, or e-mail stacy.mcatee@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 Ms. Stacy McAtee or Mr. Scott Ross no later than 4: 00 PM CST, 31 January 2007.
- Web Link
-
TO DOWNLOAD SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE
(http://www.crane.navy.mil/acquisition/synopcom.htm)
- Record
- SN01201433-W 20061223/061221221047 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
| FSG Index | This Issue's Index | Today's FBO Daily Index Page |