The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), Cold Regions Research Laboratory (CRREL)’s Force Projections & Sustainment Branch in Hanover, New Hampshire intends to award a contract on a sole source basis to QinetiQ North America upon the basis of the authority provided at FAR 13.106-1(b). ERDC-CRREL requires the rental of one (1) MILREM Robotic’s Tracked Hybrid Modular Infantry System (THeMIS) Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) and three (3) MILREM personnel to conduct testing and evaluations on the equipment’s traction, motion resistance, rolling resistance, and handling. Instructors shall provide training to Army personnel on vehicle operations and Army maneuvers and drills. The services and incidental supplies are military in nature and are not available for sale to the general public. Requirements: Testing, evaluations and training shall be conducted in the New Hampshire and Vermont areas over an approximate two (2) week period. To fulfill the Government’s requirement in its entirety, a vendor must provide the following: Rental of one (1) THeMIS, Model 4.5 UGV for a period of approximately two (2) weeks. Three (3) on-site MILREM team members to include a vehicle operator, technician, and tactical advisor. Contractor shall operate the THeMIS UGV demonstrating the unit’s traction, motion resistance, rolling resistance, and handling capabilities. Provide instruction to Army personnel on how to operate the unit including on-hands driving instructions while conducting Army maneuvers, drills, and the THeMIS Operators Qualification Course. FOB Destination: ERDC-CRREL facilities in Hanover, New Hampshire. The THeMIS UGV shall be shipped to and picked up from the ERDC-CERL facilities. The MILREM Robotic’s Tracked Hybrid Modular Infantry System (THeMIS) Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) Model 4.5 has been identified as only UGV model capable of fulfilling the Government’s requirement. The system from MILREM is the vehicle that was chosen as the platform to be evaluated under a Foreign Comparative Technologies (FCT) proposal awarded to CRREL as it was deemed the only system capable of satisfying the performance objectives set by the Under Secretary of Defense (OUSD). While there are other manufactures of UGVs, THeMIS appears to be one of the foremost recommendations. THeMIS appears to have a wider scope of roles and a 33% longer run time (4 additional hours) than the nearest competitor. With a significant payload capacity and run time advantage over other UGVs, THeMIS appears to have the advantage when allowing for the considerations. This Notice of Intent is not a request for competitive quotations. However, interested parties may identify their interest and capability to respond to this requirement. Any interested party that believes they can fulfill this requirement should submit a capability statement to be reviewed. All submissions will be considered, however there is no guarantee that submissions in response to this notice will in any way alter the Government's acquisition strategy. Responses to this notice shall be submitted NLT 12:00 PM CDT, 10 August 2022 to
[email protected]. Telephone responses will not be accepted. Responses to this notice will not be considered as a response to any solicitation, a request to be added to a prospective offerors list, or to receive a copy of any solicitation. A determination by the Government not to compete the contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. Note: In order to be eligible for award of a Government contract, vendors must be actively registered in the System for Award Management (SAM), have no active exclusions, and complete the FAR and DFARS representations and certifications.