NOTICE: This is not a solicitation but rather a Sources Sought Notice for information and planning purposes only. The purpose of this Sources Sought is to conduct market research to determine if responsible sources exist and to assist in determining if this effort can be competed. The U.S Army Contracting Command-Aberdeen Proving Ground (ACC-APG) is seeking qualified potential sources regarding a potential replacement to the currently fielded Advanced Combat Helmet (ACH) with a significant decrease in weight. Final responses are due no later than 3:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight savings Time (EDT) on Thursday, 16 April 2015 to Kelly Doolittle at
[email protected]. Program Description: The Advanced Combat Helmet (ACH) has provided Soldiers with unprecedented levels of ballistic protection, blunt-impact protection, and operational comfort and stability. Throughout conflicts in the Middle East, Theater Cooperation Exercises around the world, and other military efforts in support of national objectives, the ACH has proven to be an effective enabler to mission accomplishment. Despite the impressive capabilities of the ACH and other Soldier equipment, overburden continues to be a major concern for injury, reduced battlefield attentiveness, increased fatigue, decreased mission capability, decreased target acquisition accuracy, and decreased mobility. Program Executive Officer (PEO) Soldier is seeking to decrease Soldier burden through the procurement of Soldier equipment with the same level of performance at a lower weight. Requirement: The U.S. Army PEO Solider is conducting a Sources Sought market survey to identify sources within the personal protective equipment industry with the interest and capability to provide a second generation Advanced Combat Helmet (ACH Gen II). The intent of this Request for Information (RFI) is to learn about the state of technology development within the helmet manufacturing community and find helmet and material systems that meet or exceed the requirements identified below. Performance Requirements: Requirement I: A significant (greater than 15%) reduction in weight in comparison to currently fielded ACHs. Complete helmet assemblies (finished helmet shell, retention system, suspension system, and Night Vision Device attachment hardware) must demonstrate significant reductions in weight. The U.S. Army seeks a weight reduction greater than shown in the rightmost column of Table 1 for ACH Gen II. Table 1: Right column lists weight reduction requirements by helmet size. Helmet Size ACH Weight (lbs) NVD Hardware Weight (lbs) Helmet Cover Weight (lbs)Weight Reduction Sought (lbs) Small 2.94 0.13 0.25 greater than 0.498 Medium 3.06 0.13 0.25 greater than 0.516 Large 3.31 0.13 0.25 greater than 0.554 Extra-Large 3.88 0.13 0.25 greater than 0.639 Double Extra-Large 4.00 0.13 0.25 greater than 0.657 Requirement II: Ballistic performance equal to or greater than requirements listed in Table 2 when tested in accordance with the guidelines established by AR/PD 10-02. Table 2 lists ballistic limit requirements (V50 or Resistance to Penetration - RTP) against right circular cylinders (RCC), fragment-simulating projectiles (FSP), and full metal jacketed, round nose (FMJ RN) projectiles. Note: All velocities are in feet per second (fps) and that these requirements include four environmental conditions (ambient, extreme hot, extreme cold, and after immersion in seawater), per AR/PD 10-02. Table 2: Right column lists ballistic limit requirements for ACH Gen II. Projectile Ballistic Limit Velocity (fps) 2-gain RCC V50 4200 4-grain RCC V50 3475 16-grain RCC V50 2475 64-grain RCC V50 1750 17-grain FSP V50 2200 124-grain FMJ RN 9mm RTP 1400 (+50) Requirement III: A design with no through holes in the ballistic shell; retention system and Night Vision Device (NVD) attachments must not require through holes. Night vision attachment must be compatible with the critical interfaces for the PVS-7/14 as well as the Enhanced Night Vision Goggle (ENVG) I, II, and III. Designs may facilitate the attachment of existing NVD mounting brackets or they may replace existing NVD mounting brackets as long as the design accommodates the attachment of the various ENVG power blocks. These guidelines do not intend to constrain creative design. Designs outside of these parameters may also be submitted. Requirement IV: Blunt impact performance equal to or better than attenuation of 10 ( 0.3) fps impacts to a recorded peak acceleration of 150 g (standard acceleration due to gravity) or less under the environmental conditions and using the test method described in AR/PD 10-02. Vendors shall provide in their RFI response maximum indentation capabilities for their respective designs for the blunt impact test listed above. Instructions to potential respondents- Deliverables: Interested parties are encouraged to provide an initial response no later than 17 March 2015 and final responses no later than 16 April 2015. PEO Soldier will conduct a preliminary review of all responses. Respondents will receive requests for clarification or feedback within 15 days of receipt of their response. All respondents regardless of size, are encouraged to respond to this RFI by submitting product literature, technical specifications, pertinent test data, cost, material safety data sheets (if applicable), product availability, production capability, and performance comments (ballistic and non-ballistic). Proprietary information will not be disclosed outside the U.S. Government. The Government will not pay for information and materials received in response to this RFI and is in no way obligated by the information received. Inclusion in this RFI or the resulting database does not constitute Government approval for any product. Respondents may provide responses that address only requirements I and II; however, responses to all four requirements are preferred. A respondent may provide samples in addition to the information for each system. Submitted system designs may consist of but are not limited to the same edge cut, geometry, and profile as the currently fielded ACH. Respondents are encouraged to identify unique solutions that otherwise may vary substantially from the ACH yet maintain the same area of coverage. Interested parties shall provide the following information: 1. Written narrative describing the proposed design and manufacturing process that enables the design the meet or exceed requirements, the measured or assessed performance against the outlined requirements; and all noted differences between the performance of the proposed design and the ACH. 2. Technical design specifications for each proposed helmet system or solution. This specification should include material composition, lay-up description, and documentation necessary to understand the proposed design. 3. Laboratory data for the following: shell weights, shell areal densities, shell thicknesses, resistance to penetration results against the threats listed in Table 1, V50 ballistic limit results against the threats listed in Table 1, and non-ballistic performance. o Note: Non-ballistic performance includes blunt impact protection acceleration data and top to bottom and side-to-side compression data. All tests should be conducted in accordance with current ACH performance specifications, and test data generated by an independent, third-party, accredited laboratory is preferred. Report ballistic transient deformation values for all RTP testing. Ballistic test data shall include descriptions of the type of projectiles and dimensional verification of the projectiles used to generate the test data. 4. Engineering drawings and concept sketches for the helmet, retention system, suspension system, and integrated night vision device attachment mechanism. 5. Production capacity, costs, and estimated shelf life for the submitted designs. 6. Proof of ISO 9001:2008 Compliance. 7. Quality manual. 8. Supplier and subcomponent management plan. Interested parties may submit the following: 9. Optional submission of prototypes and samples for the following items: helmet shell, retention system, integrated night vision device attachment mechanism, and suspension system. 10. Optional submission of laboratory data, engineering assessments, and user reviews on the strength, durability, adjustability, stability, and replaceability of the design(s) submitted. 11. Optional submission of User reviews of design comfort, stability, and functionality. 12. Optional submission engineering assessment of the interoperability of the submitted design with all other Soldier Equipment such as protective eyewear, NAPE pad, and Improved Outer Tactical Vest (IOTV). 13. Any additional information or goods not requested that is necessary to communicate the respondent's design effectively. Please mail any submitted samples or prototypes to: ATTN: Shane Bederson 10170 Beach Road Building 328T Fort Belvoir, VA 22060 USA