THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY for Military Free Fall (MFF) Heated Gloves and Vests which are capable of meeting the basic requirements described below. This is not a Request for Quotation (RFQ), Request for Proposal (RFP) or an Invitation for Bid (IFB). It is a market research tool being used to determine the availability and adequacy of potential sources for planning purposes only. Responses to this notice are not considered as offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of responses nor otherwise pay for the preparation of any information presented or the use of any such information. Description The U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research Development, and Engineering Center (NSRDEC), Natick, MA is seeking sources Military Free Fall (MFF) Heated Gloves and Vests that meet the following characteristics: 1. Are made of materials that are fully Berry Amendment (10 USC 2533a) compliant. 2. Gloves are tactile in nature, allowing manipulations of gear and equipments such as attaching and detaching buckles used on a MFF harness, activating drogue set/release pillow type handles, adjusting straps, operating GPS, radios and other small electronics or other pieces of equipment. 3. Vest is comfortable to wear under a parachutist harness and does not interfere with equipment worn or used during MFF operations. 4. Gloves and vest should be fully functional in heavy rain or snow conditions. 5. If possible gloves/ vest should not give off any visible light source. 6. Gloves can either be worn independently or if they are liner fit under a combat style glove. 7. Battery packs on gloves need to be stream lined enough so they do not interfere with placement of wrist altimeter. Requested Information Vendors who believe they have product(s) capable of meeting the above requirements are requested to submit a short (no more than 3 pages total) summary, including description, pictures, and website URL (if applicable). The three (3) page summary must include Company name and address, point of contact with phone number, DUNS number, Cage Code and a statement regarding any small business designation (if applicable), by the date and to the address noted below. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 315990 - Apparel Accessories and Other Apparel Manufacturing and the small business size is 500 employees. Any information submitted will not be returned, and no payment will be made by the Government for such information. Responses to this notice are to be sent to the RFI POC below. This notice is for market survey only. This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed. Information provided will be used to assess tradeoffs and alternatives available for any potential requirement. Point of Contact (POC) Interested parties shall submit responses to this RFI to: Jean Greenwood Phone: (508) 233-6101 Email:
[email protected] Questions concerning this RFI may be addressed by contacting: Jean Greenwood Phone: (508) 233-6101 Email:
[email protected] Responses shall be received no later than 4:00PM EST 18 December 2014. Responses shall be e-mailed to the address above. No telephonic or hardcopy responses to this RFI will be considered. Additional Information All information received in response to this RFI that is marked proprietary will be handled accordingly. Responses to the RFI will not be returned. Responses to this RFI are not offers for contract and will not be used by the Government to form a binding contract. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI.