SOURCES SOUGHT
62 -- Sources Sought Notice- Approved Family of Flashlights List (AFFL)- revised list
- Notice Date
- 6/6/2008
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 335129
— Other Lighting Equipment Manufacturing
- Contracting Office
- Department of the Army, U. S. Army Materiel Command, RDECOM Acquisition Center - Edgewood, RDECOM Acquisition Center - Edgewood, ATTN: AMSSB-ACC-E, 5183 Blackhawk Road, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21010-5424
- ZIP Code
- 21010-5424
- Solicitation Number
- W911SR-08-X-XXXX
- Response Due
- 6/30/2008
- Archive Date
- 8/29/2008
- Point of Contact
- Jillian Morra, 410-436-2606
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- Description This is a Request for Information and does not constitute a solicitation or request for proposal. This market survey will be used to provide information on a flashlight evaluation effort under the Family of Flashlights (FoF) Program and introduce a revised Approved Family of Flashlight List (AFFL). Once the revised AFFL is released, all candidates on the pre-existing AFFL will no longer be valid. All interested vendors, including those on the current AFFL, must submit flashlights for revised AFFL testing. The U.S. Army Product Manager, Clothing and Individual Equipment (PM-CIE) is currently seeking qualified sources to provide commercially available flashlights that satisfy the Buy American Act, Sec. 25.101, (a) (1), and (2), and to Sec. 25.103. All submissions shall be provided by the vendor at no cost or obligation to the Government.Any information collected shall not be disclosed outside the Government. Test data for all submitted items will only be provided to the designated Vendor. Interested parties should provide the following to the points of contact by 30 June 2008: product literature, product specification, and cost information (both GSA and MSRP prices). All products will be tested as submitted. All factors, to include cost, will be considered for inclusion on the AFFL using a systematic approach. The AFFL will consist of three categories of flashlights: 1) Hands Free Helmet Light (HFHL), 2) Tactical Handheld Light (THL), and 3) Basic White Lights (BWL) (non aftermarket filters (red, blue, IR) are acceptable and encouraged). Limit 3 items for each category per company. Selection Process The selection process for the AFFL will use a down-select process. This process will consist of 3 Phases: Phase I Physical Characteristics/Lumen Testing, Phase II Technical Testing, and Phase III User Evaluation. A scoring system will be used for Phase II and III. No external lab testing conducted outside of the Army for any phases of testing will be acceptable. All flashlights will be tested to the same procedures through Aberdeen Testing Center (ATC). A scoring conference will be held to determine which lights will be selected for the AFFL. Metrics will be weighted where Technical Testing is most important of all the areas and is significantly more important than the Physical Characteristics Testing. Physical Characteristics Testing is more important than the User Evaluation, which is more important than Cost. Physical Characteristics/Lumen Testing --Phase I All candidates must meet all of the threshold performance criteria (Phase I) listed per category in its entirety in order to proceed to Phase II. The threshold performance criteria for the HFHL are: 1) Must be compatible with the Advanced Combat Helmet (ACH) and side mountable with no helmet modification, 2) Highest power setting must provide a minimum of 5 lumens for 24 hours, 3) Dimensions of entire system with all attachments must not exceed 3x 3x 2, 4) Power source must be AA or Lithium 123 batteries, 5a) Must provide white light color and integrated secondary color of red or blue, 5b) and IR capability, 6) Must weigh no more than 4 oz. with power source and mounting accessories, 7) Must be subdued in color (Foliage Green, Desert Sand, Black, and Urban Gray). The threshold performance criteria for the THL are: 1) Must provide a clip for secure fastening, 2) Highest power settings must provide a minimum of 40 lumens continuous for 60 minutes, 3) Dimensions of entire system with all attachments must not exceed 6 in length, 4) Power source must be AA or Lithium 123 batteries, 5a) Must provide white light color and integrated secondary color of red or blue, 5b) and IR capability, 6) Weigh no more than 6 oz. (with power source), 7) Be subdued in color (Foliage Green, Desert Sand, Black, and Urban Gray). The threshold performance criteria for the BWL are: 1) Must provide a clip for secure fastening, 2) Highest power settings must provide a minimum of 40 lumens continuous for 60 minutes, 3) Dimensions of entire system with all attachments must not exceed 6 in length, 4) Power source must be AA or Lithium 123 batteries, 5) Weigh no more than 6 oz. (with power source), 6) Be subdued in color (Foliage Green, Desert Sand, Black, and Urban Gray). Note: Non-aftermarket filters (red, blue, IR) are acceptable and encouraged Lumen Testing Procedure This test will be performed in a darkened room using a Labsphere Uniform Source System (USS), model USS-2000V, 20-in. integrating sphere with an internal Silicon Detector Assembly (SDA), model SDA-060-P. A calibration conversion factor will be calculated by holding one of each flashlight type in the 8-in. input port of the sphere while all three internal sphere lights are on and the flashlight is off. The front of the flashlights will be fitted to custom templates cut from white foam backing board to seal the opening of the input port of the integrating sphere for both calibration and testing. A total of three flashlights will be tested by holding the flashlights in the input port with the internal sphere lights off and the flashlight on after operating for one hour. The output of the SDA will be recorded and then converted to lumens using the calibration conversion factor determined for each flashlight type. A total of three flashlights per candidate model will be tested for lumens; all three flashlights must pass to advance to Phase II of the selection process. If any of the three flashlights fail the lumen test, the failing light(s) shall be allowed one retest with new batteries. Failing a second time will be deemed a failure for that flashlight candidate model. Phase II Only candidates which have successfully satisfied Phase I requirements, will then advance to Phase II, Technical Testing. Phase II will consist of 5 environmental tests listed below. 5 new flashlights shall be subjected to each of the tests (25 flashlights total). A minimum of 4 of the 5 flashlights must achieve the testing requirements for each environmental test for the flashlight system to receive a qualifying score. 1. Hot/Cold Operational Testing MIL-STD-810F Test Method 501.4, Procedure II (Hot Env. 90 to120 deg F cyclic) and 502.4, Procedure II (Basic Cold -6 to -24 deg F) 2. Salt Fog MIL-STD-810F Test Method 509.4 3. Humidity MIL-STD-810F Test Method 507.4 4. Drop Testing MIL-STD-810F Test Method 516.5, Procedure IV 5. Immersion MIL-STD-810F Test Method 512.4 Phase III Only candidates which have received a qualifying score for Technical Testing (Phase II), will then advance to Phase III, User Evaluation. New flashlights will be supplied for the User Evaluation. 1. Durability and Performance TOP 1-2-502 Durability, TOP 10-2-021, General Performance Tests of CIE and TOP 1-2-610, Human Factors Engineering Procedure 5.11, Individual Performance Assessment. 2. MOLLE (FLC) and mission compatibility 3. Warfighter Subjective Assessment TOP 1-2-610 Human Factors Engineering Procedure 5.18, Questionnaires and interviews and final questionnaire (6 point Likert scale) for each candidate Placement on the revised AFFL at the conclusion of technical and User testing will be determined by the members of the PM-CIE IPT board based on best value, performance, and overall user acceptance. Please submit a total of 48 flashlights along with instructions to the following address by 30 July 2008: US Army Aberdeen Testing Center (ATC) ATTN: CSTE-DT-ATC-WC-S (A.McClung: 410-278-4147) 400 Colleran Road, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21005-5059 A re-evaluation is scheduled in the summer/fall 2008. All vendors must submit flashlights for AFFL certification and re-certification. Once the new list of AFFL is released, all candidates on the pre-existing AFFL will no longer be valid. Points of Contact Richie Frondoso, 703-704-2323, richie.frondoso1@conus.army.mil or Stella Lee, 410-436-6083, stella.y.lee@us.army.mil
- Web Link
-
FedBizOpps Complete View
(https://www.fbo.gov/?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=9785a3f3f7aebfe8e41d74cef8a86e8f&tab=core&_cview=1)
- Place of Performance
- Address: RDECOM Acquisition Center - Edgewood ATTN: AMSSB-ACC-E, 5183 Blackhawk Road Aberdeen Proving Ground MD
- Zip Code: 21010-5424
- Zip Code: 21010-5424
- Record
- SN01588643-W 20080608/080606215826-9785a3f3f7aebfe8e41d74cef8a86e8f (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 |