II_2 Solicitation Number_2023H2-26-Q-00040_Amendment 2_Questions and Answers.pdf

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Ammunition
Solicitation number
2023H2-26-Q-00040
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This is a Questions and Answers document for federal ammunition procurement solicitation 2023H2-26-Q-00040, a total small business set-aside under NAICS 332992 for an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract.

The procurement requires seven ammunition line items across two calibers: 9mm (CLINs 0001-0004) and .223/5.56 NATO (CLINs 0006-0007), with quantities measured in cases. The 9mm ammunition contains 1,000 rounds per case (20 boxes of 50 rounds), while the .223/5.56 rounds contain 500 per case (25 boxes of 20 rounds). Specific products are BC556NX1 (5.56 round, 50 grain, semi-jacketed frangible) and AE223 (.223, 55 grain, full metal jacket round), offered on a brand-name-or-equal basis. Critical sourcing requirements mandate that no SBA Nonmanufacturer Rule waiver applies; therefore, all ammunition—including any equal products—must be manufactured in the United States by qualifying small business manufacturers under 13 CFR 121.406(b). The procurement establishes an intentional minimum-order threshold and maximum-order limitation of $7,011,116.99. Salient characteristics for equal items are limited to caliber, grain weight, and ammunition style, with binding requirements for "bonded" ammunition (CLINs 0001 and 0005) and total metal jacket construction (CLIN 0003). Amendment 1 addressed item descriptions and quantities, while Amendment 2 incorporated these Questions and Answers without making additional solicitation changes.

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Questions and Answers Solicitation Number: 2023H2-26-Q-00040

1) Unit of Issue. Attachment 1 (IDIQ SOW) lists CLIN quantities without a stated unit of issue. Please confirm whether the listed quantities represent rounds, boxes, or cases for each CLIN, and if boxes, the round count per box for the 9mm and .223/5.56-line items.

The QTY represents cases of ammo. The round count for 9mm ammo (CLIN 0001 – 0004) is 1000 rounds per case (20 boxes of 50 rounds per box).

The round count for .223 / 5.56 rounds is 500 per case (25 boxes with 20 rounds per box).

2) Nonmanufacturer Rule. This requirement is a total small business set-aside under NAICS

332992. SBA terminated the class waiver of the Nonmanufacturer Rule for NAICS 332992 in 2003 (68 FR 61355). Please confirm whether an individual waiver under 13 CFR 121.1204(b) has been requested or granted for this procurement, or whether offerors are expected to comply with 13 CFR 121.406(b) by supplying the product of a domestic small business manufacturer.

No individual waiver under 13 CFR 121.1204(b) has been requested or granted for this procurement. Accordingly, offerors are expected to comply with 13 CFR 121.406(b) by supplying the product of a domestic small business manufacturer.

3) In Amendment 1, Section I, the schedule identifies:

● BC556NX1 as .223 Remington frangible rifle ammunition

● AE223 as .223 Remington or 5.56 NATO full-metal-jacket training ammunition

However, Attachment 1, IDIQ Statement of Work, and Attachment 2, IDIQ RFQ Spreadsheet, identify:

● BC556NX1 as .223 Remington or 5.56 NATO full-metal-jacket training ammunition

This is 5.56 round 50 grain Semi Jacketed Frangible round.

● AE223 as .223 Remington frangible rifle ammunition

AE223 is a .223 55 grain Full Metal Jacket Round.

Would you please confirm the correct part number and description for CLINs 0006 and 0007, including the corresponding option-year CLINs, so that pricing and technical documentation can be prepared accurately?

BC556NX1 is 5.56 round 50 grain Semi Jacketed Frangible Round.

AE223 is a .223 55 grain Full Metal Jacket Round.

4) Section I, pages 5–8, Unit of Issue Please confirm that “CA” means case and provide or confirm the required number of cartridges per case for each part number.

CA = Case.

5) Section I, page 5, and Attachment 1 SOW Section I identifies BC556NX1 as 50-grain frangible ammunition and AE223 as 55- or 62-grain FMJ ammunition. Attachment 1 appears to reverse those descriptions. Please confirm that the Section I descriptions are controlling.

Section I is controlling and correct.

6) FAR 52.219-33, pages 21–22 Does an SBA class or individual Nonmanufacturer Rule waiver apply to this procurement, permitting a small business nonmanufacturer to furnish the named Federal/Speer products? If no waiver applies, please confirm that all offered brand-name-or-equal products must be manufactured in the United States by qualifying small-business manufacturers.

This procurement is for brand-name-or-equal products. No SBA class or individual Nonmanufacturer Rule waiver applies. Therefore, if a small business is offering products under the nonmanufacturer rule, any brand-name-or-equal products offered must be manufactured in the United States by qualifying small business manufacturers in accordance with FAR 52.219-33.

7) FAR 52.216-19, page 19 Please confirm whether the stated $7,011,116.99 minimum-order threshold and identical maximum-order limitation are intentional.

Yes. The stated minimum-order threshold of $7,011,116.99 and the maximum-order limitation of $7,011,116.99 are intentional.

8) Amendment 1 Please identify the changes incorporated through Amendment 1 or confirm whether a separate amendment summary is available.

The changes were made on the item descriptions, and quantities.

9) As a small-business firearms and ammunition dealer/nonmanufacturer, can you please confirm whether an SBA individual or class waiver of the Nonmanufacturer Rule applies to this solicitation?

No. There is no SBA individual or class waiver of the Nonmanufacturer Rule applicable to this solicitation. Offerors must comply with the requirements of the Nonmanufacturer Rule, including supplying the product of a domestic small business manufacturer, as applicable.

10) If no waiver applies, is my understanding correct that any ammunition I propose would need to be manufactured, processed, or produced in the United States by a qualifying small-business manufacturer in order for my company to comply with FAR 52.219-33?

That is correct.

11) One requests that offers are comparable. The schedule identifies each item by brand part number. Under FAR 11.104(b), a brand name or equal purchase description also needs a general description of the salient physical, functional, or performance characteristics that an equal item must meet. Could the Government publish those characteristics for the seven items?

Remove the part numbers the saliant characteristics are equal to the caliber, grain, and style listed within the description.

12) Two specific points that affect sourcing:

CLIN 0001 and CLIN 0005. Please confirm whether "bonded" is a binding characteristic, or whether it is descriptive of the referenced part numbers and an equal item may use a different jacket-to-core retention method while meeting the same duty performance requirement.

Yes, they are binding.

CLIN 0003. Please confirm whether "fully encapsulated bullet" is met by a projectile with full electrochemical copper plating including the base, or whether the Government requires the specific total metal jacket construction of the referenced part number.

The government requires total metal jacket construction.

13) Separately, the unit of issue is CA but rounds per case is not stated in the solicitation.

Could you confirm rounds per case for each item, or state that quantities are to be priced per the manufacturer's standard case pack?

Amount per Case as follows:

001, 002, 003, 004 = 1000 rounds per case 005 ,006, 007 = 500 per case

Note: The purpose of amendment 2 is to incorporate Questions and Answers into the solicitation. No changes on the solicitation.

File details come from the government source that posted it. Updated .