2.5.1 - A0003 - Attachment 6 - Q&As.pdf

Attachment 6 - 70B06C23R00000041 – 5.56mm Ammunition

Questions and Answers:

1. Can it be any other material other than lead? The SOW does not state that there cannot be materials other than lead. The requirements are performance based.

2. Can it be a frangible duty projectile if it can perform the required tests in a satisfactory manner? The SOW does not say that the projectile cannot be frangible. The projectile still must meet minimal expansion requirement and retained weight requirement.

3. What is the desired grain weight? Per the SOW; 4.2.1.1 The unfired projectile shall not weigh less than 60 (-1.5%) grains, nor shall it exceed 80 (+1.5%) grains. The requirements are performance based.

4. Do the stated maximum contract volumes include all purchasers or only CBP requirements?

Would other agency ordering be supplemental to the RFP/SOW volumes? The stated maximum contract volume is inclusive of all purchasers.

5. Can the CBP confirm vendors may submit two offerings? If so, will the vendors need to submit stand alone, separate RFP packets/submissions? Offerors may submit multiple packages. However, each package must be complete, and each will be evaluated at as stand-alone separate package.

6. 4.7.-Will CBP allow for a bid waiver for the packing and marking used on the bid samples, if the vendor provides drawings and graphics with their submission? With the understanding that awarded deliverables will meet SOW and bid submission documentation. Yes.

7. 4.2.3.1.-Will CBP allow for a bid waiver on the headstamp used on the bid samples, if the vendor provides drawings and graphics with their submission? With the understanding that awarded deliverables will meet SOW and bid submission documentation. Yes.

8. 4.3.5.-Please clarify whether or not contracted NIJ certified lab personnel must be present to witness manufacturer’s pressure testing in order to affirm/sign off on the pressure testing results. No, NIJ Lab personnel need not be present for pressure testing. The data sheet (attachment 4) was updated under Amendment A0001.

9. 4.2.2.1.-Please clarify that there is no prohibition to submitting a monolithic core/designed projectile if it meets all other SOW attributes (i.e. weight, hollow point or tipped, etc.) There are no prohibitions on a monolithic core/designed projectile if it meets all other SOW attributes (i.e. weight, hollow point or tipped, etc.). It will still be subject to performance-based testing with established threshold and optimum requirements.

10. 4.7.1. identifies the allowance of either 20 or 50 rd x 10rd stripper clipped boxes. 4.7.2 fails to mention the 20 rd configuration. Can vendors assume that 4.7.2. is meant to include both 20 and 50 rd boxes? In 4.7.2, we will remove the word “Five” leaving the following sentence “Ten-round stripper clips shall be contained into a point protector paperboard carton or box to prevent damage to the cartridge during transit and storage.” This generic requirement applies to both 20 and 50 rd boxes.

11. In lieu of the 4/5/23 RFP posting date, a 5/26/23 RFP response date represents only 51 days to construct a bid submission. This coupled with the requirement for independent NIJ lab certification of submissions results may prove logistically challenging to both Manufacturers and NIJ Certified Labs. We would respectfully request a full 90-day submission window/extension to ensure ample development time & submission configuration. CBP will extend the solicitation due date based on NIJ Lab Constraints. The new due date is June 23, 2023 @ 2:00pm ET.

12. 4.3.6.2.-How many rifles will be used to conduct the fully 10,000 round function test? 4 rifles: 2 BCM and 2 Geissele at 2500 rounds each per submission.

13. 4.7.12.-Please clarify/define “Pallets and associated packaging, when used for shipping, shall be fully enclosed”. This refers to pallets and contents being wrapped to prevent accidental loss of product. Gaylords are not required.

14. 4.4.7 – Please confirm what is meant by “vendor shall maintain traceability of all production components”. What components must be traced? Any component that may be identified as the root cause of a cartridge failure. Your ISO established quality control processes should identify this. What information is required for traceability purposes (for example – for shellcase production, is manufacturer, along with month and year of production acceptable?)

Any information that can isolate a production problem to reduce quantitative effect (such as manufacturer, production date data, machine operator data, etc).

15. Please confirm the government will accept early ammunition samples to be delivered, prior to the proposal's delivery on May 26, 2023. Yes, this is correct.

16. Please provide the total number of physical hard copies required to be delivered.

a. Please confirm a minimum of 1 original physical response, 1 physical copy, and 1 electronic via email are only required for Volume I and Volume II. Yes, this is correct.

17. Please clarify and confirm the proposal physical and electronic copies need to be delivered by the stated 4pm EST 5/26/23 date? This date has been extended. Proposals, physical and electronic copies, need to be delivered by 2:00 pm EST, 6/23/2023.

a. Will the Government allow offerors binders to be postmarked by 5/26 4:00 PM?

Considering an electronic version is required 5/26 at 4:00 pm EST. No, all submissions must be received by the government by the closing date and time to be considered valid and responsive.

18. Please confirm the interpretation of SOW Section 4.3 Performance Requirements is as follows:

a. NIJ approved laboratory will perform sections 4.3.1 Velocity, 4.3.3 Penetration, and

4.3.4 Sustained Immersion in Water and the data will be included with the proposal submission. Yes, this is correct.

b. Vendor will perform section 4.3.5 Pressure and the data will be included with the proposal submission. Yes, this is correct.

c. CBP will perform sections 4.3.2 Wiseman Rifle Fixture and 4.3.6 Function Reliability – what rounds are to be used for the CBP testing? See highlighted line below…. Are they part of the 1,000 rounds going to the NIJ Lab for testing? No. The solicitation requires the following separate samples directly to the government (p41 of solicitation):

Description: Quantity:

Sleeve/box ammunition 20/50 rounds 2

Cased/Boxed 11,000 ammunition rounds 1

19. In the Solicitation, page 41, Subpart 3, Test Data Summary and Test Data Sheets. The last sentence calls out SOW sections 4.3.1, 4.3.2, 4.3.3, 4.3.4, 4.3.5, 4.3.6 that all data sheets for performance testing to be included. If question number 4 above is interpreted accurately, how does the Vendor get the CBP test data for inclusion in sections 4.3.2 Accuracy – Wiseman Rifle Fixture (CBP) and 4.3.6 Function Reliability (CBP)? This is referring to the NIJ Approved Lab’s Test Data Sheets. The government will remove reference to 4.3.2 and 4.3.6 as they pertain to data sheets.

20. Solicitation page 40, Volume IV Price Proposal, call for the pricing to be submitted electronically, please confirm pricing to not be included in the 3-ring binder physical submission and to only be submitted electronically? Yes, this is correct.

21. In the SOW section 4.8, what is the anticipated percentage of ammunition expected to be shipped outside CONUS? The government expects this to be minimal, but exact quantities can not be determined at this time.

22. In the Solicitation, page 41, Subpart 4, Samples (Ammo). Can you please clarify Line-Item Number 10, is it for rounds or empty sleeve/box containers only? This line includes both the sleeve and ammunition within the sleeve. 2 (qty) sleeves with their respective ammunition are required.

23. Section 4.7, 4.7.1 and 4.7.2 of the Statement of Work. 4.7.1 calls out for ammunition to be packaged in 20 or 50 round boxes with no mention of stripper clips as noted in 4.7.2.

Question, is all the ammunition ordered in this contract to be loaded on stripper clips or only a portion of the order? All SOW sections must be met by all ammunition. Please see the SOW section below:

4.7.2 Ammunition cases shall contain consistently sized boxes as established in SOW Section 4.7.1 and shall consist of 500 or 1000 rounds. Individual cartridges shall be contained in ten-round stripper clips. Ten-round stripper clips shall be contained into a point protector paperboard carton or box to prevent damage to the cartridge during transit and storage. Two magazine fillers (stripper clip guides) shall be included within each individual shipping case. There shall be no loose rounds in the ammunition shipping case.

Packaging material shall not adhere to the surface of the ammunition upon removal from the package.

24. Section 4.7.2 calls for ammunition in boxes as stated in 4.7.1, which calls out for 20 or 50 round boxes. Also 4.7.2 calls out for ammunition to be packaged in stripper clips and 5 ten round stripper clips to a box which is different from 4.7.1.

a. Question, can you please provide the correct packaging configuration? The word “5” has been removed from the SOW. The sentence shall now read, “Individual cartridges shall be contained in ten-round stripper clips.” The number of stripper clips will be either 2 or 5 depending on the offers approach to this requirement.

25. Question, normal Mil-Spec loading of 5.56 ammunition on stripper clips is completed 3 ten round stripper clips to a box (see pictures below). Would this be an acceptable alternative to packaging ammunition? No, it is not.

26. With the backlog of testing that we have been informed about, at the NIJ labs, will the Government consider a due date extension? Yes, the solicitation is being extended.

27. Will the Government accept the offeror's introduction of discounted pricing for higher order volume tiers? No. This is a fixed firm price supply contract which is single award. The offeror should submit their best offer, based on the estimated ROM included in the pricing sheet, for each pricing period of the contract.

28. Will CBP clarify the ordering period structure? The pricing matrix is clear there are five (5) individual ordering periods, however, the solicitation reads it is a single 5-year period. This will be a single, 5-year contract, with no option periods. There will, however, be five (5), 12-month pricing periods within that single, 5-year contract period of performance.