Questions_from_Prospective_Offerors.docx

Questions from Prospective Offerors 26 April 2016

1. After reviewing the solicitation documents and attachments, I was not able to find a reference for the specifications or patterns. Would you please provide this information?

Normally the government provide a set of patterns and the end item specification. I wasn’t able to find a reference for this on your solicitation. DLA provides a reference number and we can requested these on their website. The Marines Corps provides the end item spec with the solicitation and a user name and password to access the pattern on their website. We have manufactured the ACS and ABS in the past, but we just want to confirm that our patterns and specs coincide with yours.

In addition, attachment 1 talks about anti-abrasion padded elbow patches, but this material is not included in attachments 7 to 8. See below Salient Characteristics (ABU pattern ONLY):

All fabric shall be lightweight, breathable, moisture wicking and odor resistant; long sleeve “over the head” style with a semi-tight fit that eliminates bunching or riding up under armor; right & left sleeves shall contain: Air Force Digital Tiger Stripe Camouflage Print, hook and loop cuff closures, anti-abrasion padded elbow patches, two-channel flapped pen pocket on both forearms secured by hook & loop fastener tape, zippered shoulder pockets with 6-1/4 inch opening for all sizes (opening toward front of arm); right shoulder pocket must accommodate hook & loop name tape and rank insignia; fastener tape dimensions: loop fastener for name tape shall be 1 inch wide x 5-1/2 inches long, loop fastener for the rank patch shall be 2 inches wide x 2 inches long; torso & mock turtle neck shall be AF Sage Green 1641 (match color in Tiger Stripe Green) or Army Foliage Green 504; modesty panel covering chest area; NIR is not required.

Lastly, is the material in attachment 9 and alternative for the material in attachment 7?

2. Are samples of a garment available for submitters to review prior to submission?

3. Are there materials from specific suppliers already approved for this garment, or a prior version? If so, please provide contact information so we can procure the appropriate materials. We currently manufacture FR fabrics for the Army Combat Shirt worn by Army and Air Force airmen. We’ve made non-FR versions of those fabrics, but the fabric specifications do not match those listed in this solicitation. Are any of the Salient Characteristics flexible and, if so, which ones? Are you open to similar fabrics with different Salient Characteristics that would be beneficial (NMND, moisture management, comfort characteristics, etc.)?

4. If material doesn’t currently exist in inventory, Tiger print would be difficult to produce quickly enough to construct PDMs by May 5th. Can PDMs be made in substitute fabric and trims, to show quality and adherence to garment specifications, as long as testing documentation is provided for the appropriate fabrics?

5. We understand that some of the tests required for this submission take 10-14 days to process. Can there be an extension to the response date required?

6. Section 10, Small Business designation states Size Standard of 500. Based on recent changes, we understood that as of February 26th, the size standard for NAICS code 315280 is 750. Please confirm that 750 should be used for this contract That is correct, as of Feb 2016 the size standard has changed from 500 to 750. The RFP will be amended to reflect this change.

7. Listed below are a number of technical questions we have related to the Salient Characteristics of the materials.

- Material Type A Would lower weight material be acceptable if other parameters were met?

MVTR testing is typically performed on multi-layer fabrics specifically with membranes. All knit constructions should have extremely high MVTR results, but that does not necessarily relate to moisture management, breathability, or overall performance of the garment for the end user. Should this test be excluded?

The pilling does not state whether it should be conducted at 30 or 60 minutes?

What is the full method needed for Dimensional Stability? (i.e. AATCC 135, 1, III, Aii, 5 cycles) What organism(s) is required for the Odor Resistant or antimicrobial testing?

What marking method, laundering method, and number of cycles should be used for the Skewing test?

The pH requirement does not state a range but a singular result. Since fabric pH is determined by the processing parameters of a fabric it is always called out within a certain range. Should this be revised to an industry standard range?

- Material Type B Color specified on Attachment 8 is Sage or Foliage. Body of solicitation specifies Tiger Stripe. We assume intention was Tiger Stripe, please confirm.

Would lower weight material be acceptable if other parameters were met?

MVTR testing is typically performed on multi-layer fabrics specifically with membranes. All knit constructions should have extremely high MVTR results, but that does not necessarily relate to moisture management, breathability, or overall performance of the garment for the end user. Should this test be excluded?

The pilling does not state whether it should be conducted at 30 or 60 minutes?

The abrasion method called out does not make sense to us as it’s requiring someone to evaluate “a change in shade or appearance that is sufficient to cause a customer to complain” after 8,000 cycles – is there a standard that will be provided to use for this evaluation?

What is the full method needed for Dimensional Stability? (i.e. AATCC 135, 1, III, Aii, 5 cycles) What organism(s) is required for the Odor Resistant or antimicrobial testing?

What marking method, laundering method, and number of cycles should be used for the Skewing test?

The pH requirement does not state a range but a singular result. Since fabric pH is determined by the processing parameters of a fabric it is always called out within a certain range. Should this be revised to an industry standard range?

- Material Type C Would lower weight material be acceptable if other parameters were met?

MVTR testing is typically performed on multi-layer fabrics specifically with membranes. All knit constructions should have extremely high MVTR results, but that does not necessarily relate to moisture management, breathability, or overall performance of the garment for the end user. Should this test be excluded?

The pilling does not state whether it should be conducted at 30 or 60 minutes?

What is the full method needed for Dimensional Stability? (i.e. AATCC 135, 1, III, Aii, 5 cycles) What organism(s) is required for the Odor Resistant or antimicrobial testing?

What marking method, laundering method, and number of cycles should be used for the Skewing test?

The pH requirement does not state a range but a singular result. Since fabric pH is determined by the processing parameters of a fabric it is always called out within a certain range. Should this be revised to an industry standard range?

- Material Type D Given that this is a trim fabric used in very small areas that are not visible, Visual Shade Matching, pH, and Pilling testing do not make sense to us. Should these tests be excluded?

8. Would the government consider setting a maximum quantity for orders to be delivered in 30 days?

If so, we would suggest using a maximum order quantity of 2,500 shirts per month to be held to the 30 day lead time. Quantities larger than that would be delivered at the rate of 2,500 shirts per month.

The Government agrees with setting a maximum quantity of 2,500 shirts per month to be delivered within the 30 day delivery schedule. Quantities exceeding the maximum will be delivered at a rate of 2,500 shirts per month.

(As our contract writing system is currently under construction, the amendment will follow as soon as the system is up again.)