RadBackpack_RFI - 70RSAT24RFI000030.pdf

National Urban Security Technology Laboratory U. S. Department of Homeland Security 201 Varick Street, Suite 900 New York, NY 10014-7447

Document Type: Special Notice Title: Market Survey – Radiation Detection Backpacks Posted Date: July 23 , 2024 Contracting Office Address: Office of Procurement Operations, Washington DC 20528 Description: Request for Information (RFI) – Radiation Detection Backpacks Due: August 23, 2024

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. This RFI is issued solely for information and market research planning purposes. This RFI shall not be construed as an obligation on the part of the Government. This is NOT a Request for Quotations or Proposals (RFQ or RFP).

No solicitation document exists, and the Government may or may not issue a formal solicitation as a result of the responses received to this RFI.

The Government will not pay for any response or demonstration expenses. All costs incurred responding to this RFI will be solely at the interested party's expense. Failure to respond to this RFI will not preclude participation in any future solicitation. In accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. 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 to allow the Government to determine the organizations’ capabilities.

The Government’s explicit intent through this RFI is to obtain general product information. The Government is not requesting and does not want to receive from respondents any proprietary data, trade secrets, business sensitive information, or information considered CONFIDENTIAL under 18 U.S.C. §1905. The Government’s constraint does not in any way relieve contractors from their responsibility to properly mark proprietary data when it is provided, nor does it alleviate any requirement for the Government to protect marked data. The Government is not obligated to protect unmarked data.

The information provided in this RFI is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. All submissions become the property of the Federal Government and will not be returned.

I. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), National Urban Security Technology Laboratory (NUSTL) is seeking information on commercially available Radiation Detection Backpacks. This information is being sought for the DHS Science and Technology Directorate’s System Assessment and Validation for Emergency Responders (SAVER) program which provides information on commercially available equipment to assist response organizations in equipment selection and procurement. The SAVER program develops knowledge products and conducts objective, practitioner-relevant, operationally oriented assessments and validations on commercially available equipment and systems. Relevant information will be shared nationally with federal, state, local, tribal and territorial response agencies. For further details on the

SAVER program, visit the SAVER website at https://www.dhs.gov/science-and-technology/saver.

SAVER provides information on equipment that falls within the categories listed in the DHS Authorized Equipment List (AEL). The AEL item numbers for the subject products include numbers 07RD-02-PDGA, titled Detector, Radiation, Alarming, Personal (Gamma and Neutron), 07RD-02-RIID, titled Identifier, Isotope, Radionuclide, 07RD-04-SGND titled Detector, Radiation, Standoff and may also align with 07RD-03-DRHS titled Detector, Radionuclide, High Sensitivity. The target audience for this information is emergency responders and their respective purchasing agents.

The SAVER program intends to publish a Market Survey Report (MSR) on Radiation Detection Backpacks and is seeking current relevant information for inclusion in this report. Law enforcement and emergency responders use Radiation Detection Backpacks with spectroscopic capability to identify the specific radionuclide and/or category of radionuclide present in addition to detecting radiation for operations requiring person-portable radiation detection systems housed in nondescript carry cases that allow for flexible usage scenarios, from covert wide-area searches to temporary checkpoints.

Products sought for inclusion in this MSR and of interest to this RFI meet the following criteria:

• Capable of measuring gamma radiation (neutron optional)

• Capable of identifying the specific radionuclide and/or category of radionuclide present (e.g., naturally occurring radioactive material, medical, industrial, and special nuclear material)

• Person-portable (weighing 30lbs or less, including battery and display) and contained in a nondescript carry case (e.g., backpack)

• Operate on battery power

• Provide real-time electronic interface between user and system

• Capable of alerting the wearer to changes above background or other user-set level of radiation using visible, audible, and/or tactile alarms; and

• Capable of detection while in motion.

Responses to this RFI are solely for the purpose of market research and will be used for a market survey of commercially available radiation detection backpack products. No content in this RFI shall be interpreted as a commitment on the part of NUSTL to enter a contract with any respondent or to make any procurement.

By submitting a response to this RFI (completing the provided Product Summary Questionnaire) each respondent agrees that any cost incurred in responding to this request, or in support of activities associated with this RFI, shall be the sole responsibility of respondent. NUSTL shall incur no obligations or liabilities whatsoever, to anyone, for any costs or expenses incurred by the respondent in responding to this RFI.

This product summary questionnaire is a requirement as part of an RFI submission and should be filled out for each product. This survey will cover topic areas of general information, capabilities and features, costs, training, and support.

Responses to this questionnaire must be completed by the date and time set forth in the RFI notice posted on SAM.gov.

II. SUBMISSION OF INFORMATION

https://www.dhs.gov/science-and-technology/saver https://www.dhs.gov/science-and-technology/saver

Respondents are required to complete for each product the provided Product Summary Questionnaire, which includes topic areas of general information, operational features, technical specifications, and costs. The questionnaire associated with this RFI is available for download, at the Federal Business Opportunities (https://sam.gov) where you can find this announcement, for the convenience of the respondent.

The Product Summary Questionnaire includes questions seeking the following specific information:

1. Company information

2. Point of contact for respondent (name, title, e-mail, and phone number)

3. Business type (manufacturer or distributor)

4. Product name, type, description, and specifications

5. Cost information (purchase price and General Services Administration [GSA] schedule information).

All information received will be treated as public knowledge and may be used in SAVER program documentation. Manufacturers and vendors should not submit proprietary information in response to this RFI. Please do not include any proprietary information.

Product Summary Questionnaires as well as any additional information including datasheets, technical specifications, comments, or inquiries must be emailed to Gladys Klemic at nustl@hq.dhs.gov with the subject line “SAVER Radiation Detection Backpacks”, copying the Office of Procurement Operations, specifically Chase Knechtel, at chase.knechtel@hq.dhs.gov and John Whipple, at John.Whipple@hq.dhs.gov.

Responses to this RFI must be submitted to NUSTL no later than 4:00 PM EST, August, 23, 2024.

III. OTHER

The submitted information will be assessed for inclusion in SAVER projects and reports.

Determination as to an individual product’s suitability will be made by NUSTL based on the objectives of this request. Therefore, requests for feedback should not be made through the Federal Business Opportunities (https://sam.gov) posting agency. Respondents may be contacted following submission for more detailed product information. Information provided may be reformatted for publication in SAVER program documents. If a vendor does not respond to additional requests for information, information may be marked as “Not Available” or omitted from the SAVER documents.

This RFI is for information gathering and planning purposes only and should not be construed as a Request for Proposal or solicitation of an offer. The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this RFI or otherwise pay for the information solicited. Submission of vendor information constitutes consent to publication of that information in SAVER program documentation.

https://sam.gov/ mailto:nustl@hq.dhs.gov mailto:chase.knechtel@hq.dhs.gov mailto:John.Whipple@hq.dhs.gov https://sam.gov/