RFI 15F06726PNBA01 Final.docx

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) 15F06726PNBA01

PISTOLS

Duty Pistols (full-size, compact, subcompact/micro) Training Pistol, inert Training Pistol, man-marker Replacement Parts

Issue Date: April 30, 2026 Due Date: June 10, 2026 at 23:59 Central

DISCLAIMER

THIS NOTICE IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL OR QUOTE. IT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION AND SHALL NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT. RESPONSES IN ANY FORM ARE NOT OFFERS AND THE GOVERNMENT IS UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO AWARD A CONTRACT AS A RESULT OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. NO FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE TO PAY FOR THE PREPARATION OF RESPONSES TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. ANY INFORMATION SUBMITTED BY RESPONDENTS TO THIS TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION IS STRICTLY VOLUNTARY.

INTRODUCTION

Response to this Request for Information (RFI) may be used to formulate final requirements and/or to identify qualified manufacturers capable of meeting the requirements. The description below outlines preliminary requirements envisioned for PISTOLS. The information gathered may be used to formulate acquisition strategies for competitive solicitations.

BACKGROUND

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is conducting market research and seeking information regarding PISTOLS. This requirement includes duty pistols in various sizes to include full-size, compact, and sub-compact/micro; training pistols (inert); training pistols (man-marking); and Replacement Parts. While this RFI is not a request for proposal or quote, the FBI may utilize data received from this RFI to assist in formulating final requirements for a possible upcoming Request for Proposal (RFP).

The FBI requests that manufacturers of pistols review the preliminary requirements documented herein. The preliminary requirements do not necessarily represent the final requirements; rather, these preliminary requirements highlight areas of interest for the Government and industry partners should provide positive and negative feedback. That feedback may help to shape final requirements.

PROPOSED SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS

The FBI is seeking PISTOLS in multiple categories. Those categories are defined as follows:

Duty pistols:

Full-size - Barrel length between 4.26” and 5.20”, and a minimum magazine capacity of 17 rounds Compact - Barrel length between 3.75” and 4.25”, and minimum magazine capacity of 15 rounds Sub-compact/micro – Barrel length between 3.25” and 3.74”, and minimum magazine capacity of 10 rounds.

Training pistols (inert): A deactivated pistol, also referred to as a “practice pistol” with full articulation. The training pistol-inert shall be dimensionally and functionally consistent with the Compact-sized Duty Pistol; however, it shall not fire live cartridges, blanks, or non-lethal training cartridges. The trigger shall reset without manipulation of the slide.

Training pistols (man-marking) – A training pistol designed to only fire non-lethal training cartridges for force-on-force training exercises. The training pistol, man-marking shall be dimensionally and functionally consistent with the Compact-sized Duty Pistol.

Replacement Parts – As part of a future RFP, the FBI will seek a contract covering all individual replacement parts. It is the intent of the FBI to utilize government gunsmiths to maintain the firearms throughout their useful lives.

General requirements, including requirements that are consistent across the suite of firearms, may include:

1. The offeror shall be the primary manufacturer of the pistols.

2. Offeror shall have rigorous quality control measures to ensure that firearms shipped meet all standards required in the contract and meet the manufacturer’s own dimensional specifications.

3. The overall pistol design and ergonomics shall be consistent across all pistol types being sought (duty and training).

4. Shall be striker fired.

5. Shall be magazine fed.

6. De-cocking levers are not permitted.

7. All safeties shall be disengaged with a deliberate trigger pull.

8. Grip safeties are not permitted.

9. Shall be impact-safe and drop-safe.[footnoteRef:1] [1: Impact-safe and drop-safe means that the firearm shall not discharge when subjected to impacts. Those impacts may include, but are not limited to, drops of the firearm.]

10. The pistol frame shall be sized as to accommodate a wide-range of hand sizes. Adjustable frame or frame sizes are permitted.

11. The pistol frame shall not have defined finger grooves.

12. Shall be corrosion resistant.

13. The slide shall accommodate the FBI’s existing pistol-mounted optics (PMO)[footnoteRef:2] by use of an adapter plate. [2: The FBI currently issues Trijicon RMR HD and AimPoint Acro P-2 pistol mounted optics on full-size and compact pistols. The Trijicon RMRcc is approved for duty use on subcompact/micro pistols.]

14. The slide shall have front and rear slide serrations. Rearward slide serrations shall be at or near the rear sight. Forward slide serrations shall be at or near the front sight post.

15. Shall have iron sights. Front sight shall be a “blade” design and shall align with a corresponding notch in the rear sight.

16. Iron sights shall be available with a night sight[footnoteRef:3], high-visibility[footnoteRef:4] sight and in all black. [3: Night sight should remain visible in low-light or darkness. May be comprised of tritium (or similar). Shall not need batteries for illumination.] [4: High-visibility includes front sight colors sufficiently bright enough to encourage faster sight acquisition.]

17. Iron sights shall be adjustable (windage and elevation). Windage adjustment shall be made with sight adjustment tools. Elevation adjustments may be accomplished with the removal and replacement of either the front and/or rear sight.

18. Iron sights shall be available in standard height and an extended height sufficient to see through the PMO.

19. Slide shall not be ported.

20. Barrels shall not be threaded, ported, or compensated.

Further requirements within each category include:

Duty Pistols

1. Shall be chambered for 9mm Luger.

2. Shall be semi-automatic.

3. Shall safely and reliably fire the FBI’s current 9mm ammunition.[footnoteRef:5] [5: The FBI uses Hornady’s 135 grain Critical Duty, product number 90125. Within this RFI, any references to Service ammunition will refer to Hornady’s 135 gr. Critical Duty. ]

4. Shall have a functional reliability rate no worse than one (1) stoppage in 2,000 rounds fired.[footnoteRef:6] A functional reliability rate better than the minimum is of value to the Government. [6: The functional reliability required shall be applied to all duty pistol sizes (i.e., Full-size, Compact, and Subcompact/Micro), when configured with or without a pistol mounted optic, and with or without a pistol-mounted light installed.]

5. Utilizing current FBI Service ammunition, the pistol shall demonstrate accuracy of 4.00 inches or less at 25 meters. Accuracy better than the minimum is of value to the Government.

6. Utilizing current FBI Service ammunition, the point of aim / point of impact of the weapon system (firearm and ammunition) shall not materially change as the user fires all rounds in the weapon.

7. Shall reliably and safely function at temperature extremes from -40° Fahrenheit (F) up to and including +140°F

8. Shall have a trigger pull weight between 4.5 and 6.0 pounds.

9. The trigger pull length and weight of pull shall be consistent for all shots (i.e., the first-round trigger pull length and weight of pull shall be approximately equal to each subsequent shot fired).

10. The magazines shall positively lock in the pistol’s magazine well.

11. The magazines shall freely fall from the pistol when the magazine catch is depressed.[footnoteRef:7] [7: Assuming the firearm is oriented with the magazine well pointed down.]

12. Shall be available in a matte black finish. May be available in other colors.[footnoteRef:8] [8: Beyond the matte black finish, the FBI has not required any other color. For the purposes of this RFI, the FBI would be interested in identifying available color options.]

13. The pistol frame shall have a rail or locking slot for affixing a pistol-mounted light (PML).[footnoteRef:9] [9: A “Picatinny” rail (MIL-STD-1913) is preferred.]

14. The firearm shall allow for the magazine catch to be installed on the left- or right-hand side.

15. The magazine catch shall be located on the frame near the junction of the trigger guard and the grip.

16. The magazine catch shall be activated by depressing the catch with a lateral movement by the shooter’s thumb/finger.

17. The magazine catch shall be released with a minimum of 4 lbs. of pressure and shall require no more than 7 lbs. of pressure to release.

18. The slide stop lever shall lock the slide to the rear only after firing the last round in the magazine.

19. The slide stop lever shall be designed such that the shooter does not unintentionally engage the lever during normal firing.

20. The slide stop lever shall be ambidextrous or configurable to be installed on either the left- or right-hand side.

21. Shall have an internal mechanism which will prevent the firearm from firing out of battery.

22. Shall have an internal mechanism that will prevent the firing pin/striker from being released while the trigger is held to the rear after firing.

23. Shall have an internal mechanism which will prevent the firing pin/striker from moving forward without manipulation of the trigger.

24. Shall have a service life of, at a minimum, 20,000 rounds.[footnoteRef:10] [10: Service life allows for routine maintenance throughout the life of the weapon. The major components of the firearm (frame, slide, and barrel) shall not need replacement during this period.]

25. Warranty shall not be invalidated when gunsmiths certified on the weapon system perform maintenance on the firearm.

26. Users shall be able to field strip the firearm without the use of a specialized tool.

Training Pistols - Inert

1. Shall be predominately red in color

2. Shall be incapable of firing live cartridges.

3. Magazine shall have red baseplates.

4. Shall meet all of the design requirements of the Duty Pistol – Compact, while still being incapable of firing live cartridges.

5. Trigger shall reset without manipulation of the slide.

Training Pistols – Man marking

1. Shall be predominately blue in color

2. Shall only fire non-lethal training cartridges.[footnoteRef:11] [11: Non-lethal training cartridges include Simunition and Ultimate Training Munitions (UTM). While not required, this may be accomplished with a separate barrel or conversion kit.]

3. Magazine shall have blue baseplates.

4. Shall have an accuracy requirement of 8 inches at 25 meters.

5. Shall meet all other design requirements of the Duty Pistol – Compact.

Magazines

1. Magazines shall withstand repeated drops without breakages or disassembly. Magazines shall withstand these drops while empty and with cartridges, up to and including a fully loaded magazine.

2. Magazines shall have a floor plate with sufficient size as to allow the user to manually grasp the plate to remove the magazine from the firearm.

3. The magazines for the full-size pistol shall be compatible with the compact pistol.

4. Magazines shall be corrosion resistant.

5. Magazine follower shall be a distinctly different color from the magazine body and pistol.

6. Magazines shall have witness holes to visually recognize the status of the magazine.

Replacement Parts

1. All individual components used within each firearm shall be available on contract.

2. Adaptor plates to mount PMOs to the firearm shall be available on contract.

CONTRACTOR QUALIFICATIONS

This RFI is open to large and small businesses. This RFI is for market research purposes and the FBI seeks input from pistol manufactures. That input should focus on the characteristics and performance of available pistols.

The FBI is interested in hearing industry feedback on potential requirements. This feedback can be positive or constructive in nature.

The FBI would like to know which businesses could potentially provide pistols that meet the requirements outlined in this RFI. The FBI is requesting the following information:

1. Company name and business size

2. Company address and whether your company has a GSA Schedule and if they are capable of providing firearms on schedule.

3. Product information specific to pistols that meet the preliminary requirements as documented herein. Please include details such as barrel length, weapon overall length, weapon overall height, trigger pull weight, expected accuracy, functional reliability rates, and available colors (frame and/or slide).

4. Any other comments, concerns and/or questions relating to the RFI.

Required Information:

CONTEMPLATED REQUIREMENT

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Training Division (TD), Ballistic Research Facility (BRF) is issuing this RFI to:

· Gather industry information on Pistols.

· Request information on any industry changes or improvements that the FBI should consider when looking to acquire products that meet the requirements.

· Obtain feedback on the preliminary requirements.

NOTE: Following this RFI, it may be possible for pistol manufacturers to schedule a trip to the FBI’s Ballistic Research Facility (BRF) in Huntsville, Alabama. The trip would be intended to inform BRF of your company’s capabilities and, potentially, conduct a product demonstration. A preliminary date range for this possible visit is: July 13 - 17, 2026. Please note in your RFI response if a site visit to BRF would be of interest.

DISCLAIMER and RESPONSES

There is no commitment by the FBI to issue a solicitation as a result of this RFI. This RFI is being issued solely for informational and planning purposes and does not constitute a solicitation. In accordance with FAR Federal 15.202(e), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the FBI to form a binding contract. This is not a request for proposal or quote. It does not constitute a solicitation and shall not be construed as a commitment by the FBI. Responses in any form are not offers and the FBI is under no obligation to award a contract as a result of this announcement. No funds are available to pay for preparation of responses to this announcement. Any information submitted by the respondents to this technical description is strictly voluntary.

WHAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN YOUR RESPONSE:

1. Interested parties shall submit capability packages in response to this notice.

2. Do submit succinct, thoughtful responses to the requirements listed in this RFI.

3. Do submit comments that address the FBI 's requirements, assumptions, conditions or contemplated approaches to this future acquisition.

4. Do submit information and suggestions that may encourage new, different, or innovative approaches that would result in improved solutions which are of benefit to the FBI.

5. Please note whether you may be interested in scheduling a site visit to the FBI’s Ballistic Research Facility to further inform the FBI of your product and, potentially, conduct a product demonstration.

6. Do submit manufacturing and delivery capabilities to include the amount of weapons that could be delivered in a certain time.

WHAT SHOULD NOT BE INCLUDED IN YOUR RESPONSE:

1. Do not submit proposals or offers.

2. Do not submit past performance information or general descriptions of corporate experience.

3. Do not submit request to be considered for award or to be notified of a future solicitation.

4. Do not submit requests to be added to a mailing list or distribution list.

5. Do not submit questions or comments unrelated to this RFI.

6. Do not respond via telephone.

RFI SUBMITTAL INSTRUCTIONS

Submit RFI information via e-mail to the attention of:

Brian Ames, Contracting Officer Federal Bureau of Investigation Email: bames@fbi.gov image1.png