RFI for PERS.pdf

UNCLASSIFIED

THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION. IT IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION. In accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulations Part 10 responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Please Respond by 27 January 2025 at 3:00 pm ET.

Notice Date

26 December 2024

Contracting Office

U.S. Army Natick Acquisition Center, ATTN: AMSSB-ACN, Natick, MA 01760-5011

ZIP Code

01760-5011

Solicitation Number

PERS-2025

Response Due

27 January 2025

Point of Contact

Mr. G. Mark Whiteman

Title

Parachutist Emergency Release System (PERS)

Description:

The Product Manager Soldier Clothing and Individual Equipment (PdM SCIE) is conducting a market survey to identify potential manufacturers/vendors for a PERS. The PERS shall support the U.S. Army’s Static Line Airborne Community by providing a reliable and efficient method to address towed Parachutist incidents.

A capability gap exists in the ability to rescue safely and effectively a fully combat equipped parachutist who is conscious/unconscious and being towed during an airborne operation (ramp and door operations). The U.S. Army has an approved requirement that identifies the need for a system that will mitigate risk if a Parachutist becomes towed. The U.S. Army has an acquisition objective of 506 systems after the system has demonstrated the required capabilities from government testing as shown in the Required Performance/Desired Attributes section below in this RFI. This is a government formal Program of Record (PoR), initiated in FY22. The government is only interested in respondents to the PERS that have achieved a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7 or higher. TRL 7 is defined as a system prototype demonstration in an operational environment. The operational environment includes night operations with up to 62 jumpers connected on two aircraft cables and be executable on all capable US Army and US DoD aircraft. Questions or requests for examples of US Army static line equipment can be requested from the technical POC below. Respondents should submit supporting information (product information, test reports, photos, etc.) indicating the level of technical maturity to support the reported TRL.

Future evaluations of the prototype system will consist of bench top testing, ground and flight demonstrations to evaluate system and aircraft interface, followed by mannequin drops from various airframes to verify performance and validate operational suitability and effectiveness.

Responses should include the following:

Supporting information (product information, test reports, photos, etc.) indicating the levels of technical maturity of the system (e.g., TRL)

Production capability and ramp up time to reach full production capability Information on Quality Assurance process/practices Current price, delivery/lead time, and warranty information for systems

PERS Parachute Technical Requirements / Desirable Attributes:

Tables 1, 2, and 3 below indicate requirements and attributes that the government is seeking for this system.

Table 1 Key Performance Parameters (KPP) Key

Performance Parameter

Production Threshold Production Objective

KPP 1 -

System Reliability and Confidence

The PERS must meet reliability and confidence level of .95 at the .90 confidence level.

The PERS must meet the reliability and confidence levels of greater than .99 at the .90 confidence level.

KPP 2 -

Altitude Loss

The PERS must not have an altitude loss greater than 750 ft. from release to stabilization for a jumper with total rigged weight (TRW) of 400 pounds.

The PERS must not have an altitude loss greater than 750 ft. from release to stabilization for a jumper with TRW of more than 450 pounds.

KPP 3 -

Weight and Altitude

The PERS must support a jumper with TRW of 400 pounds at an altitude of 10,000 ft. MSL.

The PERS must support a jumper with TRW of more than 450 pounds at an altitude of 10,000 ft. MSL.

KPP 4 –

Ground Impact Rate of Descent

The ground impact rate of descent should be no faster than 27 ft/sec for a jumper with TRW of 400 pounds at sea level standard conditions.

The ground impact rate of descent should be less than 27 ft/sec for a jumper with TRW of more than 450 pounds at sea level standard conditions.

Table 2 Key System Attributes (KSA) Key System

Attribute Production Threshold Production Objective

KSA 1 – Time The PERS shall be able to be ready to release parachutist within 4 minutes of towed jumper identification.

The PERS shall be able to be ready to release parachutist in less than 2 minutes of towed jumper identification.

KSA 2 -

Installation

The PERS shall require no more than two personnel to install and operate the system.

The PERS shall be capable of installation and operation by one person.

KSA 3 –

Repack Cycle

The PERS shall have a repack cycle of no less than 182 days.

The PERS shall have a repack cycle of 365 days.

KSA 4 –

Aircraft Compatibility

The PERS shall be compatible with fixed wing, high performance aircraft including C-130, C-17, and C-27.

The PERS shall be compatible with all fixed wing aircraft and can be used for both low and high-performance static line operations.

Table 3 Additional Performance Attributes (APA) Additional

Performance Attribute

(APA)

Production Threshold Production Objective

APA 1 -

Maintenance and Packing

The PERS shall be capable of repack and maintenance at the unit level.

The PERS shall be capable of repack and maintenance at the unit level.

APA 2 -

Canopy Color

The color of the PERS canopy and major fabric components shall be International Orange (Number 12246) different from all the current parachutes in the Army inventory.

The color of the PERS canopy and major fabric components shall be International Orange (Number 12246) different from all the current parachutes in the Army inventory.

APA 3 –

Service Life:

The PERS shall have a service life of at least 12 years.

The PERS shall have a service life of more than 16 years.

APA 4 – Shelf- Life

The PERS shall have a shelf-life of at least

4.5 years.

The PERS shall have a shelf-life of more than

4.5 years.

APA 5 –

Lifecycle Tracking:

The PERS shall have the ability to track the lifecycle of the system (e.g., in-servicing, deployments, repack, and maintenance).

The PERS shall have the ability to electronically track the lifecycle of the system.

NOTE: The US Army has developed a hardware component, snap hook probe, that interfaces with the universal snap hooks, and the aircraft’s anchor line cables. The probe’s capability to capture up to 62 snap hooks in-flight, simulating a towed jumper, was demonstrated for a troop door parachute operation. Respondents to this RFI may integrate this component to their prototype system and should outline such an approach in their response, if applicable. Details, dimensions, and geometry of the snap hook probe are show below in Figure 1. The metal alloy used during flight tests was 4140 Steel.

Figure 1: PERS Snap Hook Probe, dimensions in inches

Administrative:

Interested firms are requested to submit relevant information on their product within thirty

(30) days following the publication of this RFI. Any relevant company background/experience, business category, costs, and other information that the company believes demonstrates their value/ability to meet the requirements, should be included. All information and evaluation results will be Controlled Unclassified Information (formerly referred to as For Official Use Only) and used for Government purposes only.

Proprietary/Competition Sensitive information (appropriately marked) will be protected from disclosure to the greatest extent practical, however it is preferred that respondents do not provide proprietary or otherwise restricted responses.

Responses to this notice must be received no later than 3:00 pm ET on 27 January 2025.

Responses shall be sent to:

Product Manager Soldier Clothing and Individual Equipment Attn: Mr. G. Mark Whiteman U.S. Army DEVCOM Soldier Center 15 General Greene Avenue Natick, MA 01760 or emailed to Mr. G. Mark Whiteman g.m.whiteman.civ@army.mil.

This notice is for information only. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR QUOTATION. No solicitation document exists for this action. The point of contact for questions concerning this RFI is Mr. G. Mark Whiteman g.m.whiteman.civ@army.mil.

*Required

Please identify:

Company Name * Company Size * DUNS Number Contact Person’s First & Last Name * Contact Person’s Email * Contact Person’s Telephone *

FAR 52.215-3 - Request for Information or Solicitation for Planning Purposes, applies herein.

Contracting Office Address:

BLDG 1 General Greene Ave.

Natick, Massachusetts 01760-5011

United States

Primary Point of Contact:

Michael Quinlan michael.j.quinlan3.civ@army.mil

Phone: (508) 206-2032