RFI Rayon 12MAR25 signed KO.pdf

CUI

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

CONTRACTING SERVICES OFFICE - COLUMBUS DIVISION 3

3990 EAST BROAD STREET

COLUMBUS, OHIO 43218-3990

SOURCE SELECTION INFORMATION, SEE FAR 2.101 AND FAR 3.104

SOURCES SOUGHT

for Aerospace-grace Rayon Fibers

1.0 DESCRIPTION

1.1 The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Contracting Services Office – Columbus Division, is seeking information, on behalf of DLA Strategic Materials, to establish contractor support under Congressional authority to procure Aerospace-grade rayon. Through research on rayon, the Government determined to procure ENKA brand 300/60 AS Select grade rayon fiber for the National Defense Stockpile (NDS).

1.2 THIS IS A REQUEST FOR SOURCES SOUGHT (SS) ONLY. This SS is issued solely for information and planning purposes, and it does not constitute a Request for Quote (RFQ) or a promise to issue an RFQ in the future. This SS does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. Further, DLA Strategic Materials is not at this time seeking quotes and will not accept unsolicited quotes. Responders are advised that DLA Strategic Materials will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this SS, and all costs associated with response to this SS will be the sole responsibility of the interested party. Not responding to this SS does not preclude participation in any future RFQ, if any is issued. If a solicitation is released, the contract opportunity will be posted on SAM.gov website.

The potential offeror is responsible for monitoring this site for additional information pertaining to this requirement.

1.3 NAICS: 325220 Artificial and Synthetic Fibers and Filaments Manufacturing

1.4 PSC: 9630 Additive Metal Materials

2.0 BACKGROUND

ENKA brand 300/60 AS Select grade rayon fiber is a critical constituent for use in advanced composite materials in various critical Department of Defense (DoD) and National Security Space (NSS) applications such as rocket motors and re-entry heat shields. Rayon-based carbon phenolics have been the industry standard material for nozzle exit cone liners and other hard insulator applications, offering a good combination of thermal insulation, erosion resistance, and producibility. US manufacturers of rayon such as AVTEX Fibers closed rayon operations in 1990 and North American Rayon Corporation (NARC) closed operation in 1997.

With NARC rayon no longer in production. The DoD and NASA qualified ENKA rayon in its place making it the only qualified source for certain critical DoD and NASA solid rocket motors and heat shield applications. ENKA’s aerospace-grade rayon product is ENKA 300/60 AS Select.

To ensure DoD, NASA, and NSS have access to a supply of these materials, DLA Strategic Materials received Congressional authority to procure Aerospace-grade rayon. Through research

SOURCE SELECTION INFORMATION SEE FAR 2.101 AND FAR 3.104

on rayon, the Government determined to procure ENKA brand 300/60 AS Select grade rayon fiber for the National Defense Stockpile (NDS). It is anticipated that the stockpile inventory will be established during a two-year period from Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 to FY 2027.

2.1 The Government acquires materials for the National Defense Stockpile (“Stockpile”), per the National Defense Stockpile Act. The Government stores these materials in bulk for long periods, sometimes several decades.

Depending on the form of the material – powder, lump, ingots, fibers, sheets, rolls, etc. – the Government may store the material in bulk in piles, drums, supersacks, crates, stacked on pallets, etc. The Government’s storage locations are depots located in Scotia, New York; Hammond, Indiana; Hawthorne, Nevada; and Point Pleasant, West Virginia. There may be situations where the Government stores material at a commercial location within the Continental United States (“CONUS”). Some materials may require special storage situations. Examples of special storage situations are climate-controlled areas, sealed containment under artificial atmosphere, compartmentalized areas in consideration of safety based on the material properties and potentially hazardous impurities.

2.2 Proposed Requirement: Reference Para. 1. Objective, in ATTACHMENTS A –

STATEMENT OF WORK (SOW).

2.3 Period of Performance: The Period of Performance is projected for 24 months ARO.

2.4 Security Requirements: Reference attached SOW for any/all specific security requirements.

2.5 The scope of this requirement is to seek qualified contractors who are currently certified under NAICS code 325220 Artificial and Synthetic Fibers and Filaments Manufacturing, to fulfill requirements outlined in Attachments A – STATEMENT OF WORK.

3.0 GOVERNMENT REQUESTED INFORMATION

a. Can your company meet the technical requirements listed in section 5 of SOW? Can our company comply with Table 3?

b. Can your company provide an example of a Certificate of Analysis (COA) as outlined in the SOW Section 6. The example COA can be from a previous contract with the Government or Industry. The example is not required to meet the requirements listed in the attached SOW.

c. Do you have the capability to manage all transactions for the required services referenced in the attached SOW? Please identify if your company is only capable of fulfilling partial requirements outlined in the SOW, and reasons unable to fulfill additional requirements as this will help inform the Government of potential revisions to SOW where industry compliance differs from the current requirement expectations and SOW stipulations.

d. Is your company registered in the System for Award Management (SAM)?

(https://www.sam.gov/)

e. Does your company have a cage code? If so, what is it?

f. Is your company registered under one or more NAICS code/s than listed in this Sources Sought? If so, please provide other registered NAICS codes.

4.1 Respond to the above questions by email, with an attached capabilities statement in Word Document, no later than day, March 19, 2005, at 3:00 PM EST. responses shall be submitted to the Contract Officer, Christine Boyer at Christine.Boyer@DLA.MIL. Responses to the questions must NOT contain proprietary or classified information. Be advised that all submissions become Government property and will not be returned.

4.2 In your response, please provide: Name, mailing address, overnight delivery address (if different from mailing address), phone number, fax number, and email of designated point of contact.

4.3 Recommended contract strategy if other than what is planned in each SOW (Reference Para. 1).

4.4 Please identify your registered business type (large business, small business, small, disadvantaged business, 8(a)-certified small, disadvantaged business, HUBZone small business, woman-owned small business, very small business, veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business) based upon North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) 541380 – Testing, Laboratories and Services. “Small business concern” means a concern, including its affiliates that is independently owned and operated, not dominant in the field of operation in which it is bidding on Government contracts, and qualified as a small business under the criteria and size standards in 13 CFR part 121. A small business concern for the purposes of this procurement is generally defined as a business, including its affiliates, averaging no more than three million dollars in annual receipts. Annual receipts of a concern that has been in business for 3 or more complete fiscal years means the annual average gross revenue of the concern taken for the last 3 fiscal years. Annual receipts of a concern that has been in business for less than 3 complete fiscal years means its total receipts for the period it has been in business, divided by the number of weeks including fractions of a week that it has been in business and multiplied by 52. Responders are cautioned, however, that this is a general description only. Additional standards and conditions apply. Please refer to Federal Acquisition Regulation FAR 19 for additional detailed information on Small Business Size Standards. The FAR is available at: https://www.acquisition.gov/

5.0 INDUSTRY DISCUSSIONS

5.1 DLA Strategic Materials representatives may or may not choose to meet with respondents to this Sources Sought Request for Information. Such discussions would only be intended to get further clarification of potential capability to meet the requirements, especially any development and certification risks.

6.0 SUMMARY

6.1 THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT ONLY to identify vendors who can provide information for potential future acquisition. The information provided in the SS is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. DLA Strategic Materials has not made a commitment to procure any of the items discussed, and release of this SS should NOT be construed as such a commitment or as authorization to incur cost for which reimbursement would be required or sought. All submissions become Government property and will not be returned.

Attachments:

1. Statement of Work – Attachments A

Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI):

Controlled by: DCSO-C3

CUI Category: General Procurement and Acquisition / Source Selection Information see FAR 2.101 & 3.104

Applicable Distribution: DLA/J6/Strategic Materials/DCSO POC: Christine Boyer, Contracting Officer; (614) 692-7389

Submit by: Approved by:

Contract Specialist Contracting Officer

DCSO-C3 DCSO-C3

POWERS.CARRIE.

KIRK.1064357472

Digitally signed by

POWERS.CARRIE.KIRK.106435

Date: 2025.03.12 06:54:06 -04'00'