Sources Sought Notice W911S6-25-Q-A031 DPG 08-18-25_SBP revd.docx

SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE

W911S6-25-Q-A031 THIS IS A Sources Sought Notice ONLY. The U.S. Government currently intends to award a contract for Weapon Effects Pattern (WEP) SKIN HEAD FORMS on an SOLE SOURCE basis, but is seeking vendors that may be able to perform this requirement in order to support a competitive procurement. Accordingly, the U.S. Government highly encourages all interested businesses (large and small) to respond to this sources sought notice. In addition, small businesses, in all socioeconomic categories (including, 8(a) Business Development Program, Small Disadvantage Business, Historically Underutilized Business Zone, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned, Women-Owned Small Business concerns), are ask to describe their identifying capabilities in meeting the requirements at a fair market price, i.e., information which may help support a set-aside.

The proposed requirement is for a sole source, Firm Fixed Price contract to REDACTED, LLC for WEP SKIN HEAD FORMS. The statutory authority Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items, Title 41 U.S.C. 1901 as implemented by FAR Subpart 13.5.

This notice does not constitute a Request for Quote (RFQ)/Invitation for Bid (IFB)/Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFQ, IFB or RFP in the future. This notice does not commit the U.S. Government to contract for any supply or service. Further, the U.S. Government is not seeking quotes, bids or proposals at this time and will not accept unsolicited proposals in response to this sources sought notice. The U.S. Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this notice. Submittals will not be returned to the responder. A determination not to compete this requirement, based upon responses to this notice, is solely within the discretion of the Government. However, if a competitive solicitation is released, it will be synopsized on the Governmentwide Point of Entry (GPE), sam.gov. It is the responsibility of potential offerors to monitor the GPE for additional information pertaining to this requirement. The NAICS code is: 339999, with a size standard of 550 employees.

See attached Statement of Work for additional information.

In response to this sources sought, please provide:

1. Identify any condition or action that may be having the effect of unnecessarily restricting competition with respect to this acquisition and identify alternatives or solutions. Also contact the MICC Advocate for Competition, Scott Kukes, at scott.d.kukes.civ@mail.mil or 210-466-3015, if you believe that this action is unreasonably restricting competition. Include the subject of the acquisition, this announcement, and the MICC POC information from the Sources Sought Notice. Provide the specific aspects that unreasonably restrict competition and the rationale for such conclusion.

2. Name of the firm, point of contact, phone number, email address, Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number, Commerical and Government Entity (CAGE) code, identify business size (large business or a small business), and if applicable, a statement regarding small business status (including small business type(s)/certifications(s) such as SDB, 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, WOSB, etc.) and the corresponding NAICS code.

3. Identify whether your firm is interested in competing for this requirement as a prime contractor or not. Identify subcontracting, joint ventures or teaming arrangement that will be pursued, if any.

4. Information in sufficient detail regarding previous experience (indicate whether as a prime contractor or subcontractor) on similar requirements (include size, scope, complexity, timeframe, government or commercial), pertinent certifications, etc., that will facilitate making a capability determination.

5. Information to help determine if the requirement (item or service) is commercially available, including pricing information, basis for the pricing information (e.g., market pricing, catalog pricing), delivery schedules, customary terms and conditions, warranties, etc.

6. Identify how the Army can best structure these contract requirements to facilitate competition, including competition among small business concerns.

7. Recommendations to improve the Army's approach/specifications/draft PWS/PRS to acquiring the identified items/services.

Responses to this sources sought shall be limited to five (5) pages and sent to the Contract Specialist, Jeremy A. MacDougall, at jeremy.a.macdougall.civ@army.mil no later than August 19 2025 by 2:00 PM, MST. Please reference W911S6-25-Q-A031 WEP SKIN HEAD FORMS. Acknowledgement of receipt will not be made.

Statement of Work for Skin and Head Forms for SMARTMAN

DRD # 3665

18 August 2025

U.S. ARMY DUGWAY PROVING GROUND

WEST DESERT TEST CENTER, CHEMICAL TEST DIVISION

DUGWAY, UTAH 84022-5000

1. Subject: Develop and Purchase skins, head forms with skins, and development of articulating head form with skn for new SMARTMAN test fixtures

2. Final Delivery Location: West Desert Test Center, U.S. Army Dugway Proving Ground, Utah.

3. Background:

a. This Statement of Work (SOW) outlines the requirements for the design, development, and delivery of a non-commercial, 3D printed anthropogenic head form for use within a chemical test chamber. This head form will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of protective measures against chemical agents and to assess exposure levels. The intent is to provide a standardized, repeatable, and cost-effective alternative to human subjects or expensive commercially available head forms

b. The current SMARTMAN and Boot/Glove (B/G) test fixtures are currently located in laboratory hoods in which the Chemical Test Division has been directed by West Desert command to redesign new fixtures that can be placed into engineered glove boxes. The new SMARTMAN B/G fixture has been redesigned to fit into engineering-controlled glove boxes that will provide a safer operating environment when testing US military mask and or mask/helmet integrated systems, boots, and gloves.

c. The current head forms are over 30 years old and need to be replaced with more adaptable head forms that will fit into the new SMARTMAN B/G test fixtures. The new head forms will allow more testing flexibility by providing a removeable skin and future articulation. All current versions of the SMARTMAN head form are no longer procurable and obsolete. The bladders used for static head forms are also no longer procurable. REDACTED designed a new static head form with bladder insert for DPG’s SMARTMAN testing.

d. This Scope of Work will require the design and fabrication of removeable and replaceable elastic skin for both static and articulating head forms, development of a new static head form with skin and development of an articulating head form using the same design concept of the REDACTED head form for the new SMARTMAN Boot and Glove test fixture.

4. Project Objectives:

· Develop a flexible skin that will fit over the static head form that is durable, flexible enough to stretch over the head form without tearing, conforms to all areas of the head form (nose, eyes, mouth, and ears, thick enough and resistant enough to withstand at least 24 – 48 hours of exposure to CWA vapors and can be secured at the base of the neck to prevent agent penetration at the base of the neck under the skin.

· Fabricate four static head forms that meet the same specification as the REDACTED head form without the inflatable bladder insert that will accommodate the new flexible skin. The four static head forms will also include the new skin technology.

· Develop and provide a prototype realistic, 3D printed articulating head form representative of an adult human head that meets the same specifications as the REDACTED static head form but allows for articulation head movement at the base of the head. The articulation will allow for at least a 45-degree rotation left/right, 10-to-15-degree head movement up/down, and 10-to-15-degree head tilt left/right.

· Ensure the head form is compatible with standard chemical test chamber mounting systems.

· Select materials that are chemically resistant to a defined suite of test agents (Sarin GB, Mustard Gas HD and VX).

· Provide a detailed report documenting the design, materials, printing process, and any limitations

5. Design Requirements:

· Realistic Features: The head form should include realistic facial features (eyes, nose, mouth, ears) to accurately simulate airflow patterns. The head form will have the same penetrations, physical size, same sampling and breathing tube specifications and same material composition as the REDACTED static head form.

· Smooth Surface Finish: The surface finish should be smooth to minimize agent adherence and facilitate cleaning.

· Internal Geometry: The head form shall separate behind the ear that will allow access to the internal section of the head form. The two pieces should be attached with subsurface screw and gaskets seals to prevent vapor penetration. The internal cavity geometry should be hollow to allow for sampling and breathing lines and electronic servo mechanisms (for head movement).

· Articulation Controls: The electrical control to the servo mechanisms shall exit the head from below the neck along with the sampling and breathing lines. The articulating controls will have a single chemical resistant electrical connector. The electrical power will be either 12V or 24V DC. The system shall operate using a single controller that is compatible to multiple head forms. The controller should be commercial off-the-shelf operating system that is not proprietary. The software will allow for single head movement operations or a programmable series of head form movements over a period of times (2, 4, 8 and up to 12 hours) or can be programmed to a specific time period.

· Design Files: All 3D design files (e.g., STL, STEP) shall be delivered to the party requested.

6. Deliverables:

a. Head Form Skin

· The proposed design and development will be fabricated of a high-fidelity silicone skin system to be used with head form units for the U.S. Army Dugway Proving Ground (DPG). The skin will serve as a critical interface for full-head coverage during gas exposure testing and respirator fit evaluations.

· This silicone skin will be formed through precision mold casting and engineered for elasticity, dimensional stability, and chemical compatibility. It will replicate the surface features and contours of a human head to allow realistic mask interface behavior under operational test conditions. The skin will be designed for single-use applications and installed on the head using a secure clamping mechanism to ensure an air-tight seal.

· The skin will include anatomical facial features and contours that support realistic mask interface performance.

· The skin should be cast reproducibly from precision mold tooling with consistent thickness and material integrity.

· To design the skin for single-use installation with secure air-tight sealing via a mechanical clamping system.

b. Custom Static Head Form Units with External Skin Overlay

· Deliver four (4) custom static head form units with external skin overlay, designed for advanced testing and simulation. Each unit features internal channels for tubing integration, enabling fluid or airflow through the structure, ideal for chemical testing or sensor applications. The specification will match the REDACTED static head form system.

· The head forms should be produced using high-resolution 3D printing with engineering-grade resin. The process should include extensive manual work: cleaning, sanding, curing, tubing installation, and final assembly onto a custom steel base plate. Every unit is hand-assembled and quality-checked to ensure functional integrity and mechanical durability.

· Each head should consist of two primary components: a front and back half, designed with complex internal geometries to accommodate routing channels.

· Upon completion of printing, each component should be carefully cleaned using controlled isopropyl alcohol washes to remove uncured resin without damaging fine details or channels.

· All printed surfaces should be manually sanded and polished in a multi-stage process using high-grit sanding tools and sponges to remove print artifacts and ensure smooth internal and external surfaces, crucial for performance consistency.

· The print parts should be UV-cured using industrial-grade curing chambers to reach full mechanical strength and chemical resistance per material specifications.

· Flexible laboratory-grade tubing will be inserted and routed manually through internal channels within each head unit.

· This is a precise, time-intensive process involving press-fits, alignment checks, and function tests to ensure proper channel flow and geometry clearance.

· Tubing should be trimmed to length and permanently bonded into place using high-strength, chemical resistant epoxy, applied at key junctions and entry points to ensure a secure, leak-resistant seal within the internal channels. All routing should be verified for blockage-free flow using test passes such as air or fluid displacement.

· Each head will include a full-coverage silicone skin that fits over the entire surface of the head like a mask. An air-tight seal is achieved by securing the skin in place with a precision-fit, two-piece clamping system designed to apply uniform pressure along the flange.

· The front and back halves are carefully aligned and bonded using sub-surface screw and mechanical interlocks to ensure a seamless, stable final assembly.

· Each head will be permanently mounted onto a precision-machined stainless steel base plate to provide structural rigidity and durability for testing setups. These plates are custom-designed and machine fabricated specifically for this purpose.

· Each unit undergoes a multi-point inspection for dimensional accuracy, tubing alignment, assembly strength, hermetic integrity and overall finish quality.

· Units should bee functionally validated to ensure tubing is clear and securely fixed, base mounting is flush and stable, seals are true, and surface finish is consistent.

· Completed heads should be cleaned, packaged, and prepared for shipment in secure, padded containers.

c. Articulating Head Form Salient Requirements

· The new SMARTMAN head form will be an articulating head form. The surface material will be composed of a composite or harden plastic material that is chemical resistant and can be cleaned with a 6% bleach solution without any degradation to the surface materials.

· Unlike the static model, this version introduces motorized articulation to simulate natural human motion. The head form will be capable of independently rotating in roll (tilt), pitch (up/down) and yaw (left/right) directions to recreate realistic movement scenarios experienced in field.

· The design will incorporate a flexible neck structure, realistic anatomical features within reason, internal tubing channels for airflow simulation, and sealed pathways for potential sensor integrations.

· Units should be functionally validated to ensure tubing is clear and securely fixed, base mounting is flush and stable, seals are true, and surface finish is consistent.

· Completed heads should be cleaned, packaged, and prepared for shipment in secure, padded containers.

· The head form will be sized to the specifications outline in the provided specifications and images. The size should be based on an 85% US Military male.

· The head form will have sampling ports at the center forehead just above the nose, center left eye and the two nostrils as specified in the attached specifications and images.

· The mouth will have an oval opening sized 0.75” as specified in the attached specifications and images.

· The base will have a mounting flange which will be secured onto the universal plate form. The bolt pattern will be in accordance with attached specifications and images.

· The head form should be designed with two separate pieces that can be bolted together using stainless steel hardware.

· The head Form will be a durable and anatomically accurate head and neck model for respirator testing purposes.

· The head form will simulate real-world operational conditions by enabling controlled mechanical articulation of the head during live agent exposure.

· A fabricated head from will be chemically resistant polymers and other materials that can withstand prolonged testing in chemical agent chambers.

· The head form will have integrated structural and mechanical features that support movement, tubing, and reliable mounting during stress conditions

· Bi-weekly DPG meeting with vendor via MS teams meeting will be conducted to discuss potential issues, updates and address questions or further design requirement if needed.

· Once the prototype articulating head form has been inspected and approved by DPG, the final production head forms can be fabricated. The final head form development and fabrication cost will be provided to DPG for funding.

Follow-on design/development for other head forms such as US Military female sizes and potential articulating head forms will be discussed for potential future contracts.