Casket Liner RFI.pdf

Notice Type: Sources Sought / Request for Information (RFI) Title: Market Research – Domestic Manufacturing & Supply of Burial Casket Liners and Interior Fabrics ("Crepe, Satin, or Similar Material" per DA PAM 638–2) – Berry Amendment Compliance Primary NAICS Code: 339995 – Burial Casket Manufacturing Cross-Referenced Textile NAICS Codes: 313210 (Broadwoven Fabric Mills), 313310 (Textile and Fabric Finishing Mills), 314999 (All Other Miscellaneous Textile Product Mills) Product Service Codes (PSC): 9930 (Memorials, Cemeteries and Mortuary Equipment) & 8305 (Textile Fabrics)

1. DISCLAIMER

This Request for Information (RFI) / Sources Sought Notice is issued solely for information, market research, and planning purposes in accordance with FAR Part 10. It does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP), Request for Quote (RFQ), or Invitation for Bid (IFB), nor is it a commitment by the U.S. Government to issue a solicitation or award a contract.

The Government will not reimburse respondents for any costs associated with preparing or submitting information in response to this notice.

2. BACKGROUND & PURPOSE

The Mission and Installation Contracting Command (MICC) – Fort Knox, on behalf of the Department of the Army, Casualty and Mortuary Affairs Operations Division (CMAOD), is conducting market research to identify domestic manufacturers and suppliers capable of providing burial caskets and 100% domestically produced casket liners and interior upholstery fabrics compliant with the Berry Amendment (10 U.S.C. § 4862, formerly 10 U.S.C. § 2533a) and DFARS 252.225-7012.

Under the Berry Amendment, textile components used in Department of Defense (DoD) caskets must be wholly grown, reprocessed, reused, extruded, spun, woven, finished, and sewn in the United States. Currently, the Army operates under a 10-year Class Domestic Non-Availability Determination (DNAD) (MICC DNAD DF 19-01) for casket liners that expires in November 2029. In coordination with interagency domestic-sourcing working groups and the U.S. AbilityOne Commission, the Army is evaluating the domestic industrial base to establish Berry Amendment-compliant casket liner sources prior to the waiver's expiration.

3. TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS PER DA PAM 638–2 (APPENDIX C, PARA C–16)

In accordance with Department of the Army Pamphlet (DA PAM) 638–2 (Procedure for the Army Mortuary Affairs Program, dated 30 September 2022), Appendix C, Paragraph

C–16, Army burial and cremation caskets require the following interior upholstery/liner specifications:

Casket Category

(DA PAM 638–2,

Para C–16)

Casket Shell Description

Authorized Liner / Upholstery Fabric & Color Standard

Interior Liner Components (Glossary, DA PAM 638–2)

Metal Interment / Entombment Casket (Standard & Oversize)

18-gauge steel, protective, half-couch casket, silver tone to gray finish, continuous fixed bar or swing arm handles, continuous seam weld bottom.

"Upholstered in a white, ivory or similar color crepe, satin or similar material."

Head panel, foot panel, inner panels, roll (cove), cloth gimp (fold), pillow, mattress cover, backing, and batting/padding.

Hardwood Interment / Entombment Casket (Standard & Oversize)

Solid hardwood, perfection cut, half-couch casket, satin or high gloss walnut finish, continuous fixed bar or swing arm handles.

"Upholstered in a rosetan, or other neutral color crepe, satin or similar material."

Head panel, foot panel, inner panels, roll (cove), cloth gimp (fold), pillow, mattress cover, backing, and batting/padding.

Cremation Casket

Hardwood, perfection cut, half-couch casket, satin or high gloss walnut finish, raised crown, minimum metallic parts.

"Upholstered in a rosetan, or other neutral color made of crepe, satin or similar material."

Head panel, foot panel, inner panels, roll (cove), cloth gimp (fold), pillow, mattress cover, backing, and batting/padding.

• Note on Eligible Fabrics: While commercial casket manufacturers have historically utilized imported polyester crepe (such as Alpine Crepe and Polaris Crepe), DA PAM 638–2 Paragraph C–16 explicitly authorizes "crepe, satin or similar material", and the DA PAM 638–2 Glossary defines Crepe to include "silk, rayon, cotton, or wool." Therefore, domestic textile mills and casket manufacturers are encouraged to identify any Berry Amendment-compliant crepe, satin, sateen, rayon, cotton, or similar soft-drape upholstery fabric woven in the United States that meets the color and aesthetic standards above.

4. MARKET RESEARCH QUESTIONNAIRE

Respondents are requested to answer the following questions as applicable to their role in the supply chain:

# Category Market Research Question

1 General Does your company manufacture or supply casket liners, casket upholstery fabrics, or suitable domestic fabrics (crepe, satin, or similar material per DA PAM 638–2, Para C–16)?

Manufacturer Question

What materials (fiber, yarn, fabric weave, backing, and padding) are used to manufacture the casket liners/padding?

Manufacturer Question

From what country does the casket liner fiber or fabric originate? (Please specify the country of origin for both the raw fiber/yarn and the woven/finished fabric.)

Manufacturer Question

Are there any U.S. sources that can provide Berry Amendment-compliant casket liners?

Manufacturer Question

Given that DA PAM 638–2, Para C–16 permits "crepe, satin or similar material" (in white/ivory for metal caskets and rosetan/neutral for hardwood caskets), is there a substitute material (fiber or fabric—such as domestic satin, sateen, rayon, cotton, or polyester crepe) manufactured in the United States that can be used for casket liners?

Manufacturer Question

Does the substitute material (fiber or fabric) originate 100% from a U.S. supplier (wholly grown/extruded, spun, woven, and finished in the United States in compliance with the Berry Amendment)?

Manufacturer Question

What is the manufacturing process (from purchasing raw materials through cutting, sewing/shirring, and installation of the head panel, foot panel, inner panels, roll/cove, gimp, and pillow) for the casket liners?

8 Supplier Question Who manufactures your casket liners?

9 Supplier Question Where is the casket liner manufacturer located (City, State, and Country)?

10 Supplier Question What materials (fiber or fabric) are used to manufacture the casket liners?

11 Supplier Question From what country does the casket liner fiber or fabric originate?

12 Documentation If possible, provide any documentation, product data sheets, or fabric specifications about the casket liner (fiber or fabric), casket liner manufacturer, and casket liner manufacturing process.

Domestic Textile Mills & Converters

What Minimum Order Quantity (in linear yards), production lead time, and estimated unit cost would be required for your mill to supply Berry Amendment-compliant white/ivory or rosetan/neutral crepe, satin, or similar fabric?

AbilityOne NPAs & Cut-and-Sew Firms

Does your organization have the industrial sewing, shirring/gathering, and upholstery capability to fabricate finished casket liner kits (head/foot panels, roll/cove, gimp, pillow, and mattress cover) if supplied with Berry-compliant U.S.

fabric?

Casket Manufacturers

Would your manufacturing process permit the installation of domestically produced casket liner kits (e.g., fabricated by an AbilityOne Nonprofit Agency or U.S. textile partner using Berry-compliant satin, crepe, or similar material) into your U.S.-manufactured metal and hardwood casket shells?