Flight Helmets
Closed Special Notice Posted
- Solicitation number
- 20120225
- Agency
- Customs and Border Protection Department of Homeland Security
- Responses due
- Set-aside
- Total Small Business
Opportunity facts
- NAICS code
- 339113 Surgical Appliance and Supplies Manufacturing
- Place of performance
- San Angelo TX 76904 USA
Notice details come from SAM.gov. Updated .
About this opportunity
This Special Notice from U.S. Customs and Border Protection intends to make a sole source award to Flight Suits for helicopter flight helmets. The notice seeks to procure up to 400 Gentex HGU-56P flight helmets per year over five years for use by Air and Marine Operations pilots and flight crew.
The Special Notice calls for helmets that can meet key safety requirements, as the Gentex model is the only helmet having passed all U.S. Army testing with maximum recorded G-forces of 175, compared to 350 or 400 G for other helmets. Interested contractors were instructed to contact the contracting officer by July 15, 2020 with capabilities statements if able to meet requirements, however the response date has passed. As the original equipment manufacturer and sole North American distributor of Gentex helmets, Gibson & Barnes is uniquely qualified to fulfill the helmet requirement over the five year base period and four option years detailed in the justification and approval attached to the notice.
Notice text
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) intends to issue a firm fixed price sole source award to Flight Suits (DBA Gibson & Barnes), for flight helmets for Air and Marine Operations (AMO) pilots/flight crew. The award will be for a base year and four option years with the ability to order up to four hundred Gentex flight helmets.
The Gentex HGU-56/P is the only helmet specifically designed for helicopters, and the only helmet available that has successfully passed ALL of the US Army Aeromedical Research Lab (USAARL) testing. On average, helicopter crashes result in approximately 12 impacts to the helmet (30% of these are side impacts). Through extensive testing, the statistical data demonstrates that the following impact characteristics in terms of maximum G transmission to the brain that occur during an impact sequence: HGU-56/P transmits a maximum G of 175 G. Competing helmets transmitted 350 G and 400 G. The numbers from that test translate to the Gentex HGU-56/P wearer as no head injury (175 G). Others tested received potential brain damage (350 G) and possible death (400 G). AMO initially purchased 900 of the Gentex HGU56/P helmets and has exclusively used that helmet as the only accepted flight helmet in the inventory. As the original equipment manufacturer and sole distributer of Gentex Helmets, Gibson and Barnes is uniquely qualified to meet this requirement.
The period of performance will be a base year (12 months) and four options (12 months per option).
If any contractors feel they can meet the requirements please contact the contracting officer by email at Michael.A.Hall@cbp.dhs.gov by the response date and time listed with this notice. You must submit a capabilities statement displaying your ability to meet the requirements.
Attachments
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| Helicopter Flight Helmet SOW April 3 2020.doc | DOC document | |
| JA - 07-06-2020_Redacted.pdf |
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