Manufacture of the M776 155mm Cannon Tubes

Purpose:  The Army Contracting Command (ACC) New Jersey, Picatinny Arsenal, NJ  07806-5000 is conducting a Market Survey on behalf of the Joint Program Executive Office Armaments and Ammunition (JPEO A&A), the Project Manager Combat Ammunition Systems (PM CAS) has a need to identify potential sources capable of manufacturing the M776 155mm cannon tube domestically in the specific Quantities and Lead time as annotated below.  The purpose of this market research is to obtain current information on the capability of additional sources to manufacture M776 155mm Cannon Tubes.

Description: The 155mm M776 Cannon tube is a component of the 155mm M777A2 Towed Howitzer, which is a direct-support cannon fire support system for the Army and must be built to the United States Technical Data specifications.  This Sources Sought is for planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a solicitation or an obligation on the part of the US Government.

All interested vendors are requested to provide a written response summarizing the following information:

1. Name of company, address, telephone number, email address, technical point of contact, CAGE code and business size information (please specify as either a Large Business, Foreign-Owned Business, Small Business, Small Disadvantaged Business, 8(a) concern, Woman-Owned Small Business, Historically Underutilized Business Zone concern, Veteran-Owned Small Business, or Service-Disabled Small Business).
2. A description of the vendor’s manufacturing experience of the M776 Cannon Tube or similar products within the last ten (10) years to include past performance.
3. A description of the vendor’s existing 155mm cannon production process to include all major manufacturing stages and the operations/equipment utilized for each.
4. A description of the vendors current maximum monthly capacity to produce 155mm cannon tubes.
5. A description of the vendors capability and projected available capacity to produce 155mm cannon tubes no later than (NLT) 36 months from the date of this sources sought.  However, the USG has a need for an additional cannon source as soon as possible and schedule will be a factor into the overall risk rating.
6. A description of the facilities, equipment, machines and tooling required (if any) to increase the available capacity to produce 155mm cannon tubes to 10 tubes per month NLT 36 months from the date of this sources sought.  Description should include NOT-TO-EXCEED ROM for all required purchases. 
7. A detailed description of the vendor’s cannon tube source material grade, vendor(s) and processing (i.e. steel making, forging/preforms, guide bore, heat treat…etc).
8. A detailed description of the vendors bore and outside diameter cold working capabilities to include autofrettage.
9. A detailed description of the vendor’s turning boring and milling capabilities along with the size capacity or each (length, weight, outer/inner diameters).
10. A detailed description of the vendor’s rifling capabilities to include a general description of the rifling configuration (i.e. number of lands, grooves & twist).
11. A detailed description of the vendor’s bore coating capabilities.
12. A detailed description of the vendor’s OD protective coating and painting capabilities.
13. A detailed description of the vendor’s proof firing process.

All companies interested in this notice must be registered in System for Award Management (SAM).

This market survey is for informational and planning purposes and shall NOT be construed as a Request for Proposal (RFP).  Technical Data may be provided upon request for information only.  To receive the technical data, contractors are required to submit a signed and completed DD Form 2345-Militarily Critical Technical Data Agreement; AMSTA-AR Form 1350-Technical Data Request Questionnaire; and Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA).

If the Technical Data for this effort is provided, a Certificate of Destruction form shall be completed and submitted by any contractor in receipt of the Technical Data, upon this source sought notice closing. 

All information is to be submitted at no cost or obligation to the Government.  If a formal solicitation is generated at a later date, a solicitation notice will be published.  Please identify any proprietary information submitted.  All information provided will not be returned and will be held in confidential status.

All market information sought in this notification must be provided within 30 days of this notice by electronic mail only at no cost to the Government. The points of contact for this requirement are Megan Ross via email megan.j.ross.civ@army.mil and/or Peter Snedeker peter.t.snedeker.civ@army.mil, ACC-NJ (Division: CCNJ-IC), Bldg.10, Picatinny Arsenal, NJ 07806-5000. All inquiries shall be made via email only. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted.

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Response to Industry:

Q: On topic six, seeking clarification that the response would be for the construction of a new facility that can produce a minimum of 10 cannons per month vs. an expansion of a current facility to produce at that rate.

A: The interested party shall provide a description of their current facility or if they would need to build a new facility or what else they may need to meet the requirement if they do not currently have the capacity. This could be a new facility or the expansion of a current facility.