Multi Mission Underwater Breathing Apparatus Program Sources Sought/Request for Information

This notice is for market research purposes only and does NOT constitute a request for proposal.  This notice shall not be construed as a contract, a promise to contract, or as a commitment of any kind by the Government.  The Government is NOT seeking or accepting unsolicited proposals. 

This Sources Sought/Request for Information (RFI) notice is issued by the Department of the Navy, Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), on behalf of NAVSEA 06- Expeditionary Missions Program Office (PMS 408), Underwater Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD). The Navy is conducting market research in accordance with FAR Part 10 to determine whether two or more small business sources possess the requisite capabilities to successfully perform the requirement to design, manufacture, assemble, test and deliver the Multi Mission Underwater Breathing Apparatus (MMUBA).  In addition, the announcement requests industry brochures of currently-available, commercial Underwater Breathing Apparatus (UBA), and information associated with the commercial UBA’s canister duration, control of the partial pressure of oxygen, and influence signature. This RFI is for planning purposes only and shall not be construed as an invitation for bid, request for quotation, request for proposal, or an obligation on the part of the Government to acquire any products or services.  Your response to this RFI will be treated as information only and part of market research and will not be shared outside of the Government.  When/if the Government issues a Request for Proposal (RFP), interested contractors will be expected to thoroughly address the RFP requirements regardless of the circumstances surrounding this RFI.

The objective of this source sought/RFI is to help the Government determine the capability and qualifications of companies meeting the Government’s needs for the MMUBA program. 

MMUBA is a closed-circuit, mixed-gas diving system that provides capability to a variety of military diving operations in both deep and shallow water. The system requires the capability to operate with both N2O2 (air) and HeO2 (88/12) diluents to a depth of 300 feet of seawater (fsw). The Government is particularly interested in commercially available systems that currently meet the requirements of a rebreather system certification by NAVSEA 00C, Ocean Engineering Supervisor of Salvage and Diving, and can be produced for rapid fielding to military diving forces.

MMUBA’s primary employment will be to support Explosive Ordnance Disposal divers in support of the Mine Counter Measures (MCM) operations, and as a result, the UBA’s duration, control of the partial pressure of oxygen, and influence signature are important performance specifications. Due to the nature of this requirement, the prospective Offeror will need to demonstrate the required level of technical expertise.

Interested parties are requested to respond with a white paper company profile to include the following:

1. A brochure or flyer of a currently-available, commercial UBA.
2. If not covered in brochure, CO2 canister duration at operational temperatures.
3. If not covered in brochure, Control of the Partial Pressure of Oxygen
4. If not covered in brochure, Influence Signature profiles

Responses:

Interested firms who believe they are capable of providing the above mentioned services are invited to indicate their interest by providing:

• Company name
• Company address
• Overnight delivery address (if different from mailing address)
• Cage code
• Point of Contact, to include
  • E-mail address,
  • Telephone number,
  • Fax number,
• Facility clearance;
• Business Size Status (i.e. Large, SB, VOSB, SDVOSB, WOSB, etc.)
• Number of Employees

Interested parties are requested to respond to requested information in this RFI with a PDF brochure and/or white paper in Microsoft Word for Office 2010-compatible format.  Please limit responses to ten pages or less (including cover and administrative pages); 1-inch margins; and 12 point font (or larger).

Response Deadline and Submissions:

Responses are requested no later than 28 February 2020.  Responses shall be submitted via e-mail only to roy.williams@navy.mil with a CC to valeria.giberti@navy.mil.

Proprietary information, if any, must be clearly marked.  The subject line of the email should read "Multi Mission Underwater Breathing Apparatus Request for Information".  To aid the Government in its review and evaluation, please segregate proprietary information.  Please be advised that all submissions become Government property and will not be returned.  It should be noted that telephone replies will not be accepted.

DISCLAIMER AND IMPORTANT NOTES:

This notice is not a request for proposals and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation.  This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response.  Sources choosing to respond to this notice are wholly responsible for any costs/expenses associated with submitting a response.  Therefore any cost associated with the market survey submission is solely at the interested vendor's expense.  The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate.  Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization's qualifications to perform the work.  Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted.  Respondents will not be notified of the results of this notice.  The information obtained from submitted responses may be used in development of an acquisition strategy and a future solicitation.  Submissions will not be returned.