OSD A&S Battery Supply Chain Risk Mitigation

Special Notice N0016424SNB87

Agency:  Department of the Navy

Office:  Naval Sea Systems Command

Location:  Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Crane Division

NAICS Code:  541715 – Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Science

PSC: AC13 – National Defense R&D Services; Department of Defense

Response Due Date:  13 June 2024

Request for Solutions:

OSD A&S Battery Supply Chain Risk Mitigation

1.  PURPOSE

This special notice is to inform vendors of an active Request for Solutions (RFS). The purpose of this RFS is intends to address supply chain risks by soliciting development, prototyping and demonstration efforts to help mitigate potential problems through application of modernized, advanced manufacturing technologies across four focus areas: critical battery materials, critical battery components, critical processes assessment and mitigation, and battery development and prototype.  The Government will evaluate the solutions with the intent of awarding a Project Order under the Expeditionary Missions Consortium (EMC2) Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) in accordance with 10 U.S.C. § 4022.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY

2.1  EMC2

Vendors interested in responding to this RFS must be members of the (EMC2). Interested parties should visit emccrane.org for membership information. This project will be managed by a Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division Project Manager. The RFS released via the weblink listed above for EMC2 on 10 May 2024.

2.2  PROJECT OVERVIEW

The DoD directly and indirectly acquires many types of specialty batteries but in comparatively small quantities. Specialty batteries are defined as, but are not limited to, liquid reserve, thermal, primary (non-rechargeable) and secondary (rechargeable) types currently used in military systems. These batteries are made with optimized chemicals, materials and components to achieve required performance levels. These items are mostly unique and not interchangeable with more readily available substitutes. When one of these specialty materials or processes becomes unusable or unavailable, major effort is required to find or develop economical substitutes that can be acquired in the volumes needed. The statement of need (SON) intends to address supply chain risks by soliciting development, prototyping and demonstration efforts to help mitigate potential problems through application of modernized, advanced manufacturing technologies across four focus areas:
1. Critical battery materials. The intended goals are to develop and demonstrate domestically sourced chemicals and materials that will perform as well or better than existing materials that have unacceptable supply chain weaknesses.
2. Critical battery components. The intended goals are to develop and demonstrate domestically sourced components and subassemblies that will perform as well or better than existing components that have unacceptable supply chain weaknesses.
3. Critical processes assessment and mitigation. The two intended goals with this focus area are to first develop supply chain risk assessments and identify mitigation approaches for critical processes used in specialty battery manufacturing, and secondly, develop prototype manufacturing processes capable of accommodating the identified supply chain weaknesses and achieve a suitable degree of surge (higher volume) production.
4. Battery development and prototype. The goal for this focus area is to develop and demonstrate prototype batteries that incorporate one of more of the prototyped domestic materials, components, processes developed under the other three focus areas. These battery prototypes will provide confidence that the new materials and processes will be capable of acceptably performing as intended. Follow-on production is a possible outcome.

Please visit the EMC2 website at https://emccrane.org/ to review the full RFS.

Contracting Office Address:

300 Hwy 361
Crane, IN 47522
United States

Primary Point of Contact.:

Mark Dravet

mark.v.dravet.civ@us.navy.mil

Phone: 812-381-7085

Secondary Point of Contact:

Sydney Wittmann

sydney.l.wittmann.civ@us.navy.mil

Phone: 812-381-0990