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To promote early exchanges of information with Industry in accordance with FAR Subpart 15.2, Naval Air Systems Command, Aircrew Systems (NAVAIR PMA202) of Patuxent River, Maryland is issuing this Requ... To promote early exchanges of information with Industry in accordance with FAR Subpart 15.2, Naval Air Systems Command, Aircrew Systems (NAVAIR PMA202) of Patuxent River, Maryland is issuing this Request for Information (RFI). NAVAIR is requesting information to identify qualified sources to provide commercially available flame resistant foul weather jackets and pants for Navy and Marine Corps aircraft maintainers and flight deck personnel. The requirements are provided below. Interested parties are invited to describe their capabilities to provide the product as described herein. The Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) items submitted in response to this RFI will be evaluated for the capability to meet the performance requirements listed below and the table listing key system attributes. The Navy plans to consider approval of COTS items that meet user requirements for local procurement by squadrons as required for mission needs. Cost will be a significant consideration in determining COTS items approved for use. There is no current plan to add this item to the federal supply system. Multiple items could be approved if found to be acceptable. 1.0 Requirement Navy and Marine Corps aircraft maintainers and flight deck personnel are operating on the deck of a ship or aircraft tarmac in windy, rainy and wet conditions. These personnel require foul weather jackets and pants that will provide protection from precipitation and wind while also being compatible with equipment/clothing worn underneath and overtop, providing mobility required to operate machinery and be durable when kneeling on a non-skid surface, exposed to petroleum based products and abrasion with industrial surfaces. Flight deck personnel and aircraft maintainers will be wearing a MK-1 life vest overtop when aboard ship. To avoid items from falling out of pockets by anyone in the aviation environment and creating foreign object debris (FOD) around the aircraft, pockets must be minimized and have a means of being securely closed (preferably with a zipper). For those who must kneel on the anti-skid and concrete surfaces, the pant must be compatible with knee pads or have the ability to integrated knee pads into the pant. Hardware, if used on the garments, must be durable to prevent breaking and falling off creating FOD. It is recommended that the amount of hardware incorporated into the garment be minimal, since most FOD concerns will be forcibly removed by squadrons (i.e. cut off). Due to limited space for storage, packing the garments to conserve storage requirements is desired. Materials will need to be durable to laundering to remove petroleum, oils and lubricants (POL’s) that will contact and remain on the garments through use. The materials shall provide inherent protection from exposure to flame and meet the requirements of the attached table (see attachement). Testing equipment. The test equipment shall consist of a meter for measuring relative humidity (RH) and temperature, a faraday cage, a source capable of outputting 5000 volts, and voltage meters to display the applied voltage and the voltage detected by the sensor. The faraday cage shall contain two (2) parallel electrodes on which specimens may be mounted and charged, and a sensor that will detect voltage on the specimen surface. The faraday cage and specimens to be tested shall be pre-conditioned at 10 (+ 2) percent relative humidity overnight, and conditioned at 20 (+ 2) percent relative humidity for a minimum of 24 hours at approximately 75 (+ 5)oF. The specimens shall be tested at 20 (+ 2) percent relative humidity and 75o (+ 5)oF. A bench top size chamber may be used as an option to achieve the conditions and to do the testing in, or any area capable of maintaining these conditions may be used. An air ionizing blower may be used while conditioning, although the blower must be turned off once testing begins. A static master may also be used to eliminate residual charges before testing. Specimen preparation. The specimen shall be a 3-inch by 6-inch rectangular piece of material. The warp or filling yarns shall run parallel to the 6-inch length of the specimen. The direction of test (warp or filling) shall be along the length of the specimen and each specimen shall be labeled accordingly in one (1) corner. Test specimens shall be cut so that no two (2) contain the same set of warp and filling yarns. Six (6) specimens, three (3) warp and three (3) filling, shall be tested, face and back sides inclusive Testing procedure. Allow the test equipment 1-hour of warm-up time. Adjust the voltage source for a charging voltage of 5000 volts by mounting a 3-inch by 5-inch aluminum plate across the electrodes in the faraday cage such that it is centered in front of the voltage sensor opening. Apply a charge of 5000 volts, and adjust/calibrate the voltage meter designated to indicate detected voltage on the sample equal to 5000 volts. Remove the aluminum plate. Mount a specimen tautly across the electrodes, centering it over the sensor opening. The surface of test specimen (back or front) shall face the sensor. The CUT-OFF must be set to 10 per cent. With the high voltage off, depress the CHG button to measure initial charge on the test specimen. If it is not reading zero, turn CHG button off and use the static master or blower to attempt to eliminate the residual charge. With high voltage off, depress the CHG button again and record any remaining measurable residual charge. Turn off CHG button. Apply 5000 volts to the electrodes for a period of 20 seconds. To do this, depress the + button on the right (the reading on CHARGING VOLTAGE meter must read 5000 volts); then depress the CHG button. Wait 20-second; record the highest reading on the SAMPLE CHARGE meter. Then depress the TEST button and from the readout under DECAY TIME-SEC, record how long it took for the charge to decay from maximum voltage to 10 per cent of the maximum level. Depress the ZERO/STBY button after the test. The high voltage (5000 volts) shall be turned off and the specimen immediately grounded. If the DECAY TIME-SEC is less than 0.5 seconds, the specimen is acceptable; otherwise it is not. Also, the specimen must accept a charge of at least 4000 volts during the 20 second charging period to be acceptable. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes for request for information are: 339920 - Sporting Goods 339999 - Other Misc 424320 – Men’s and Boy’s Clothing and Furnishings Merchant Wholesalers 424330 – Women’s, Children’s, and Infants Clothing and Accessories Merchant Wholesalers 315210 – Cut and Sew Apparel Contractors 315211 Men’s and Boy’s Cut and Sew Apparel Contractors 315990 – Apparel Accessories and Other Apparel Manufacturing 315999 – General 2.0 Content of RFI Response Interested parties are invited to describe their capabilities as well as provide samples as described herein. In response to this RFI, please provide specification sheets showing the compliance with the above listed requirements, which will be at no cost to the Government. RFI responses are limited to 25 pages. The product sample as well as product information shall be submitted at no expense to the Government. The samples and corresponding information will not be returned. It is also requested that pricing be included with the submitted product and information. Proprietary data MUST be marked on a page-by-page basis, and will be kept confidential and protected in accordance with the Uniform Trades Secret Act. Interested sources shall state whether their product is available commercially, manufactured domestically utilizing domestic textiles (must be Berry compliant – manufacturers must list the origin and place of manufacturing operations of all components). 3.0 Response Submittal Instructions Please address all RFI responses to: Tyesha Parker, tyesha.parker@navy.mil and Jennifer Bartnick, Jennifer.bartnick@navy.mil Please address all technical questions to: Whitney Salter Atwood, Code 4.6.7.4. whitney.salter@navy.mil or (252) 646-6600. Please submit any samples to Naval Air Warfare Center, Human Systems Engineering Dept; Attn: Jim Wilhelmi, 48110 Shaw Road, Bldg 2187, Suite 1240-E5, Patuxent River, MD 20670. All correspondence shall reference the RFI number N0042121NORFPPMA202XX03 on the mailing container and all enclosed documents. Proprietary information MUST be marked as such, on a page-by-page basis. The deadline for responses is 16 March 2021. All Companies shall provide their cage code and business size under the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). If the business is a small business per the parameters of NAICS Code, indicate whether the business qualifies under any of the sub-categories: 8(a), Small Disadvantaged Business, HUB Zone, etc. Respondents must clarify if their firm can provide commercial or non-developmental items that could be modified, or the technology and expertise for development, to meet the Government’s needs. This announcement is NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL, BUT RATHER A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI), nor does the Government intend to pay for any information submitted in response to this RFI. This RFI does not commit the Government to award a contract. This RFI is for market research only, and any procurement resulting from this announcement, will be synopsized separately.