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The U.S. Army Product Manager for Soldier Clothing and Individual Equipment (PdM-SCIE), located at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia, is conducting a Request for Information (RFI) to potentially fill an operation... The U.S. Army Product Manager for Soldier Clothing and Individual Equipment (PdM-SCIE), located at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia, is conducting a Request for Information (RFI) to potentially fill an operational need and seeks to identify domestic products, suppliers, and manufacturers (reference Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 52.225-1) of a tailorable law enforcement load carriage system for the Military Police (MP) Corps and Law Enforcement (LE) community. The LEEK consolidation of the following equipment establishes unified standards for equipping, training, and sustaining the Army MP Corps - and potentially our Sister Services' (military police) equivalent units. PdM SCIE has the responsibility to maintain, develop, and improve Soldier clothing and individual equipment to include law enforcement equipment as the life cycle manager of these items. The following sections of this announcement contain details of the scope of technical efforts of interest, along with expected instructions for the submission of responses to this RFI. Should PdM SCIE procure items for an evaluation and/or purchases for a future requirement, a Law Enforcement Ensemble Kit/System would potentially include the following items: • Load Carriage System (Belt) • Load Carriage System Stays • Handcuff Pouch • Surgical Glove Pouch • Pepper Spray Pouch • Flashlight • Flashlight Holder • Double Magazine Pouch Salient characteristics: 1) Law Enforcement Load Carriage (Belt) shall be able to be worn by 5th to 95th percentile and accommodate the following current MP and LE standard equipment: handcuffs, surgical gloves, flashlights, batons, pepper spray, handheld radios, electronic discharge weapons, load carriage system stays, and the modular handgun with holster being fielded to the Military Police. Rationale: Soldiers operating in a variety of situations/environments will need the ability to adjust the fit of the system based on uniforms, weather conditions and added equipment. This provides a degree of flexibility for Soldiers of different physical attributes to acquire proper form, fit, and function. *(MHH - to include magazines pouches, and the electronic discharge weapon are separate programs of record and will be issued to Soldiers/MPs accordingly). 2) The LEEK shall be tailorable in design and allow for attachment or detachment of Law Enforcement Load Carriage components to a base foundation. Rationale: MP's require a modular, scalable, mission-tailorable system that is lightweight and easily configurable. MP's can add, move, or remove equipment as needed. 3) All components and end items of the LEEK must provide a minimum service life of 365 cumulative days of field use and shelf life of 5 years. 4) The LEEK must not hinder a Soldier's ability to carry or operate protective equipment, entrance and exit from motor vehicles, or carry out day-to-day missions. The LEEK must be compatible with current and future Army load bearing equipment. The LEEK must function when used and stored in the same climatic conditions as the current MP and LE equipment. 5) The LEEK shall not present a health hazard to the Soldier and shall contain no health hazards, or Toxic Industrial Chemical (TICs)/Toxic Industrial Material (TIMs). 6) The components of the LEEK shall weigh less than 5 pounds (T); 2 pounds (O) when dry. 7) The LEEK components will be black in color. (There is no requirement for a "tactical" variant of the LEEK that matches or blends in with the Army Combat Uniform). 8) The Load Carriage System Stays shall be designed to hold equipment (handcuffs, surgical gloves, flashlights, batons, pepper spray, handheld radios, electronic discharge weapons, load carriage system stays) in place and close to the Law Enforcement Load Carriage System. 9) The LEEK components i.e. load carrier system (belt), handcuff case, surgical gloves' case, flashlight, flashlight case, radio pouch, and pepper spray pouch must be capable of being moved/removed without causing interference with the wear and use of the LEEK. 10) The LEEK shall have a handcuff pouch designed to hold the handcuffs currently being issued to the Military Police (weight and size). Designed to be pliable to conform to the body. Closure shall be designed to retain handcuffs yet be accessible to the wearer. 11) The LEEK shall provide a Surgical Glove Pouch designed to be compartmentalized to securely hold two (2) sets of surgical gloves (T); 3 pairs of gloves (O). Designed to be pliable to conform to the body. Closure shall be designed to retain surgical gloves yet be accessible to the wearer. 12) The LEEK shall provide an impact resistant flashlight. Must be drop safe from 5 feet. Must provide a non-slip grip. Must provide for push button on/off switch activated by one hand at the tail-end of the flashlight. Must be no longer than 6 inches, with a minimum length of 3 inches. Must have a continuous run time of 2 hours. Must provide sufficient light to allow positive identification of an individual holding a knife with a 3 inch blade at a distance of 50 feet (T); provide sufficient light to allow positive identification of an individual holding a knife with a 3 inch blade at a distance of 80 feet (O). The light will be durable and rugged enough to withstand operational use and waterproofness to a depth of 1 meter for 1 hour (T); the light will be durable and rugged enough to withstand operational use and waterproofness to a depth of 10 meters for 1 hour (O). Flashlight will be powered by disposable batteries. 13) The LEEK shall provide a flashlight carrier; must support length and weight of flashlight; must provide for ease of accessibility for user; must retain the flashlight during running, crawling, climbing. 14) Pepper Spray Pouches 15) Radio Pouch Responses to RFI shall have the following: • A one page cover sheet that identifies the title, organization(s) size (small or large business), respondent's technical and administrative points of contact - including names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses of all co-authors - and clearly indicating its association with this RFI • An information paper of no more than five pages that includes: a description of the design and materials being submitted or developed; proof of manufacturability; and the ability and lead time needed to scale up production if requested (production capability / quantities per month) • Estimated cost per kit/system in a relevant unit of measure (e.g. whole kit, individual item, etc.) • All available test data demonstrating the performance of the material being submitted as it compares to the technical requirements of this RFI • Pictures of the solution Additional Information: • Responses are not required to include a complete end item sample • All properly marked proprietary information will be appropriately handled • Any submitted material will not be returned • Respondents may present up to two (2) different candidate solutions, but should clearly identify the advantages/disadvantages of each of the competing products • Any coatings/finishes added to component materials should be described in the response • Samples that do not meet all requirements listed above may still be considered and respondent should clearly identify any shortcomings and discuss the trade-offs This request for information is not a formal solicitation nor requires that a formal solicitation be issued (FAR 15.201(e)). Interested firms are requested to submit relevant information on their company within 15 days following the publication of this RFI. Information submitted shall include manufacturing location and manufacturing capabilities. Firms responding to this announcement shall indicate whether or not they are a small business. Any information submitted will not be returned. Any relevant company background/experience, business category, costs, and any other information that the company believes demonstrates their value / ability to meet the aforementioned requirements should be included. Respondents must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM), https://www.sam.gov. All information and evaluation results will be controlled and used for governmental purposes only. Submission Instructions to Respondents: All submissions must be electronically submitted to (john.c.rider.ctr@mail.mil) or hardcopy submission to: John C. Rider Acquisition Support Analyst PdM Soldier Clothing and Individual Equipment 5981 13th Street, Bldg. 1155 Fort Belvoir, VA 22060