Inactive

Background: The Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Soldier Center’s (SC’s) Chemical Biological Innovative Materials Ensemble Development (CBIMED) Team’s mission is to deliver innovative ... Background: The Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Soldier Center’s (SC’s) Chemical Biological Innovative Materials Ensemble Development (CBIMED) Team’s mission is to deliver innovative technology solutions protecting Warfighters against current and emerging chemical & biological (CB) threats, providing core CB competencies and capabilities across the life-cycle for the Protection Capability Focus Areas of Percutaneous Protection and Hazard Mitigation. There are times when either the testing demand is too high or a testing need is unavailable at DEVCOM SC. In particular, testing with live Chemical Warfare Agent (CWA) and Toxic Industrial Chemicals (TICs) must conducted elsewhere, at a government certified laboratory. This extended testing capability will enable CBIMED to both off-load testing and leverage additional test methods in order to satisfy customer needs during the development process. As a Science & Technology (S&T) organization, DEVCOM SC is also active in developing novel coatings, fabrics, materials, and garments for the Soldier. The exploration associated with S&T is often too costly for a credit card purchase and too fast to be hampered by contract development. This testing capability will enable scientists and engineers to quickly explore novel material ideas, demonstrate them, and transition to customers and stakeholders. The potential awardee shall be capable of providing services to test novel materials, garments, and CB protective ensembles. a. General Requirements. The Contractor's primary focus shall be to execute tests and evaluations on CB-protective materials. The contractor must be recognized as a reputable entity capable of executing testing and evaluation on fabrics, garments and CB protective ensembles. The tests and evaluations will utilize either standard (e.g., ASTM, AATCC, ISO, NFPA) or non-standard test methods. The contractor must be able to: (1) Execute standardized test methods under standard and non-standard conditions. (2) Develop test methods, as required, if not provided by DEVCOM SC. (3) Execute developmental test methods using hardware either provided by DEVCOM SC or fabricated by the Contractor in accordance with DEVCOM SC’s specifications. (4) Execute the testing in a timely manner. (5) Produce high quality, repeatable results. b. Specific Requirements: The Contractor must be qualified and able to satisfy the testing requirements identified below: (1) The Contractor must be Government-Certified to test with CWA. (2) The Contractor must be able to evaluate materials, garments and CB protective ensembles using equipment such as: • Ensemble Prototype System Testing including: i. Man-In-Simulant-Test (MIST) with test subjects and/or Porton Man ii. Aerosol System Test (AST) and iAST (Improved AST) iii. National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1994 Class 1, NFPA 1994 Class 3, and NFPA 1991. iv. Visual Outward Aerosol Leakage Test (VOALT) v. Overall garment function and liquid integrity testing (per NFPA) vi. Gastight integrity testing (per NFPA) vii. Thermal Manikin viii. Component-Level testing: 1. exhaust valve pullout strength (per NFPA) 2. fitting pullout strength (per NFPA) 3. gasket leak integrity (per NFPA) 4. hydrostatic resistance testing • Swatch-Level CWA/Simulant Testing (liquid and vapor) including: i. Low-Volatility Agent Permeation (LVAP) ii. Chemical/Biological Agent Resistance Test (CBART) iii. Aerosol Vapor Liquid Assessment Group (AVLAG) iv. Testing breakdown products/reactivity against CWA • Aerosol Filtration Efficiency • Textile Testing including: i. Shade Matching and Colorfastness ii. Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) iii. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) iv. Ultraviolet–Visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy v. Moisture and Blend Analysis vi. Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy vii. Optical and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) viii. Chemical Extraction ix. Failure Analysis x. Infrared Analysis • Physical Testing including: i. Seam/Closure Breaking Sstrength ii. Bursting Strength iii. Puncture Propagation Tear Resistance iv. Fabric Weight v. Air Permeability vi. Absorbency vii. Thermal Properties viii. Transport Properties ix. Vertical Wicking x. Tabor, Wyzenbeek and Martindale Abrasion (3) The Contractor must be able to execute testing that pertains to the following areas of interest: • Personal Protection • Thermal and Physical Comfort • Heat and Flame Protection • Chemical Protection • Full CB Protective Ensembles Disclosure: All information received in response to this notice that is marked proprietary will be handled accordingly. Any information submitted will not be returned, and no payment will be made by theGovernment for such information. 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. Information provided will be used to assess tradeoffs and alternatives available for any potential requirement. Input on technical aspects of the responses may be solicited by CCDC-SC from non-Government consultants/experts who are bound by appropriate non-disclosure requirements. By responding to this notice, the Respondent agrees to allow such input from non-Government consultants/experts concerning the information and materials submitted.