Inactive

SUBJECT: Soldier Protection Soft and Ballistic Helmets Protection Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) Recycling - Request for Information This Request for Information (RFI) is for market... SUBJECT: Soldier Protection Soft and Ballistic Helmets Protection Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) Recycling - Request for Information This Request for Information (RFI) is for market research purposes only. This is not a request for proposal (RFP) to be submitted. It does not constitute a solicitation and shall not be construed as a commitment by the government. Responses in any form are not offers and the government is under no obligation to award a contract as a result of this announcement. No funds are available to pay for preparation of responses to this announcement. Any information submitted by respondents to this technical description is strictly voluntary. All questions relating to this notice shall be sent via email to Army Contracting Command - Aberdeen Proving Ground (ACC-APG) point of contact, Kelsey M. Collins at kelsey.m.collins3.civ@mail.mil. The Army Contracting Command - Aberdeen Proving Ground (ACC-APG) in support of Product Manager Soldier Protective Equipment (PM SPE) of the Program Executive Office (PEO) Soldier, Fort Belvoir, VA 22060, is seeking information from potential industry partners to support the Army's effort to recycle Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) from soft armor vests and ballistic helmets used throughout the Department of Defense (DoD). Background: Currently, the DoD sends defective and unserviceable soft body armor and ballistic helmets to the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Disposition Services for demilitarization (DEMIL) and renders the items into an unusable state as waste for disposal. The purpose of this RFI is to determine if the recycling of UHWMPE from the unserviceable soft body armor and ballistic helmets may create a use within the DoD. The goal is to recycle UHWMPE, at a suitable purity level, to potentially reintroduce into manufacturing, repurposing, or placing into strategic stockpiles. Submission Information: All interested parties shall respond to the RFI by submitting the following information no later than 13 January 2020 to the ACC-APG POC, Kelsey M. Collins at kelsey.m.collins3.civ@mail.mil. Submissions shall be limited to 15 pages less graphics, additional pages can be requested. The purpose of this RFI is to gather information specific to recycling UHWMPE from soft armor vests and ballistic helmets by providing the following: •An analysis to show feasibility of UHWMPE recycling; •A detailed explanation of a process to accomplish this goal; •A cost benefit analysis and potential uses of a UHWMPE recycling program; •A complete supply chain analysis and steps involved in the process along with the associated manufacturing partnerships necessary for its success; •A cost trade off analysis of disposal (waste) vice reclamation or recycling; and •All manufacturing capability shortfalls associated with meeting this goal and means to meet the shortfalls. •Technical supporting information such as white paper, test reports, or past research and development efforts investigating the methodology or prior practices describing the process to recycle UHWMPE from unserviceable/unusable personal protective soft armor vests and ballistic helmets; •Expected product output of recycled UHWMPE for the methods proposed; •Willingness and or partnerships to provide items containing UHWMPE for recycling to a third party vendor for processing; •Detailed description of any past performance related to the recycling of UHWMPE from personal protective equipment, or other related US Government UHWMPE uses; •Rough order of magnitude (ROM) at unit price for the recycling UHWMPE (reasonable, scaled, and total volume); •Business name, address, business size, and point of contact information (name, email and phone number and CAGE code); and •Business name, address, and business size of all subcontractors or partners and all related CAGE codes -Proprietary information should be clearly marked and will not be disclosed outside the U.S. Government.