Family of Tactical Head Born Systems Ground Ballistic Helmet

This notice shall not be construed as a commitment by the United States Government. It does not obligate the Government to reimburse any cost associated with preparation and/or submission of a response, nor does this notice guarantee the Government will issue a Solicitation / RFP or award your company a contract to provide these services. Respondents are advised that the U.S. Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this information or these activities.

OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

The United States Special Operations Command(USSOCOM), Directorate of Procurement, on behalf of USSOCOM Program SOF, Protection and Integration, is considering the award of an Other Transaction Authority (OTA) Agreement for a Prototype Project for the FTHS in accordance with 10 U.S.C. § 4022, the OTA Agreement.  This is a prototype project that aims to streamline the development and fielding of a Special Operations Forces (SOF) peculiar ballistic helmet system for ground forces . This OTA project will provide a helmet meeting the requirements in the attached specifications (Attachment 1).

B. OVERALL OBJECTIVES:  The FTHS ground ballistic helmet will:

Provide ballistic protection.

Be of the lowest achievable weight.

Be sized to fit the full population of SOF operators.

Be designed to be comfortable and stable on the head during SOF operations.

Integrate with typical headborne equipment, including but not limited to Visual Augmentation Systems (VAS) devices and their mounts, communications headsets, and eye protection devices.

C. PHASES: The USSOCOM FTHS OTA agreement for the Prototype effort will consist of five phases. Advancing from one phase to the next will require the demonstration of a prototype system evaluated against criteria established in Attachment 1 to determine whether the prototype project meets the requirements of the Government.  The Government may down-select at the end of any phase.

Phase 1, White Papers: white papers will be submitted as required in the attached format in Attachment 2. 

Phase 2, A Request for Prototype Proposal (RFPP) will be issued after review of the white papers to vendors deemed capable of meeting the attached criteria established in Attachment 1 and that can deliver viable prototypes for Government assessment. Evaluation factors for the RFPP will be provided at the time of release of the RFPP. At the conclusion of Phase 2, USSOCOM will award no, none, or multiple prototype OTA agreements.

Phase 3, Weights and Measures: After being awarded a prototype OTA agreement, vendor will deliver 3 (three) helmets of each size being offered along with ballistic and mechanical test data produced via testing at a National Institute of Justice (NIJ) certified third party ballistic laboratory to determine if the prototype helmet solution is likely capable of meeting the required technical performance for the FTHS ground ballistic helmet. In addition, all sizes of the helmet will be weighed and projected protected area of the head (PPAH) measurements will be made in order to determine if the prototype helmet design provides the required area of coverage and is below the required maximum weight. If the prototype demonstrates sufficient ballistic and mechanical performance and is deemed to have the required coverage and is below the required maximum weight, it may proceed to Phase 4, User Evaluation. If more than 3 (three) submissions qualify for the User Evaluation, the 3 (three) lightest helmets by weight will be selected to move forward to the next phase.

Phase 4, User Evaluation – As part of the existing Other Transaction Agreement, the performer will provide up to 80 prototypes. An Operational Test (OT) event will be administered by a SOCOM Test and Evaluation Team. The facilities and testing procedures will be the responsibility of the Government. Performers will be permitted to assist with sizing/fitting of each test participant in the appropriate helmet size and may provide any required new equipment training (NET) at the start of the test event. Performers will not otherwise have access to the test site during testing. Prototypes will be evaluated in accordance with the operational suitability requirements in the attached specifications (Attachment 1). If the prototype is assessed as operationally safe, suitable, and effective pursuant to the attached performance characteristics, it will have satisfied Phase 4 and will proceed to Phase 5, Developmental Testing/First Article.

A Request for Proposal for the follow-on contract may be issued at the end of this phase.  A successful prototype project designation does not mean a follow-on production contract is assured. Criteria may be included in the RFP to evaluate follow-on production proposals for a potential follow-on contract or transaction.   

Phase 5, Developmental Testing/First Article – A Developmental Test (DT) event will be conducted by Program Manager Protection and Integration. The ballistic and mechanical performance of the helmet system will be verified as part of First Article Testing (FAT) at a third party ballistic testing laboratory.

Successful completion: A prototype project will not be considered successfully completed until the conclusion of phase 5 and satisfaction of stated successful completion criteria.  Success criteria for Phase V is pass/fail, either a helmet submission successfully meets all test requirements (successful) or it does not (unsuccessful). 

At the end of Phase 5, the Government may award a follow-on production contract to a single vendor whose prototype project has been deemed successfully completed. 

In accordance with 10 U.S.C. § 4022(f), the OTA Agreement will include a provision for a potential follow-on production and sustainment contract to be awarded without additional competition. Basic eligibility to receive a follow-on production contract will require the successful completion of the prototype project. The follow-on action is expected to be either a FAR-based contract or a similarly structured OTA agreement under the authority of 10 U.S.C. § 4022(a).  The Government estimates a five-year (or longer) ordering period and a ceiling of $95,000,000, with associated sustainment support over the life of the acquisition.

White Paper submissions due electronically via e-mail only using the attached template and emailed to the below listed points of contact no later than the date posted on this announcement.

All proprietary information contained in the submission shall be appropriately marked.