A -- BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT, SEA BASED LOGISTICS PACKAGING TECHNOLOGY

Notice Date

March 16, 2001

Contracting Office

NAVFACENGCOM Contracts Office, CODE NF20, BLDG. 41, NAVFACENGCOMDET-NFI, 3502 Goodspeed St., Suite 2, Port Hueneme, CA 93043-4306

ZIP Code

93043-4306

Solicitation Number

N47408-01-R-2213

Response Due

April 23, 2001

Point of Contact

Soledad Credo, Contracting Officer, 805-982-3947

Description

This announcement constitutes a Broad Agency Announcement for the Naval Facilities Engineering Service Center (NFESC) under FAR 6.102(d)(2) to solicit proposals for basic and applied research for new and innovative technological solutions to problems in the areas of Sea Based Logistics Packaging Technology. The Office of Naval Research is funding this and other sea based logistics efforts. Sea based logistics is a strategy being developed as one of the methods to be used for conducting future Naval operations. A group of ships forming the sea base will serve as the logistics base to provide supply, maintenance, transportation, and medical facilities for the assault units. Supplies will be transported from a continental US or intermediate supply point to the sea base, then to the assault team as needed. Sea based concept papers may be accessed at these sites or obtained from the Naval Facilities Contracting Office: http://www.concepts.quantico.usmc.mil/imagemap.htm and http://www.nwdc.navy.mil/Products/ConceptsEx/ConceptsFr.htm under the Naval Logistics link. Two sea based logistics packaging technology areas are addressed in this Broad Agency Announcement (BAA): Volume Reduction and Expeditionary Packaging. As defined by the clause at 252.226-7000 of the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement, part of the proposed areas listed in these BAAs are being considered 100% set aside for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) or Minority Institutions (MI). Interested HBCUs and MIs should provide the contracting office as early as possible, but not later than 15 days after this notice, evidence of their capability to perform the contract, and a positive statement of their eligibility as an HBCU or MI. If adequate response is not received from HBCUs and MIs, the requirements will be issued, without further notice, as unrestricted to institutions, non-profit organizations and private industry. The effective period of these BAAs is through 25 March 2002 and cut off date for submission of proposals is 23 April 2001. Full proposals up to 15 pages in length should be submitted, clearly indicating either Volume Reduction or Expeditionary Packaging as area for consideration. Proposals should demonstrate an understanding of the problem and be formatted as follows. Proposals for material technologies should include the following sections as a minimum: (1) detailed description of the proposed material, including composition and macrostructure, (2) plan for development of material technology, if development is proposed, and (3) methods for material property analysis. Proposals for process or system technologies should include the following sections as a minimum: (1) detailed description of the proposed process or system, (2) types of packaging that the process or system is applicable to, and (3) plans for development, if development is proposed. The following sections should also be included for both material and process/system technologies: (1) proposed demonstration, (2) government furnished equipment/information requirements, (3) detailed cost breakdown, (4) schedule, and (5) experience in packaging, materials, or processes, if any. All options and assumptions shall be clearly identified and defined. Proposal evaluation will be based on a competitive selection of proposals from peer/scientific review considering technical merit, importance to agency programs, availability of funds, cost realism and reasonableness. Evaluations will be conducted using the following evaluation criteria: (1) Relevance of the proposal to the stated technology areas of interest. (2) Experience in military packaging. (3) The anticipated operational utility of the proposed technology based on above listed requirements. (4) Projected affordability of transitioning the technology to the Navy/Marine Corps fleet. (5) Past performance, experience and qualification of the principal project personnel and/or Institution or Corporation submitting the proposal. (6) Realism of proposed cost and availability of funding. There is no commitment by the Government to make any awards, or to make a specific number of awards or to be responsible for any money expended by the offeror before award of a contract. Funding in FY02 (Oct. 2001- Sept. 2002) is anticipated; awardees for FY01 may have the opportunity to extend their contract into FY02. Work scheduled for FY02 may include further development and field tests with military users. References: (1) ASTM D 996 Standard Terminology of Packaging and Distribution Environments, http://www.astm.org. ( 2) ASTM D 4169 Standard Practice for Performance Testing of Shipping Containers and Systems, http://www.astm.org. (3) MIL-HDBK-304C Department of Defense Handbook: Package Cushioning Design, 1 June 1997, http://www.dsp.dla.mil. (4) MIL-STD-2073-1D Department of Defense: Standard Practice for Military Packaging, 15 December 1999, http://www.dsp.dla.mil. (5) MCWP 4-1 Logistics Operations, April 1999, http://www.doctrine.quantico.usmc.mil. (6) NFESC TM-2344-AMP "Modular Combat Loads" by John Bylo Dec 2000. BAA Topic No. 01-02, Volume Reduction. Volume reduction of packaging material can have a substantial effect on the amount of supplies that can be brought aboard the sea base and transported forward. When the supplies are unpacked for consumption on the sea base or repacked for shipment to the assault team, the packaging material is no longer needed and must be reused, disposed, or retrograded. The unused materials would take up valuable space in the ship's packaging warehouse, the ship's waste facilities, or in freight for retrograde. The goal of this task is to identify or develop packaging technologies that will reduce the volume of cushioning material on the sea base. Cushioning material is defined as "a material used to isolate and reduce the effect of externally applied shock or vibration forces, or both." (Ref. 1) Note that cushioning differs in function from dunnage, which is "used for filling space, for blocking and bracing [in a container]" rather than reducing shock or vibration. (Ref. 1) The packaging technology investigated can be categorized as a material technology, i.e. a cushioning material different from cushioning currently being used in military packaging; a process technology, i.e., a physical or chemical means of altering a cushioning material; or a combination of material and process technologies. The following outlines the requirements of the proposed Volume Reduction technology: 1. The technology should reduce the volume of cushioning material stored on the sea base by 75%. 2. The technology should comply with environmental regulations. 3. The technology should be applicable to cushioning used for: 3A. The following military classes of supply, described in Ref. 5. 3A(1) Class I. Subsistence. 3A(2) Class II. Clothing and Individual Equipment. 3A(3) Class VI. Personal Demand Items. 3A(4) Class VIII. Medical/Dental Supplies. 3A(5) Class IX. Repair Parts. 3A(6) Class X. Non-military Programs. 3B. Items with fragility ratings of 40G's or higher, such as machinery, appliances, aircraft accessories, solid state electronics equipment and circuit cards. (Ref. 3) 3C. Assurance Level I for government shipments (Ref. 2). Packaged supplies may be subject to harsh shipping, handling, and storage conditions during transit and on the sea base, and therefore should meet the highest level of protection. 3D. Type I load (easy) and Type II load (average). The load type is a qualitative description of the contents of a container with respect to density, fragility, and degree of blocking, bracing, and cushioning necessary. (Ref.1). DELIVERABLES: 1. Monthly Status Reports are required to track progress. 2. A Final Report is required at the end of the project, describing the suitability of the proposed technology and must discuss the following points. 2A. How the above requirements were met. 2B. If material technology, the material properties (such as composition, shock and vibration dampening capabilities, tensile strength, tear strength, compression set, shelf life, performance life, temperature range of use, combustion resistance, etc.). 2C. Ease of implementation and disposal. 2D. Estimated cost of materials, equipment, and/or processes. 3. A Demonstration is required by August 13, 2001 and shall be held at the awardee's job site. If a material solution is proposed, the material's feasibility as cushioning shall be demonstrated by applying the proposed cushioning material to typical military supplies for various handling situations. If a process solution is proposed, cushioning materials used in military packaging (listed in Ref. 4) shall be used to test the feasibility of the process. Military supplies or standard cushioning materials can be provided as Government Furnished Equipment. 4. Samples of proposed cushioning materials used in the demonstration are required. It is expected that one award in the range of $75,000 will be funded. Offerors are advised that only the Contracting Officer is legally authorized to commit the Government to a contract; however, technical questions may be directed to Ms. Jessica Hiraoka, email: HiraokaJK@NFESC.NAVY.MIL. BAA Topic No. 01-03, Expeditionary Packaging. Expeditionary packaging is a strict adherence to predefined packaging of consumable supplies into ready-to-use Supply Modules and the shipping of these modules in Unit Loads that move, without re-configuration, from the manufacturer to the user. Based on past usage data for USMC operations, a modular unitized load of approximately 160 pounds and containing the individualized daily requirement of essential supply classes I, III, V, & VIII could be shipped in degradable packaging directly to the individual combat units on the battlefield. The material usage rates, shipping requirements, material handling capability, and on-shore/on-shipboard architecture indicate that such a supply unit can pass from the manufacturer in the U.S. to a Navy ship at sea in a foreign theater of operations and finally to the expeditionary soldier ashore in tact, without need for repackaging, and sustain him for at least one day. (Ref. 6). The goal of this task is to identify or develop packaging technologies that will provide the capability to parcel warfighting consumables into direct-use supply package modules that are readily handled and accessed by the individual warfighter; and the assembling of these modular packages into unit shipping loads that fit the equipment and architecture of the shipping process from manufacturer to the user. The end user wants consumables to arrive in good condition but wants the minimal amount of packaging material. A Module is the package to be distributed for use; and a Unit Load is the assembled shipping package that can be handled by the shipping process without re-configuration. The following outlines the requirements of the proposed Expeditionary Packaging technology: 1. The technology should reduce the volume of waste expeditionary packaging material at the end user by 75%. 2. The technology should be capable of expeditionary packaging mixed loads of supply classes I, III, V, & VIII, described in Ref. 5. 2A. Class I. Subsistence (Food and Water). 2B. Class III. Fuel. 2C. Class V. Ammo. 2D. Class VIII. Medical/Dental . 3. The technology should comply with environmental regulations. 4. The expeditionary packaging technology should be applicable to Assurance Level I for government shipments (Ref. 2). Packaged supplies may be subject to harsh shipping, handling, and storage conditions during transit and on the sea base, and therefore should meet the highest level of protection, while providing ease of opening, dispensing, and use. DELIVERABLES: 1. Monthly Status Reports are required to track progress and will be delivered in hard copy and e-mail. 2. A Final Report is required at the end of the project, describing the suitability of the proposed technology and must discuss the following points. 2A. To what degree the above expeditionary packaging requirements were met. 2B. If material technology, the material properties (such as composition, shock and vibration dampening capabilities, tensile strength, tear strength, compression set, shelf life, performance life, temperature range of use, combustion resistance, etc.). 2C. Ease of packaging passing through the logistics system from manufacture to end user. 2D. Ease of implementation and disposal. 2E. Estimated cost of materials, equipment, and/or processes. 3. A Demonstration is desired by August 13, 2001. If a material solution is proposed, the material's feasibility may be demonstrated by applying the proposed material to typical military supplies for various handling situations. If a process solution is proposed, materials used in military packaging (listed in Ref. 4) may be used to test the feasibility of the process. Military supplies or standard cushioning materials may be provided as Government Furnished Equipment. 4. Samples of proposed materials used in the demonstration are required. It is expected that one award in the range of $50,000 will be funded. Offerors are advised that only the Contracting Officer is legally authorized to commit the Government to a contract; however, technical questions may be directed to Mr. Peter Tabor, email: TaborPP@NFESC.NAVY.MIL. Persons contemplating submission of a proposal should obtain further information and forms required for submitting a proposal by requesting in writing to the Commanding Officer, Naval Facilities Engineering Command Contracts Office, Code NF22/SC, Bldg. 41, 3502 Goodspeed Street, Suite 2, Port Hueneme, CA 93043-4337, Attn: Soledad Credo. All questions regarding this BAA may be faxed to (805) 982-4540. Contact with the NFESC engineer associated with each BAA identified in this announcement is encouraged. All proposals should be submitted in original and three copies to the address noted above. In addition, all submissions should reference this announcement and should specifically identify the research area the proposal is responding to.

Record

Loren Data Corp. 20010320/ASOL014.HTM (W-075 SN50G4Q8)