# Assured Supply for Soft Ballistic Material Manufacturing

Notice 08c1f5fd61076fc6cdf4cecef9fd8125 (solicitation W15QKN-19-X-04BL) from DEPT OF DEFENSE, W6QK ACC-RI-PICATINNY, posted 2018-11-19, responses due 2018-12-28T17:00:00.000Z. Status: open.

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Notice ID | 08c1f5fd61076fc6cdf4cecef9fd8125 |
| Solicitation number | W15QKN-19-X-04BL |
| Type | Sources Sought |
| Agency | DEPT OF DEFENSE |
| Sub-tier | DEPT OF THE ARMY |
| Office | W6QK ACC-RI-PICATINNY |
| Posted | 2018-11-19T15:18:02.000Z |
| Response deadline (UTC) | 2018-12-28T17:00:00.000Z |
| Set-aside | - |
| NAICS | 315990 |
| PSC | 99 |
| Place of performance | - |
| Award | - |

## Description

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION Assured Supply for Soft Ballistic Material Manufacturing United States Army, Program Executive Office Soldier Program Manager Soldier Personal Protective and Individual Equipment 1.0 Description: The U.S. Army Contracting Command-New Jersey-Emerging Technologies Contracting Center (ACC-NJ-ET), Benet Laboratories, on behalf of the Program Manager Soldier Protective and Individual Equipment (PM SPIE) of the Program Executive Office (PEO) Soldier, Fort Belvoir, VA 22060 is requesting information on current domestic (US/Canada) capable manufacturers for the creation and/or development of domestic infrastructure to support improved Soft Armor Ballistic Insert (SABI) material and for commercial applications as well as those applications required for the US Department of Defense (DoD) needs. The offeror(s) will demonstrate how they can provide specific implementation opportunities and information that contributes towards further development of manufacturing and production technologies and increase the capacity of the domestic critical infrastructure and frameworks needed for production of lighter and higher performing personal protective equipment (PPE). 1.1 NAICS: The appropriate North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) identifiers include: 315990 Apparel Accessories and Other Apparel Manufacturing. 1.2 THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes - it does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future. This request for information does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. Further, PM SPIE is not at this time seeking proposals and will not accept unsolicited proposals. Offerors are advised that the U.S. Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this RFI; all costs associated with responding to this RFI will be solely at the interested party's expense. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future RFP, if any are issued. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized on the Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps) website. It is the responsibility of the potential offerors to monitor this site for additional information pertaining to this requirement. 2.0 Background 2.1 The Problem: The U.S. Army has a need to deliver lighter and higher performing personal protective equipment (PPE) to the Soldier thereby increasing survivability and mobility. The Army has developed a next generation protection system called Soldier Protection System Torso and Extremity Protection (SPS TEP). The SPS TEP design consists of four (4) components: Modular Scalable Vest (MSV), Ballistic Combat Shirt (BCS), Blast Pelvic Protector (BPP), and Ballistic Battle Belt (B3). The SPS TEP allows Soldiers to tailor load and protection from Tier 1, Concealable, to Tier 4, Full Tactical. Improvements in low weight, high strength soft ballistic armor materials are the key to realizing further weight reduction while maintaining performance levels of Soft Armor Ballistic Inserts (SABI) that protect the Soldier from a full spectrum of threats. Currently the Government has an estimated near term requirement of at least 100,000 SABI and intermediate term requirement for at least 710,000 SABIs that will be produced as part of an anticipated five (5) year procurement contract. Non-U.S. competitors are challenging U.S. leadership in technology and production threatening the ability of U.S. companies to capitalize the market-driving technologies of the future and degrades U.S. national security. The current set of incentives offered by the U.S. can be better aligned to retain domestic capacity and leadership PPE. 2.2 Cost of Inaction: Other nations will innovate faster, capture market share, and obtain the best technology leaving the U.S. without a superior, domestic innovation and manufacturing base. The U.S. may lose the ability to realize the best ideas and capabilities across commercial and defense sectors, becoming dependent on competitor nations. A reliance on foreign-made SABI material with inferior quality and limited availability could increase risk to Soldiers. 2.3 Outcome Sought: DoD seeks to avoid these potentially disastrous outcomes, by assuring that the U.S. is the preferred global source for developing superior technologies faster, more efficiently, and with the highest levels protective properties. The U.S. retains and will leverage its existing infrastructure to advance SABI material development, supporting multiple domestic and DoD ecosystems providing services from material development, to component design, and integration in PPE systems. Domestic development and production capabilities will drive and support these activities, sustaining leadership in translating leading-edge, advanced technology (RD&D) into new products. Critical technology advancements in unique material properties, decreased areal density, improved ballistic performance, and SABI manufacturability will benefit the PPE by enabling products that are differentiated from foreign competitors by their increased performance and weight savings. Thus, DoD requirements can provide direct market incentives for assured products that U.S. commercial partners are uniquely positioned to provide. 3. DoD Actions and Requests: DoD recognizes the need to proactively engage with industry to make these efforts successful in delivering SABI technologies and providing value to the industrial base. DoD is executing a plan to provide SABI leadership now and into the future with a whole-of-government effort. PM SPIE is requesting information on behalf of the DoD on how to achieve the above goals most effectively. Offerors are encouraged to provide their perspective, input, and ideas for the structure and sustainability of their manufacturing capability, from RD&D to production, ensuring DoD access to the capabili

## Sources

- View on SAM.gov: https://sam.gov/opp/08c1f5fd61076fc6cdf4cecef9fd8125/view
- Data as of 2026-11-14. Source: https://sam.gov/data-services/Contract%20Opportunities/datagov

## Cite this

"Assured Supply for Soft Ballistic Material Manufacturing, SAM.gov contract opportunity 08c1f5fd61076fc6cdf4cecef9fd8125." samgovapi.io, https://samgovapi.io/opportunity/08c1f5fd61076fc6cdf4cecef9fd8125, data as of 2026-11-14. Primary record: https://sam.gov/opp/08c1f5fd61076fc6cdf4cecef9fd8125/view

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