Third Generation Forward Looking Infrared (3GEN FLIR) Dewar Cooler Bench (DCB)

1.    Introduction and Purpose

The Army Contracting Command-Aberdeen Proving Ground (ACC-APG) Belvoir Division is conducting market research on behalf of the US Army Product Manager Ground Sensors, in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 10.

The purpose of this market research is to identify all potential sources and assess the industrial base's capability to support a competitive, multiple-award Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract strategy for the 3GEN FLIR Dewar Cooler Bench (DCB).

The Government’s objectives are to foster competition, reduce total lifecycle cost, and ensure a robust and resilient industrial base for this critical component. This RFI will assess a potential offeror's technical qualifications and its ability to enter or continue full-rate production. This includes assessing a potential offeror's plan to successfully complete a Production Readiness Review (PRR) and First Article Test (FAT) post-award, if not already in active production.  

2.    System Description

The DCB is defined as the assembly and integration of the following 4 assemblies and electronic modules:

•  Integrated Dewar /Cooler which includes:
  •  Dual Band Infrared Focal Plane Array (FPA) Format:  HD 1280x720P
    •   Mid-Wave Infrared (IR)
    • Long-Wave IR
  • In-Dewar Variable Aperture Mechanism
• Control Electronics for the FPA, Variable Aperture Mechanism, B-Kit Communications, and Video Output
• Control Electronics for the Cooler 
• Mechanical bench

The DCB will be provided as Government Furnished Property (GFP) for integration into a next higher assembly composed of optics and video processing electronics called the B-Kit. The integration work will be performed by the B-Kit supplier. 

3.    Technical Documentation & Security Requirements

The DCB is currently defined by the following technical documents:

• MIL-PRF-A3381785: Performance Specification for the DCB
• MIL-PRF-A3381784: DCB Interface Control Document (ICD)
• MIL-PRF-A3381783: Drawing - 3GEN FLIR DCB Mechanical Drawing

The documents listed above are Distribution D restricted. The documents are authorized for use by the Department of Defense (DoD) and U.S. DoD contractors only.  These documents also contain technical data whose export is restricted by the Arms Export Control Act (Title 22, U.S.C., Sec 2751, et seq.) or the Export Administration Act of 1979 (Title 50, U.S.C., App. 2401 et seq.), as amended.  Violations of these export laws are subject to severe criminal penalties.  These documents will be disseminated in accordance with provisions of DoD Directive 5230.25. 

Companies or organizations may request copies of these documents by providing their Point of Contact information listed below to Jennifer Heath at jennifer.s.heath2.civ@army.mil. The request must include the company’s CAGE code and a statement of purpose for requesting the documents. Companies must clearly state how they meet the conditions under which they can receive the documents referenced above.  In addition, companies requesting the above information must register for an account with an internet accessible portal known as the Corporate Management System Online (CMS II). Registrants will access the CMS II website (https://www.mycmsportal.com) and follow instructions to complete registration. Documents are currently available for viewing in the CMS II under the 3GEN FLIR folder so the registrants must specifically request access to only the 3GEN FLIR folder. Access to the 3GEN FLIR folder documents will only be granted upon verification that criteria dictated by Distribution D and export control restrictions are met by registered companies or organizations.

Foreign participation is excluded.

SECRET Clearance, at a minimum, is required. No classified information will be provided as part of this RFI, however, in the event of any subsequent Request for Proposal or Request for Quotation, classified information may become part of that solicitation and will be required as part of any resulting contract.

4.    Qualification and Technical Responsiveness Criteria

To be considered a responsive source for this market research, interested parties must demonstrate they possess a fully qualified DCB design OR provide a credible plan and timeline to achieve a fully qualified design.

A qualified design is defined as one that has successfully completed all Government-required performance and environmental qualification testing and meets all requirements specified in the technical documents referenced in Section 3. A source’s current production status is not a determining factor for responsiveness to this RFI but will be used to evaluate a source's readiness to perform under a subsequent contract. Respondents must be willing to provide verification data, if requested, to confirm the maturity and compliance of their DCB design.

5.    Requested Information and Questions
Sources responding to this Request for Information (RFI) are requested to provide detailed answers to the following questions. Please clearly state your company's current production status for the DCB in your response.

Section I: General Company & Capability Information

1. Company Information: Brief summary of the company, CAGE/DUNS, address, point of contact, and socioeconomic classification -- (Small Business (SB), (8)(a), Woman-Owned (WOSB), Economically-Disadvantaged Women-Owned (EDWOSB), Veteran-Owned and Operated(VOSB), Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned, (SDVOSB), or Historically Underutilized Small Business-Zone (HUBZone), Historically Black College and Universities/ Minority Institutions (HBCU/MI)).
2. Facility and Personnel: Provide details on facility clearance, employee clearances, facility size, and DCAA-approved accounting system status. 
3. Core Competencies: What are the core competencies of your employees that would support this requirement?
4. Teaming Arrangements: Provide details regarding proposed joint ventures, teaming arrangements, strategic alliances, or other business arrangements to satisfy the requirements. This is a critical question for all respondents. 

Section II: Production and Execution Approach 

1.    Qualification Status: Describe the current qualification status of your DCB design.
Describe the current qualification status of your DCB design.

a.    If fully qualified, describe how and under what contract(s) qualification was achieved.

b.    If qualification is currently in-progress, describe your path to achieving a fully qualified design, including your current status, remaining milestones, and expected completion date.

2.    Production Readiness Plan (For New Entrants): For companies that do not have an active production line for a fully qualified DCB, provide a plan to achieve production readiness. This plan should detail the steps, major milestones, and timeline required to establish a production line and prepare for a Production Readiness Review (PRR), focusing on the non-recurring activities needed before first article production can begin.

3.    Production Execution & Initial Ramp-Up:

a.    Current Producers: If your company is in active, serial production, describe your current production line, monthly capacity, and initial ramp rate.

b.    All Respondents: Describe the notional timeline from a theoretical contract award to the delivery of the first production unit. For new entrants, this timeline must incorporate the PRR and a First Article Test (FAT).

4.    Strategy for High-Rate Production (300+ Units/Year): The Government anticipates a future need for a robust production line capable of producing 300 or more DCB systems per year. Describe your company’s specific strategy and timeline to achieve this high-rate production capability. Your response should detail the following:

a.    Major Investments: Identify the key capital investments required, such as specialized tooling, automated test equipment, and facility modifications.

b.    Engineering & Process Efforts: Describe the engineering efforts needed to optimize for high-volume manufacturing, manage supply chain at scale, and ensure consistent quality.

c.    Timeline to Achieve Full Capacity: Provide a notional timeline, starting from contract award, showing how long it would take to have the equipment, processes, and personnel in place to support a sustained production rate of 300+ units per year.

5.    Obsolescence Management: Describe your company’s approach to manage and mitigate component obsolescence for the DCB.

6.    Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) Pricing: Provide ROM unit pricing for the DCB at the quantity range bins below. These prices should reflect the cost after any initial production readiness and first article activities are complete.
a.    10-25
b.    26-50
c.    51-100
d.    101-200
e.    200+

7.    Non-Recurring Cost Estimate (For New Production Entrants): For vendors not currently in production, provide a separate ROM for the non-recurring tasks required to set up a production line and successfully complete PRR and FAT. This should include key equipment purchases and engineering efforts.

8.    Acquisition Timeline Acceleration: The Government anticipates a significant increase in production quantity requirements beginning in Fiscal Year 2028 (FY28). The goal is to have multiple qualified vendors ready to compete for and execute large-quantity production delivery orders by the 3rd Quarter of FY27.

With this objective in mind, please describe specific, actionable strategies that could be implemented to accelerate this timeline. Structure your response in two parts:

a.    Vendor-Side Actions: What proactive steps or at-risk investments could your company take prior to or immediately upon contract award to compress the timeline to full-rate production readiness? Examples could include, but are not limited to:

• Early procurement of long-lead materials.
• Upfront investment in tooling or test equipment.
• Concurrent engineering and production planning activities.
• Pre-hiring or training of key personnel.

b.    Government-Side Actions: What actions could the Government take to facilitate an accelerated timeline for a new production entrant? Examples could include, but are not limited to:

• Providing early or rolling funding for specific activities.
• Authorizing Not-To-Exceed (NTE) funding for long-lead materials prior to full delivery order award.
• Clarity or early finalization of technical requirements.
• Accelerated review/approval cycles for test plans and reports.
• Early provision of Government Furnished Property (GFP).

Section III: Small Business Information

1. If you identify your company as a Small Business or any of the Small Business subcategories above, then is your company interested in being a prime on this contract?  If so, please inform how you will meet the limitations on subcontracting Clause 52.219-14.
2. Under the current SB size standard, do you anticipate your company remaining a small business for at least the next three years, under the stated NAICS code 334511?  The Government will use this information to assist in determining if this effort is eligible as a small business set aside.
3. If you are a small business, can your company sustain if not paid for 90 calendar days?

6.    Submission Instructions and Points of Contact

The Government requests that interested parties with the capabilities to meet the above requirements should electronically submit White Papers of not more than twenty (20) pages, 8.5" x 11" paper, 12-point, Times New Roman font, with a minimum of one (1) inch margins all around. Responses to Small Business Questions (Section I questions 1 thru 4) are not counted in the above stated twenty (20) page limitation. Any information submitted by respondents to this source sought notice is totally voluntary and at no cost to the Government. This information will help the Government form its acquisition strategy. All information received in response to this source sought synopsis that is marked "Proprietary" will be handled accordingly. Responses will not be returned nor will receipt be confirmed. No solicitation exists; therefore, do not request a copy of a solicitation.

Responses are due no later than 5:00 PM EST (local time at Fort Belvoir, VA) on 15 May 2026. Email responses should not exceed 5 Megabytes (MB). Responses received after this date and time may not be reviewed.  Send responses electronically to:

Taylor Venanzi, Contract Specialist, email: taylor.l.venanzi.civ@army.mil
Alexis Williams, Contracting Officer, email: alexis.r.williams.civ@army.mil

Contracting Office Address:
Army Contracting Command, APG-Fort Belvoir
10205 Burbeck Road, Bldg 362
Fort Belvoir VA 22060-5811

Point of Contact (s):
Taylor Venanzi, Contract Specialist, email: taylor.l.venanzi.civ@army.mil
Alexis Williams, Contracting Officer, email: alexis.r.williams.civ@army.mil

Place of Performance:
PM Ground Sensors, 10221 Burbeck Road, Building 399, Fort Belvoir VA 22060-5806