Cold Weather Sleep Pad Request for Information

Cold Weather Sleep Pad

The United States Army is seeking commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) sleep pads for use in extreme cold weather.  The goal of this effort is to identify vendors with capabilities to provide insulated sleeping pads.  Interest is in readily available products or mature developmental items (must be based on a concise and attainable development/commercialization plan). 

Required technical capabilities for the cold weather sleeping pad are as follows:  

1. Durability: Durable, abrasion resistant (T) / puncture-resistant (O).

2. Weight: Weigh 2 lbs. or less; pad and all components

3. R-Value: Provides an R-Value of (T) 7 to (O) 8.5.

4. Flame Resistant: Must not melt or drip

5. Flexibility: Must maintain flexibility in extreme cold weather environments (-65 degrees F)

6. Dimensions (Unrolled): Size must fit 2-98% of US Army Soldiers

7. Color/Pattern: Subdued earth tones (e.g., Coyote Brown, OD Green)

8. Water Resistance: Exterior material must be hydrophobic: absorb minimal moisture/water and dry quickly (T) waterproof (O).

9. Noise: Produces minimal noise when the user moves during sleep.

10. Inflation/Deflation: Fully inflated and deflated in under 1 minute (T), 30 seconds (O). Inflation methods MUST NOT require oral inflation (i.e., blowing moist breath into the mat), and MUST NOT require battery operation.

11. Compression: When used with sleep systems, it will not compress or deflate after a minimum of (T) 4 hours to (O) 8 hours; provides comfort equal to or greater than the current ground insulator.

12. Compatibility: Fully compatible and integrated with current issued military sleep systems; be packable for military dismounted, static-line and Free Fall Airborne operations.

13. Maintenance: Must not require laundering, hand-wash only (T); include an integrated repair kit for field maintenance (O). 

Interested sources shall, within fourteen (14) calendar days of the publication of this RFI, respond with information on their current product(s) and how they address the requirements listed above. 

The information package shall contain the following items: 

General information regarding the firm, including location, size, and special designations (i.e. 8(a), Women-Owned Small Business, etc.) 

Information regarding the firm's production capabilities for the submitted item(s), to include whether the item(s) can be domestically produced in compliance with Section 2533a of Title 10 U.S. Code (i.e. the “Berry Amendment”). 

Retail and/or wholesale pricing for currently available products. 

A detailed description of the product, to include specs and material safety information. 

Test reports confirming performance claims, if available. 

Name and location of production facility, production lead time, and monthly production capacity. 

A product sample may be submitted if available.  If a firm chooses to submit samples, no payment will be made by the government for such samples. 

Information will be used to inform small procurements for further testing.  If chosen, sleep pads will be evaluated in a cold chamber environment to verify capabilities.  Larger procurements may follow to enable evaluation during future winter training.

THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT ANNOUNCEMENT ONLY.

This Sources Sought Announcement is issued solely for information and planning purposes and to identify interested sources.  THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION.  No contract will be awarded from this announcement.  This Sources Sought does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future.  It is subject to change and is not binding on the Government.  Further, unsolicited proposals will not be accepted.  Funding is not available at this time.  The United States Army has not made a commitment to procure any of the items/services discussed, and release of this Sources Sought Announcement should not be construed as such a commitment or as authorization to incur cost for which reimbursement would be required or sought.  Response to this Sources Sought Announcement is voluntary and no reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this and any follow-on information requests.  All submissions become Government property and will not be returned.  Not responding to this Sources Sought Announcement does not preclude participation in any future RFP if any is issued.  If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized in the SAM.gov website.  It is the responsibility of the potential responders to monitor this site for additional information pertaining to this subject.

RESPONSES:

Interested parties may identify their interest and capability by sending responses with information on their current commercial product(s) and how they might address the Military requirement via e-mail ONLY to Mr. Blaise Liess, blaise.p.liess.civ@army.mil and Mr. Robert Drown, robert.e.drown.civ@army.mil, no later than 12 May 2026. Responses shall provide a courtesy copy to the Contracting Officer and Contracting Specialist points of contact included below. Interested sources shall include information regarding a firm's experience, personnel, and facilities.  Information should include product cost, technical information (i.e., technical literature, test data and illustrations, photographs, patents), relevant company background/experience, and a sample (optional).  Firms responding shall indicate whether or not they are a small business.  Any information/samples submitted will not be returned. If a firm chooses to submit samples, no payment will be made by the Government for such samples.  The U.S. Government will not pay for any information or administrative cost incurred in response to this Notice.  All costs associated with responding to this Notice will be solely at the expense of the interested party. 

Please provide business size (indicate your socioeconomic status), applicable NAICS code, and CAGE code. If you hold a GSA Federal Supply Schedule contract, please identify your contract number.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Contracting Office Address
ACC-APG DIVISION D
6515 Integrity Court
Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21005-3013

Contracting Officer
Alexander Obriwin, alexander.s.obriwin.civ@army.mil
Phone: (520) 671-3072

Contracting Specialist
Christine Chase, christine.n.chase2.civ@army.mil
Phone: (520) 671-2585