Project Manager, Short and Intermediate Effectors for Layered Defense Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense Increment 3, Next Generation Short Range Interceptor Production

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) NOTICE ONLY.  THE PURPOSE OF THIS NOTICE IS 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 AND NO CONTRACT SHALL BE AWARDED FROM THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.  THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS ISSUED IN SUPPORT OF MARKET RESEARCH, TO GATHER INFORMATION, AND TO IDENTIFY POTENTIAL SOURCES.

This notice is published in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 10.001 and Subpart 15.101(c) and is an RFI for conducting market research.  All information received will be used for planning purposes only.  This notice does not constitute an invitation for bid, a request for proposal, or a request for quote.  The United States Government (USG) will not award a contract based on this notice and will not reimburse respondents for any cost associated with responses.

SYNOPSIS.

The U.S. Army Portfolio Acquisition Executive Fires, Capability Program Executive  Defensive Fires, Project Manager, Short and Intermediate Effectors for Layered Defense (SHIELD) is conducting research to identify potential interested sources with the capability to manufacture a new surface-to-air missile system, referred to as Maneuver Short Range Air Defense (M-SHORAD) Increment (Inc) 3, Next Generation Short Range Interceptor (NGSRI) to meet increasing demand and growing threat capability.

The Army began design, development, and test of a weapon system to replace Stinger in FY23, progressing to the production of 11,000 NGSRI missiles and 2,200 Control Launch Assemblies (CLA) beginning in FY28.

ADMINISTRATIVE.

Pursuant to FAR 15.101, this notice is being issued as an RFI and in accordance, responses to this notice are not an offer and cannot be accepted by the USG to form a binding contract.  No contract award is intended as a result of this request.  THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY.  This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes - it does not constitute an RFP or a promise to issue an RFP in the future.  This RFI does not commit the USG to contract for any supply or service whatsoever.  The USG point of contact will be Mr. Christopher Caputo, Contracting Officer, U.S. Army Contracting Command-Redstone Arsenal, and can be contacted via e-mail at christopher.m.caputo.civ@army.mil.  Email only, no phone calls.

Per FAR 15.101, Early exchanges with industry, requests for information:

1.   The USG does not intend to award a contract based on this RFI.
2.   Although “proposed” and “proposal,” may be used in this RFI, your response will              be treated as information only.  It shall not be used as a proposal.
3.   This RFI is issued for the purpose of acquiring information regarding production of a new NGSRI weapon system for the M-SHORAD program.

MANEUVER-SHORT RANGE AIR DEFENSE STRATEGY.

In 2016, Congress and Joint and Army senior leaders, noting the results of studies and peer threat nations aggressions, provided resources and directed the Army to aggressively pursue air defense capabilities to protect maneuvering forces as soon as feasibly possible.

The NGSRI program was initiated as a competitive Middle Tier of Acquisition Rapid Prototype in response to a directed requirement to develop the follow-on system to the FIM-92 Stinger man portable air defense system.  The NGSRI is a high performance, soldier portable, fire and forget, surface to air missile system capable of defeating rotary wing, fixed wing, and Group 2/3 unmanned aircraft system threats.  The NGSRI missile is backwards compatible with the legacy Stinger missile platforms such as SGT STOUT and Marine Corps Air-To-Air Launcher.

The competitive prototype effort will culminate in government led developmental testing and operational assessment, which concludes that the system is effective and suitable for operational deployment.  Approximately 96 missiles will be left over from the test campaign and will comprise the residual operational capability of the program, once transferred to operational Army units.  The program will transition to the Major Capability Acquisition pathway at Milestone C as an ACAT II Program and enter Low-Rate Initial Production and Full Rate Production.

This RFI solicits industry input for the Low-Rate Initial Production and Full Rate Production of the NGSRI weapon system.  The contract is also expected to cover Total Package Fielding, training, contractor logistics support, test support, and engineering services in addition to manufacturing the missile and launcher.

NEXT GENERATION SHORT RANGE INTERCEPTOR PRODUCTION GOALS.

Respondents to this RFI will address the following items in their response:

1.   The company’s solution must cover Integrated Logistics Support, training support, new equipment training, technical data, and training manuals, training aids and simulators, engineering services, and achieving Full Material Release to the warfighter.
2. The system must be capable of entering production no later than FY28 using production-line processes after the completion of design, development, and testing.

REPONSE INSTRUCTIONS.

Part A.  Business Information:

Please provide the following information for your company and for any teaming or joint venture partners:

1.   Company/Institute Name
2.   Address
3.   Point of Contact
4.   CAGE Code
5.   Unique Entity Identifier
6.   Phone Number
7.   E-mail Address
8.   Web page URL
9.   Size of business pursuant to North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code 336414; Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing

Based on the above NAICS Code, state (Yes/No) whether your company qualifies as a Small Business, Woman Owned Small Business, Small Disadvantaged Business, 8(a) Certified, HUB Zone Certified, Veteran Owned Small Business, Service-Disabled Small Business, or Central Contractor Registration.  Provide a statement describing your company as domestically or foreign owned (if foreign owned, please indicate country of ownership).

Part B.  Company Capability:

Candidate technical solutions must be supported by current demonstrated company experience with guided missile production.

1.   Describe briefly the capabilities of your company and the nature of the goods and/or services you provide.  Include a description of your staff composition and management structure.
2.   Describe your company's experience (no more than five examples) on previous projects similar in complexity to this requirement.  Include contract numbers, a brief description of the work performed, period of performance, and agency or organization supported.
3.   Describe your processes, experience, and facilities for executing production of surface-to-air-missiles.
4.   Describe your processes and experience in obtaining safety confirmation and Full Material Release on similar weapon systems.
5.   Describe the top five risks you foresee in executing an effort of this scope.  What steps would you likely take to mitigate the risks?
6.   If you were to use subcontractors for this effort, what subcontractors would you use to do what percentage of what work?  What are their experiences and do you already have a relationship with the subcontractor(s)?  How many are small and/or disadvantaged businesses? Identify any non-traditional defense contractors or nonprofit research institution participating to a significant extent in the production of the NGSRI weapon system.
7.   Describe your company's approach and capabilities in obtaining and retaining qualified and experienced personnel.  How soon could your company secure qualified personnel to support such an effort?
8.   Describe your company's approach to quality management and inform the government of your company's compliance to quality standards.

Part C.  Technical Submission:

The response shall include a description of the candidate production solution, and how the solution meets the requirements outlined in this RFI.  Your submission should also outline key performance capabilities of your solution.

Your response will include rough order of magnitude cost and schedule estimates for the production of your candidate solution.  Include total cost and cost by Government Fiscal Year.  Provide projected unit cost estimates given a planning factor of 11,000 NGSRI missiles and 2,200 Control Launch Assemblies over a ten-year production period.  As a planning factor, assume procurement of 200 missiles and 20 CLAs in year one (FY28) and 500 missiles and 20 CLAs in year 2 (FY29).  As an additional planning factor excursion, assume doubling the LRIP quantities in year one and year two.  Provide assumptions the company used to develop overall program cost and schedule estimate.

The company shall describe the approach and cost per kit for retrofitting the SGT STOUT to fire the missile from the Stinger Vehicle Universal Launcher.  As a planning factor there will be 248 SGT STOUTs with up to two Stinger Vehicle Universal Launcher launchers per platform.

Discuss both technical and programmatic risks associated with the candidate solution, for production.  Include any concerns with the USG’s technical or schedule goals, along with suggestions to change the USG’s approach or goals to reduce risk.

If the candidate cannot meet the requirements as prescribed, what alternate proposals can the candidate deliver to meet the M-SHORAD Inc 3 NGSRI goals?

Responses should address technical data, type of data rights, and summary description of Technical Data Package.

Responses will include the projected Technology Readiness Level and Manufacturing Readiness Level and provide supporting information to justify the ratings.

The company shall describe the minimum manufacturing rate that would keep the production line open, and the maximum production rate that would be feasible in the proposed facilities.

The company shall describe the concept for Supply Chain Risk Management.

ADDITIONAL SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS.

All responses shall be unclassified.  The company shall clearly identify assumptions, including any assumed USG support.  The company shall clearly mark proprietary and restricted information.  Respondents should indicate which portions of the responses are proprietary and should mark them accordingly.   The USG will honor appropriate proprietary claims to prevent improper disclosure.  Marketing material is considered an insufficient response to this RFI.

The response must include a white paper of no more than 20 pages (text 12-point font, figures 9-point) describing the candidate NGSRI solution(s).  A fold-out page counts as one page.

Questions pertaining to this RFI may be directed to the Army Contracting Command point of contact for up to 14 days after this RFI is published on SAM.gov.  The USG must receive your RFI response no later than July 6, 2026.

The USG will receive responses via email submission.  Send unclassified responses to the U.S. Army Contracting Command- Redstone, via email at christopher.m.caputo.civ@army.mil and katy.e.whiteneck.civ@army.mil.

**ATTENTION** All information will be protected.  Any proprietary information must be identified.  To be reviewed, the statement “Releasable to USG Agencies and their supporting Contractors for Review Only” must accompany any proprietary submission.  The USG reserves the right to request further clarification to enhance understanding of the respondent's submittal.  Any information received by the Government will not be returned. The Government will use responses to this RFI to determine industry interest and capability.