Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support (DLATS), Clothing & Textiles (C&T) Directorate, is conducting research to determine industry capabilities for Leather, Sheepskin, Hair Type. This is a Sources Sought only and not a solicitation for proposals. This announcement is considered Market Research in accordance with FAR 10. DLA is the Defense Department’s principal buyer of multiple items within the Clothing & Textile industry that uses Leather, Sheepskin, Hair Type. Numerous item specifications utilize Leather, Sheepskin, Hair Type as a component in a wide variety of items purchased by DLA Troop Support, such as AR/PD 12-01 with Change 8 Amendment 1 and AR/PD 17-06 with Amendment 3, for Helmet Retention Systems. The primary purpose of this announcement is to identify potential sources with domestic manufacturing capabilities of Leather, Sheepskin, Hair Type. This announcement also seeks to determine the availability of Leather, Sheepskin, Hair Type production capacity, limitations and challenges. Domestic sources using Leather, Sheepskin, Hair Type with domestic manufacturing capabilities are required in accordance with DFARS 252.225-7002-2(c) Preference for Certain Domestic Commodities (DEC 2017) All potential sources will be U.S. based. Additional market research may be conducted prior to posting any solicitation. The Government will not pay for any information received in response to this Sources Sought, nor will the Government compensate any respondent for any cost incurred in developing the information provided to the Government. This Source Sought does not constitute a commitment from the Government and any information provided in response to this Sources Sought will be used for informational purposes only. Any proprietary information submitted will be protected if appropriately marked. Vendor participation is not a promise for future business with the Government. The information for the below items is provided for informational purposes. It is highly recommended that vendors review the technical documents for items you can support then decide to request specifications. Vendors should use the following link to request item Specification: https://www.dla.mil/TroopSupport/ClothingandTextiles/SpecRequest.aspx Please use the contract opportunity notice ID “ Sources Sought Leather, Sheepskin, Hair Type ” to obtain access. Fill in the request for the Technical Package requirements needed and under Special Instructions annotate “URGENT – MARKET RESEARCH – EXPEDITE.” The applicable North American Industrial Classification System Code (NAICS) is 315990 Apparel Accessories and Other Apparel Manufacturing. Small business size standards matched to industry NAICS codes are published by the Small Business Administration and are available at http://www.sba.gov/content/table-small-business-size-standards. Contractors must be registered with the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) at System for Award Management (SAM) http://www.sam.gov to be eligible for an award. Representations and certifications must also be on record. Submission requirements: Responses to this Sources Sought must be sent to Ryan Reynolds Contract Specialist, via email at Ryan.Reynolds@dla.mil and to Michelle Falkowski, Contracting Officer, via email at Michelle.Falkowski@dla.mil by the response date in this notice and should include company name, CAGE code, company size/profile, any other supportive information and answers to the below questions for each item for which you are potentially interested in supplying/supporting. 1. What is the absolute minimum quantity required for Leather, Sheepskin, Hair Type? 2. What is your monthly minimum and maximum production capacity? 3. What is your current and maximum production rate of yards per week? 4. What is the minimum monthly production quantity required to be economically producible? 5. What is your available operating capacity at present? 6. What is the availability of the local labor pool? 7. Provide your Production Lead Time (PLT) for Leather, Sheepskin, Hair Type. 8. Are there any issues with the availability of raw materials? 9. Please provide a summary of your current supply situation in terms of raw materials including major components, critical materials, lead-time issues, and suppliers. 10. Are you a supplier, distributor, contractor, or other of Leather, Sheepskin, Hair Type? 11. What is the country of origin of Leather, Sheepskin, Hair Type from your company? 12. In what country is your CAGE/NCAGE associated? Any information provided is voluntary.
