Custom Metal Fabrication Services for Specialty Tactical Shelters and Ancillary Equipment

SYNOPSIS: This Sources Sought Announcement is to assist the US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command - Soldier Center (DEVCOM-SC) to identify potential sources to provide Custom Metal Fabrication Servies in support of the Soldier Sustainment Directorate Prototyping Branch.  

Background:  The Government (DEVCOM Soldier Center / Soldier Sustainment Directorate / Prototyping Branch) supports a variety of government managed specialty tactical shelter programs with unique metal fabrication requirements for a variety of DoW customers.   One major program is The U.S. Air Force’s Deployable Debriefing Facility (DDF) which provides secure, transportable, and mission-ready environments that allow pilots and aircrews to securely review flight data, decompress, and process information immediately after training exercises or real-world combat operations.   Other major programs include speciality shelters for the provision of medical care and collective protection from chemical and biological threats.  In addition to specialty tactical shelter components, different variants of passageways are also fabricated to complex or connect configurations of specialty shelters in various configurations.

Description: DEVCOM SC is in need of custom metal fabrication services based on government provided drawing packages, and is looking to establish a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA).

The contractor shall provide all management, labor, facilities, equipment, tools, and materials necessary to fabricate, machine, assemble, test, and deliver custom metal components, structural weldments, and sub-assemblies in accordance with government-furnished Technical Data Packages (TDPs), 2D drawings, and 3D CAD models. 

Example Government TDP:  ECU Frame Assembly, 17-3-4850 (Attached).

Precision Machining:  CNC milling, turning, drilling, and grinding of complex geometries with tolerances up to +/- 0.001 inches on various materials (aluminum, stainless steel, carbon steel, and specialty alloys).

Metal Fabrication & Welding:  Cutting (laser, waterjet, plasma), bending, forming, and structural welding. Welders must be certified to recognized standards (e.g., AWS D1.1, AWS D1.2, or military equivalents).

Surface Finishing:  Capability to apply or coordinate post-fabrication finishes such as powder coating, anodizing, plating (e.g., CARC paint, zinc plating), and non-destructive testing (NDI) or inspection.  Examples: MIL-DTL-5541 (Chemical Conversion Coating),  MIL-T-704 (CARC), T002-WH08 (Powder Coat), TT-C-490 (Zinc Phosphate), ASTM A967 (Stainless Steel Passivation).

Quality Assurance:  Maintain a robust quality management system compliant with ISO 9001:2015, AS9100, or equivalent military standards. Provide First Article Inspections (FAI) as required.  Parts Identified per MIL-STD-130.

Government Furnished Property:  (Equipment/Materials/Information/ComputerUtilization):  The government may provide materials and hardware when commercial sources are not available.

Deliverables:

Please provide a whitepaper that provides and overview of your company’s capabilities as well as a cost estimate to fabricate the ECU Frame Assembly per the attached drawing / technical data package 17-3-4850  

All documentation submitted shall be submitted as MS Word, Adobe PDF or MS PowerPoint formats.    

1. Respondents: The White Paper should be written in respondent format, double spaced, and minimum font size of 10 pt.  Paper should not exceed 10 pages, including cover.

1. 1. This paper should cover company information (company name, CAGE code, mailing address, and primary point of contact information (to include telephone number and email address).
   2. The paper should cover the 5 Ws, as applicable. (e.g., What, Where, When, Why and Who.   Example focus areas:
      1. Please discuss any/all relevant current products, services  and capabilities that currently meet or will be able to meet the requirements described above
      2. As applicable, please provide past examples of work completed for the government.
   3. For Foreign companies:  Discuss how the proposer will be able to work with the US Government in the future (i.e., US subsidiary or partner) if required.
   4. Additional documentation accepted (and not included in the page count for the White Paper) includes, but is not limited to, the following: PowerPoint overview presentations, workforce training documentation, web links for supporting information, etc. 

2. Certification and Accreditation (C&A) Documentation: Respondents are requested to provide any supporting documentation or certifications related to  technical capabilities, safety, and quality assurance management.

3. Cost.  Respondents are asked to cost out fabrication of the ECU Frame Assembly per the attached drawing / technical data package (17-3-4850) as it is representative of current needs as well as any discounts provided for purchase quantities in excess of a single unit.      

Interested parties are invited to submit a response to this Sources Sought Announcement. 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 on the SAM.gov website.  It is the responsibility of the potential responders to monitor this site for additional information pertaining to this subject.

RESPONSES:

The Government requests that responses be submitted electronically to

Interested parties may identify their interest and capability by sending responses regarding this requirement to DEVCOM-SC via e-mail ONLY to jean.m.trumpis.civ@army.mil  and john.h.fitek.civ@army.mil no later than July 31st 2026 at 5:00pm. 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.

QUESTIONS:
Any questions for clarification may be emailed to jean.m.trumpis.civ@army.mil and john.h.fitek.civ@army.mil no later than July 24th 2026 at 5:00pm. Verbal questions will NOT be accepted. Questions shall NOT contain proprietary or classified information. An unattributed list of questions and answers will be published at the same web location of this Sources Sought Announcement.