Parachutist Flotation Device (PFD)

BACKGROUNDMission Requirements. The Parachutist Flotation Device (PFD) program will fill a capability gap residing with the current legacy parachutist floatation systems in support of airborne operations when life preservers are required. Parachutist will be required to wear the PFD whenever a flight is conducted over water, a water obstacle is on the Drop Zone (DZ) or the intended DZ is close to a water obstacle. The PFD will be a one size fits all, and will provide sufficient buoyancy to the 2nd percentile female through the 98th percentile male both in the slick and fully combat equipped parachute configurations when Emergency Procedures (EPs) are performed in accordance with the Common Army Airborne Standing Operating Procedure (CAASOP).GENERAL SCOPEThe PFD shall be a lifesaving item intended to eliminate the risk of the paratrooper drowning by maintaining the head above the surface of the water when EPs are properly performed. The PFD shall support all of the Army’s Mass tactical

and Ram Air parachute systems when accompanied with the paratrooper mission essential combat load. The PFD, when deployed, will quickly inflate and provide a minimum of 80 pounds force (lbf) of surface buoyancy at standard sea level atmospheric pressure and 720 F in fresh water. It shall be manually activated by the parachutist in accordance with the CAASOP and be compatible with all military parachute systems and combat loads. It will have a minimum confidence and reliability rating at .90 reliability at 90% confidence. The PFD shall be adjustable, without structural modifications to fit all paratrooper shapes and sizes, with and without combat equipment. The objective of the pending solicitation is to identify, acquire, test, evaluate and procure PFDs that meet the requirements stated in RFP. It shall replace all legacy flotation devices specified for Airborne/Parachute Operations. To be considered, Contractors shall submit proposals with test data supporting system’s performance. The proposals and accompanying data will be evaluated by the Government to determine the system’s ability to meet the stated requirements. Once initial evaluation is complete, the Government may establish a competitive range. Purchase orders will be issued for five (5) systems and operational, packing, and maintenance instructions from each Contractor in the competitive range for use in Government Design Validation (DV) testing. After completion of the DV, the Source Selection Evaluation Board (SSEB) will evaluated the systems and down-select to up to two candidate systems for Developmental Testing (DT) and Operational Testing (OT). Purchase Orders will be issued to up to two contractors for forty (40) PFDs and logistical and training and maintenance requirements as specified in the associated CLINs/Contract Data Requirements List (CDRLs). Following DT/OT, the SSEB will Award a 5-year Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract to one contractor offering the best value to the Government:Design Validation (DV) – Contractors within the competitive range will be awarded a purchase order to deliver Five (5) PFDs to Support DV along with operational, packing, and maintenance instructions, contractor typical user manual, contractor typical repacking manual, tools necessary to repack PFDs and any expendable items necessary to repack each PFD two (2) times. Delivery of the 5 PFDs will be within 60 days after awarding the purchase order.Developmental Testing/Operational Testing (DT/OT) – The SSEB will down-select to one to two contractors for DT/OT Testing based on the evaluation of DV and the contractors proposals. Up to two contractors will be awarded a purchase order for Forty (40) PFDs, contractor training and support, travel and expendable items necessary to repack each PFD five (5) times to support DT/OT. Delivery of the 40 PFDs will be within 60 days of awarding the purchase order. The Government, with assistance from the Contractor, shall conduct DT of the systems to validate performance of the PFD. Data acquired will establish system reliability sufficient to permit execution of Operational Testing (OT). 5-year IDIQ contract award for a total estimated quantity of 30,000 PFDs and up to a $29,000,000.00 maximum IDIQ contract value. PARACHUTIST FLOTATION DEVICE PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTSThe Contractor shall manufacture, document, deliver, and support the PFD according to the requirements listed below, and provide all program and production management necessary to meet quality standards, reporting systems and supportability required for testing, inspection and delivery of the PFDs as defined in the contract and RFP. The Contractor is encouraged to use commercial and industrial processes and practices that will reduce production and operational support costs while meeting the requirements of the contract. The performance requirements contain both Threshold [T] and Objective [O] levels. The objective level is the performance goal, while the threshold level is the minimum acceptable performance short of the goal. The size standards can be found in the Technical Report Natick/TR-14/019 Characterizing the Size of the Encumbered Soldier.PFD RequirementsKey Performance Parameters (KPPs)KPP 1 - System Reliability. The PFD must demonstrate an overall system reliability of 0.9 at 90% confidence level (T). The PFD must demonstrate a reliability of 0.99 at 90% confidence level (O).KPP 2 - Supporting Weight/Time. Once inflated, the PFD must be capable of supporting the weight of a 98th percentile male, with body armor, in an orientation in which the head is completely above the water line and tilting to the rear for at least one hour (T). Once inflated, the PFD must be capable of supporting the weight of a 98th percentile male, with body armor and other standardized Soldier equipment that cannot be released from the parachute harness, in an orientation in which the head is completely above the water line and tilting to the rear for more than an hour (O).The PFD by activation must provide a minimum of 80 lbf of lift at the surface of fresh water at standard sea level atmospheric pressure and 72 0 F temperature (T), and 100 lbf of lift at the surface of fresh water at standard sea level atmospheric pressure and 72 0 F temperature (O).KPP 3 – Inflation. The PFD must fully inflate after manual activation within six seconds (T) three seconds after manual activation (O).Key System Attributes (KSAs)KSA 1 - Compatibility. The PFD must be compatible with the Advanced Tactical Parachute System (ATPS) and RA-1 parachute harness when worn by a fully combat equipped jumper with body armor and Modular Airborne Weapons Case (MAWC). The PFD must be able to fit under the current harness and must not interfere with Jumpmaster Personnel Inspection (JMPI) (T=O).KSA 2 – Inflation Method.  The Soldier must be able to manually activate the PFD while in the parachute harness and wearing combat equipment. The system shall possess a manual backup inflation method (T=O).KSA 3 - The PFD must be able to properly function during parachute operations that include rapid temperature changes from -50°F to 110°F (T) and -60°F to 140°F” (O).KSA 4- Altitude. The PFD must be able to properly function after exposure to the full operational altitude ranges of military personnel parachutists without adjustment or maintenance. This includes both low level mass tactical parachute and High Altitude Ram Air Parachute operations (High Altitude High Opening (HAHO) and High Altitude Low Opening (HALO)) from 25,000 feet above Mean Sea Level (MSL) to ground level (T) higher than 25,000 feet above MSL to ground level (O).Additional Performance Attributes (APAs)APA 1. Storage. The PFD must be able to be stored in a fully operational configuration for a minimum of: 365 days (T) and minimum of 730 days (O).APA 2. Size/weight. The PFD must be smaller and lighter than the current legacy systems: B-7, LPU/10 and TFSS (T=O). APA 2 Continued the PFD system weight shall not exceed 3.4 pounds and each packed bladder component shall not exceed L= 8 inches, H= 5 inches, and T= 2.5 inches (T), 2 pounds and each packed bladder component shall not exceed L=6.25 inches L, H=2.75 inches, D=2.25 inches (O).APA 3. Shelf/Service Life.  The shelf life of the PFD will be a minimum of 4.5 years and the service life will be a minimum of twelve years (T) and minimum of sixteen years (O). APA 4. Carrier Color. The color of the PFD carrier should be in earth tone colors not darker than Coyote 498 but not lighter than Tan 499. Selection of specific equipment color within this range will be at the discretion of PM SCIE. Bladder Color shall be hex #ff6700 (also known as Safety orange) (T=O).APA 5. Anthropometrics: The PFD shall accommodate the 2nd percentile female to the 98th percentile male based on the Policy for Implementation of Fit Attribute (T=O). Parachutist will be fitted with basic combat load ie; plate carrier with plates and accessories as well as “slick” (uniform or swim suit).Additional Performance Attributes:-    The PFD bladder shall be able to withstand, without damage, six consecutive inflations to 5 psig. While the pressure is applied, there shall not be any abnormal folding or puckering of the seams in the inflated bladder. After deflation, there shall not be any visible separation of any seams or welded joints nor any damage to any of the bladder's construction and materials. -    The PFD bladder when inflated, shall not burst at a pressure less than 10 psig. -    The PFD CO2 Cartridge (if used) shall have a barrier from skin contact to protect the parachutist from cold injury.Please note this is a pre-solicitation notice only. The earlier estimated release date of the Solicitation was 27 April 2020. The new estimated release date is the week of 4 May 2020. No response is necessary to the Pre-solicitation Notice. The response time for the actual Solicitation will be 30 days after release of the Solicitation.