SOURCES SOUGHT
A -- MARKET SURVEY REQUEST
- Notice Date
- 3/8/2011
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541712
— Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)
- Contracting Office
- TACOM Contracting Center (TACOM-CC), ATTN: AMSTA-AQ-AMB, E Eleven Mile Road, Warren, MI 48397-5000
- ZIP Code
- 48397-5000
- Solicitation Number
- W56HZV-RMC-RFI
- Response Due
- 4/6/2011
- Archive Date
- 6/5/2011
- Point of Contact
- Angela Hernandez, 586-282-3732
- E-Mail Address
-
TACOM Contracting Center (TACOM-CC)
(angela.hernandez5@us.army.mil)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- MARKET SURVEY REQUEST RECONFIGURABLE MANUFACTURING CELL (LARGE COMPONENTS) DESCRIPTION OF INTENT: THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION; MARKET SURVEY REQUEST IN SUPPORT OF THE FOLLOWING POTENTIAL STUDY. No contract will be awarded from this announcement. This is not a Request for Proposal (RFP) or an announcement of a forthcoming solicitation, nor is it a request seeking offerors to be placed on a solicitation mailing list. Response to this survey is voluntary and no reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this market survey and any follow-on information requests. Data submitted in response to this market survey will not be returned. No solicitation document exists at this time, and calls requesting a solicitation will not be answered. TOPIC: The US Army Tank and Automotive Research, Development, and Engineering Center (TARDEC) is conducting a market survey to determine the level of interest among qualified offerors to provide an improved manufacturing process for large component manufacturing. TARDEC is specifically interested in a Reconfigurable Manufacturing Cell (RMC) that is process driven, and capable of material flow and monitoring, via a computer aided design system or another type of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) software. In addition, the requested solutions being sought would satisfy basic needs of large material handling through a functional manufacturing operational work cell, as well as improve the overall process efficiency and work flow of the enterprise. The solutions shall seamlessly tie into an existing working environment, provide information data exchange and processing collaboration, as well as point in process manufacturing data throughout an operational process. The automation and process improvements shall be able to be integrated into an existing process without reverse compatibility constraints, required updates, and each component shall enhance the process flow of the required material from start to finish. REQUESTED TECHNICAL AND OPERATIONAL FUNCTIONALITY: The Reconfigurable Manufacturing Cell shall provide the following: 1.Clamping, holding, positioning and transportation of material into and out of the cell. Automation definition and limitations should be clearly stated and explained. 2.Material identification of components coming into the cell that ties the raw material to the three dimensional computer aided design specification. Manufacturing routing of in-cell processing and final part approval quality confirmation. The identification of the components should be done without any touch labor and controlled via computer network system administration. 3.Modularity and reuse of fixturing, holding and transport systems, and in-cell material processing should be identified and detailed with specification and demonstration capability. 4.System expansion and reverse level compatibility should be detailed and explained with process growth, process improvement, and alternate future design use. 5.System expansion and reverse level compatibility should be detailed and explained with process growth, process improvement, and alternate future design use assumed. 6.Large component subsystem and material must be compatible with steel, aluminum, titanium and composites. Minimum dimensions for large component subsystem and material are: thickness at least three (3) inches, width at least six (6) feet, and length at least twenty (20) feet. Small components and sub-assemblies will need to be considered and accounted for in processing, handling and control. 7.Assembly of standard parts, fasteners and loose components shall be accounted for in the RMC process definition and detail. RESPONSES: 1.Each response is requested to include: a.A brief (no more than one page) company description, history, and industry experience. b.An executive summary (no more than one page) of the information submitted in reply to this market survey. c.Point(s)-of-Contract (POC) with associated information. d.A brief narrative of any internal or external programs that may be leveraged to assist in the R&D of the described technology. e.Answers to the following RMC MARKET SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE: i.Technology Integration 1.What specific technology have you implemented that has drastically improved the manufacturing process flow, material control, and design integration with a system level influence? ii.Efficiency Improvement/Lean Manufacturing Initiatives 1.What were the specific process improvements and how were they measured? 2.What was the enabling technology to achieve these improvements and how can this technology be scaled or modified to be used in alternate manufacturing processes? iii.Material Handling and Reconfigurable Technology 1.Define and describe your company's definition of the reconfigurable technology that your company has designed and implemented. 2.Can your technology be modified or implemented for large Ground Combat Systems? Can your technology be modified to transition to smaller assemblies? If so, how? iv.Model Based Lifecycle Enhancements 1.How is 3-D CAD Design data handled, managed, and maintained in this technology? 2.How is Data Integrity and Security (classified or secret information) addressed? RESPONSE DUE: Responses to this Market Survey are DUE BY APRIL 6, 2011, Please submit all responses and any questions prior to full response via email to Bill.Gaw@us.army.mil. Please format the subject line of the response email as follows: "[Organization Name] response to Market Survey - RMC." RESPONSE FORMAT(S): Only electronic responses are requested. Please provide e-mail responses in PDF format to the TARDEC POC. The maximum size of each e-mail should not be more than three and one-half (3.5) megabytes. You may use multiple e-mail messages. The subject line must include message 1 of 3, 2 of 3, 3 of 3 etc., as well as [Organization Name]. All interested entities (e.g. companies, non-profit organizations, and academic institutes), regardless of size, are encouraged to respond to this request for information. All material submitted in response to this RFI must be unclassified and properly marked. GENERAL INFORMATION: The Government appreciates the time and effort taken to respond to this survey. The Government acknowledges its obligations under 18 U.S.C. 1905 to protect information qualifying as "confidential" under this statute. [To avoid possible confusion with the meaning of the term "confidential" in the context of Classified Information," we will use the term "PROPRIETARY."] Pursuant to this statute, the Government is willing to accept any PROPRIETARY (e.g., trade secret) restrictions placed on qualifying data forwarded in response to the survey questions and to protect it from unauthorized disclosure subject to the following: 1. Clearly and conspicuously mark qualifying data with the restrictive legend (all caps) "PROPRIETARY" with any explanatory text, so that the Government is clearly notified of what data needs to be appropriately protected. 2. In marking such data, please take care to mark only those portions of the data or materials that are truly proprietary (over breadth in marking inappropriate data as "PROPRIETARY" may diminish or eliminate the usefulness of your response - see item 6 below). Use circling, underscoring, highlighting, or any other appropriate means to indicate those portions of a single page which are to be protected. 3. The Government is not obligated to protect unmarked data. Additionally, marked data that is already in the public domain or in the possession of the Government or third parties, or is afterward placed into the public domain by the owner or another party through no fault of the Government will not be protected once in the public domain. Data already in the possession of the Government will be protected in accordance with the Government's rights in the data. 4. Proprietary data transmitted electronically, whether by physical media or not, whether by the respondent or by the government, shall contain the "PROPRIETARY" legend, with any explanatory text, on both the cover of the transmittal e-mail and at the beginning of the file itself. Where appropriate for only portions of an electronic file, use the restrictive legends 'PROPRIETARY PORTION BEGINS:" and "PROPRIETARY PORTION ENDS." 5. In any reproductions of technical data or any portions thereof subject to asserted restrictions, the government shall also reproduce the asserted restriction legend and any explanatory text. 6. The Government sometimes uses support contractors in evaluating responses. Consequently, responses that contain proprietary information may receive only limited or no consideration since the Respondent's marking of data as "PROPRIETARY" will preclude disclosure of same outside the Government and therefore will preclude disclosure to these support contractors assisting the evaluation effort. The Government will use its best efforts to evaluate those responses that contain proprietary information without using support contractors consistent with the resources available. GOVERNMENT POINTS OF CONTACT: Technical POC: Bill Gaw, Senior Integration Engineer, E-Mail: Bill.Gaw@us.army.mil Contracting POC: Angela Hernandez, Contract Specialist, E-Mail: Angela.Hernandez5@us.army.mil
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/notices/a8126cf20b3e8500011d89acff79fc00)
- Place of Performance
- Address: TACOM Contracting Center (TACOM-CC) ATTN: AMSTA-AQ-AMB, E Eleven Mile Road Warren MI
- Zip Code: 48397-5000
- Zip Code: 48397-5000
- Record
- SN02395592-W 20110310/110308234211-a8126cf20b3e8500011d89acff79fc00 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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