SOURCES SOUGHT
R -- US Navy Uniform Sizing Correlation Study Support for Navy Clothing and Textile Research Facility (NCTRF), Natick, MA
- Notice Date
- 5/19/2014
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541990
— All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
- Contracting Office
- N00189 NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center Norfolk Groton Office Box 500 Bldg. 84/2 Subase NLON Groton, CT
- ZIP Code
- 00000
- Solicitation Number
- N0018914TG117
- Point of Contact
- Jimmy Toala
- E-Mail Address
-
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- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- The Fleet Logistics Center Norfolk Contracting Department, Groton Office requests responses from qualified sources to develop and execute all activities and procedures necessary to conduct a sizing correlation study to gather data on United States Navy (USN) male and female personnel to determine if the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps Anthropometric Survey II (ANSUR II) anthropometric data correlates to the current Navy population, in accordance with the Performance Work Statement (PWS). This is a SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE for commercial services prepared in accordance with the information in FAR Subpart 12, using Simplified Acquisition Procedures for commercial items found at FAR Subpart 13.5 (Test Program for Certain Commercial Items) as supplemented with the additional information included in this notice. This synopsis shall be posted on both the FEDBIZOPPS and NECO (https://www.neco.navy.mil/). The Request for Quote (RFQ) number is N00189-14-T-G117. The NAICS code is 541990 All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services, and the small business standard is $14 Million. The Fleet Logistics Center Norfolk, Contracting Department, Groton, CT Branch is seeking information as to determine whether or not there are small businesses that can support this effort. Based on the information received, a determination will be made as to whether or not the procurement will be issued as a small business set-aside and whether or not will be issued on a competitive basis. In addition, the purpose of this effort is to determine if it is appropriate to use the Army data to update the USN uniforms, protective clothing and equipment sizing systems. References to Government contained within the PWS refer to Navy Clothing and Textile Research Facility (NCTRF), Government Furnished Property (GFP), Government Furnished Information (GFI), Government Furnished Materials (GFM), and Government Furnished Equipment (GFE). The USN female population was last surveyed in 1988 and the USN male population in 1997. Since then the body dimensions/proportions of the U.S. population have significantly changed thereby adversely impacting the fit of the current USN uniforms (dress and utility), protective clothing and equipment. As a result, the current sizing systems for the USN male and female communities do not meet the needs of the 21st century Sailor, leading to dissatisfaction with the fit of the Navy clothing, as well as the potential safety concerns related to the lack of interoperability of corresponding components and accessories. These inadequacies in the patterns have forced us to increase the amount of sizes available, with some items ranging from 108 to 195 sizes. While the Navy has not collected recent body dimension data on their personnel, in 2010 the U.S. Army conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the body sizes of their population and published the results in the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps Anthropometric Survey II (ANSURII) report. The ANSURII survey collected both manual and 3D body dimensions. Anthropometric dimensions are used to effectively design to and accurately fit a designated population. The proposed program shall conduct a study that would include a systematic collection of noninvasive dimensions utilizing standardized and scientific quantitative techniques. A comparative analysis will be performed between the dimensional/body size variables collected on Navy personnel and the ANSURII data, utilizing validated statistical matching procedures. The proposed approach would determine if a direct correlation between the demographics of the USN and U.S. Army populations exists. If there is a positive correlation, the ANSURII database (Army sizing data) would be appropriate for the USN to utilize in lieu of conducting a full scale, costly USN anthropometric survey. This study would complement and extend the research from the ANSUR II survey. The USN will make every effort to utilize and leverage data collected in the Army and Marine Corps evaluations to gain efficiencies in data collection and analysis. The applicable documents for this requirement include, but is not limited to: the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps Anthropometric Survey II (ANSURII) Test methods and data; 2010 Anthropometric Survey of U.S. Marine Corps Personnel (Methods and Summary Statistics); and U.S. Navy Demographics & Sampling Strategy. The purpose of the correlation study is to develop and execute all activities and procedures necessary to: 1) conduct a sizing correlation study of representative USN sailors; 2) summarize the anthropometric data in a structured database; 3) perform statistical matching on the Navy data compared to the ANSUR II data; and 4) prepare a final report. The study shall result in a comprehensive anthropometric database that represents the current USN population and can be used to support design, sizing, and tariffing of clothing and equipment. All data collected shall parallel data collection procedures conducted by U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps (ANSUR II) to ensure validity of subsequent correlations for use in future joint service programs. The ANSUR II data must be evaluated and utilized to the maximum extent possible to streamline the data collection and analysis processes where possible. The study shall be conducted by NCTRF - with assistance from the contractor - and will include a systematic collection of noninvasive dimensions utilizing standardized scientific quantitative techniques. A comparative analysis shall be performed between the dimensional/body size variables collected on Navy personnel and the ANSURII data utilizing validated statistical matching procedures.The proposed approach will determine if a direct correlation between the demographics of the USN and U.S. Army populations exists. If so, the ANSURII database (Army sizing data) would be appropriate for the USN to utilize. This study would complement and extend the research from the ANSUR II survey and significantly reduce Navy s costs associated with conducting a comprehensive anthropometric study. The study shall be conducted by appropriately trained and experienced personnel, such as anthropologists. Personnel should have a minimum of 3 years experience in the design and execution of military anthropometric surveys and a minimum of 3 years experience in the analysis of anthropometric survey data to characterize the current population of the USN. Following data collection, the data shall be analyzed by the experienced professionals who will add lessons learned and validity to the USN study. Measurement collection technique must follow that of the ANSUR II evaluation in order to maintain validity of Navy s data and allow for adequate statistical matching with other services. During data collection or at any other time where contractor personnel are interfacing with subjects or military personnel, the contractor shall, at all times, clearly indicate through clothing or other markings that they are contractor personnel. Appropriate business attire shall be worn by contractor personnel. This effort is unclassified; however, because data collection will take place on military installations and contractor personnel will directly access US troops and have access to data on them, no foreign nationals may be assigned to this project. All contractor support personnel must be properly screened to prevent security issues at the data collection areas. The contractor shall furnish all necessary services, personnel, hardware, facilities, information and supplies (as specified in the contract) required for the study. The correlation study shall be executed in five (5) phases as described below. Each phase is comprised of several major tasks. A summary of each phase is provided below along with a detailed description and associated period of performance. PHASE I Preparation, Training and Validation of Methods: Phase I shall take place immediately following contract award. During Phase I, the contractor shall validate all methods, processes, technology and documents that shall be used in the conduct of this study. The contractor shall utilize statistical methods, anthropometric literature and past experience including but not limited to ANSUR II, to execute the tasks under this phase. Anthropometric Measurements: The study shall utilize body dimensions comparable to those used in the ANSUR II data collection in order to use the data for future joint service initiatives. The Anthropometry Short Course and ANSURII Measurer s Handbook shall be used in the development of the anthropometric dimensions and landmarks report. The report shall be collectively developed with government and contractor and validated by the contractor prior to the start of the training. Selection of Measuring Team Personnel: The contractor shall provide 2 measuring personnel to aid in the execution of the data collection portion of this study. The contractor shall submit team members and qualifications to NCTRF in a summary report entitled Measuring Team Personnel Roster . The Roster shall be validated by the government prior to the start of training. The contractor shall also define the impact of personnel changes on the study and identify any cost impacts as required. The contractor shall identify any personnel changes by submitting a summary report entitled Measuring Team Personnel Changes . The changes shall be validated by the government prior to involvement of changed personnel. Anthropometric Training: The contractor shall utilize the Anthropometry Short Course and ANSURII Measurer s Handbook to provide anthropometric training to the measurement team at NCTRF in Natick, MA. The contractor shall provide training and practice for up to 8 people, and document competence of the measurement team personnel to carry out the measurement techniques of 25+ dimensions as described in US Army/USMC Measurer s Handbook (see section 7.0). The training shall consist of techniques for positioning, landmarking and measuring each traditional body dimension. The contractor shall train the team until observer error is within acceptable limits contained in the ANSUR II Handbook. The contractor shall submit a summary report titled Anthropometric Training Agenda . Travel to Natick is at the contractor s expense. Sample Cell Matrix: NCTRF shall develop the sample cell matrix based on current USN demographics. The sample cell matrix shall be validated in writing by the contractor prior to the start of the study. The summary report on Sampling Cell Matrix will be provided by the government. PHASE II - Data Collection: The contractor shall supply anthropometric personnel (as specified in resultant contract) to travel at the contractors expense, to all of the identified Naval sites as part of three 2-person teams (6 members in total). The contractor supplied anthropometric personnel shall directly and physically measure 25+ standardized body dimensions (clothing, workstation and modeling related traditional measurements) as well as collect demographic information on each of the 4000 Naval personnel using the procedures and techniques developed under Phase I of this contract. The contractor shall provide the anthropometric measuring devices and software for use during the survey and shall be responsible for all costs associated with travel, shipping, and maintenance for all personnel and equipment. The contractor along with the government shall be jointly responsible for the quality of the data collected as well as the security of the information. The contractor along with the government shall be jointly responsible for the collection of the repeatability data during the data collection. The contractor and the government shall exchange all data collected using an outlined procedure on a daily/weekly basis. The contractor shall provide data collected throughout the duration from the field data collection system. This phase shall follow the ANSUR II protocol. The contractor shall utilize efficiencies that can be gained through the completed ANSUR II study to streamline and secure the data collection phase. The contractor shall possess validated anthropometric collection software to be used during this phase. At a minimum, the software shall run on commercially available computer systems, be interactive, portable and able to read previous data entries, prompt for data entry at each station and verify data-subject identification matching. The software shall contain all statistical techniques for real time evaluation of minimum and maximum values for calculation of observer error and be able to prompt the measurer to re-measure. The software shall also incorporate appropriate statistical techniques to recognize unusual data entries that need to be verified by re-measuring, including data entry errors. The software shall have read/write capabilities to allow data to be written onto the data collection medium for each subject by station. All subjects shall be identified by number and the number shall be assigned upon initial subject selection and shall not be changed. Phase III - Data Scrub and Editing: Once all required data has been collected, the contractor shall import the data into its editing software and conduct a data review and any editing procedure necessary to ensure that the database is free from data entry and copying errors or missing data. In addition, contractor shall: 1) assure there are both demographic and traditional dimension data on every subject; 2) identify valid editing combinations; 3) perform the edit; 4) correct/replace values as appropriate; and 5) prepare final data set. The contractor shall report all suspected errors to NCTRF along with recommendations for resolution for Government approval. The contractor shall forward the resulting male and female working anthropometric database along with the accompanying data editing results in a report entitled Working Database and Data Editing Report . The contractor shall use a non-USB device for database transfer and data shall be provided via a flat file. PHASE IV- Data Analysis and Statistical Matching with Army Data: Using standard statistical procedures, the contractor shall correlate USN data with ANSUR II data to determine comparability of body dimensions between the services. Correlations will be done on all dimensions, with significant differences noted. Using their anthropometric expertise, the contractor shall make a recommendation on the validity of using Army data for USN sizing. Phase V - Data Reporting: The contractor shall provide a draft layout for all summary reports containing the elements set forth above for NCTRF review prior to submitting and completing final report. During this phase, the Contractor shall provide a methods, matching, and final summary statistics report in a format to be prescribed by the government to include body dimension pictorial along with the data, similar to page format used in the USMC ANSUR II report. The contractor and government shall develop the final study report, entitled Final Study Report 20XX . Descriptive Statistics of the Working Database: The contractor shall compute and report summary statistics and frequency distributions for all biographical and directly measured dimensions using the data collected in Phase II of resultant contract in accordance with the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps Summary Statistics Report using the photographic and drawings found in the report, furnished as GFI. Male and female data shall be analyzed separately and reported sequentially for each dimension. The contractor shall also include background information on survey goals, implementation, methodology, observer error, and measuring equipment (hardware and software). Data Analysis and Reporting of Summary Statistics: The contractor shall provide, at a minimum, the following descriptive statistics for all measured anthropometric dimensions: sample size, mean, standard error of the mean, standard deviation, standard error of the standard deviation, coefficient of variability, minimum and maximum values, skew, kurtosis, cumulative frequency distribution, and percentile distribution for representative samples of males and females in the USN. In addition to the statistical analysis, the contractor shall include a graphical illustration (e.g., a drawing or photograph) of each measured dimension. For each dimension the contractor shall report the statistics, provide a line drawing and photograph of the dimension depicting the measurement and illustrating the landmarks. The contractor shall provide a draft layout for a single dimension containing the elements set forth above for NCTRF review prior to submitting and completing final report. The contractor shall provide a draft layout entitled Draft Layout Single Dimension . All data resulting from this task shall be reported in a document covering methods and summary statistics in accordance with a report entitled Methods and Summary Statistics Report and provided to NCTRF. Analysis and Reporting of Observer Error: The contractor along with the government shall be jointly responsible for the analysis and reporting of the magnitude of observer error associated with each measured anthropometric dimension based on actual observer error data collected in Phase II of this contract. The report shall describe all errors associated with individual observations of each dimension and calculations of the error associated with the dimensions. Description of Database Samples and Biographical Data: The contractor shall report on the derivation and composition of the working database. This shall include analysis and discussion of the age, race/ethnicity and gender composition of the database and the effect of the sampling strategy on the viability of the database. The contractor shall analyze and report on all biographical characteristics of the database and describe all statistical techniques used in the analysis. Summary of Statistical Matching with Army Data: The contractor shall provide, at a minimum, the following summary statistics for pre-determined anthropometric dimensions: mean, standard deviation, minimum and maximum values, percentage of match per demographic comparison for representative samples of males and females in the USN. The contractor shall submit a draft page layout of the summary statistics, percentile data, frequency distributions and an illustration depicting the landmarks and measurements taken, in a summary page(s) titled Draft Layout Single Dimension Statistical Matching . Once the draft layout summary page is government approved, all data resulting from the summary of statistical matching shall be reported in a document covering statistical matching in accordance with a report entitled Statistical Matching Summary Report and provided to NCTRF. Background and Indexing of Survey Information: The contractor shall provide: 1) a discussion of the rationale for the various technical approaches used throughout the survey; 2) a description of the applications for which the data can be used; 3) sources of comparative data by measured dimension and landmark; 4) a visual index of all measured dimensions; 5) graphics and descriptions of all anatomical landmarks referenced in dimension descriptions and used in data collection; 6) derivation of statistical formulae and; 7) an index of all biographical and anthropometric dimensions with page references. Security Clearance: This effort is unclassified; however, because data collection shall take place on military installations, no foreign national may be assigned to this project. After reading the scope of work above, please provide a white paper (5-page limit) responding to the following questions (include supporting documentation as applicable: (1) What qualifications/capabilities do you have to execute the required work? (2) What experience or past performance of a similar nature supports your qualifications/capabilities for the required work? Ensure the following is addressed in your response. (a) Traditional physical measuring and 3D scanning experience and the scope of previous data collection efforts; (b) Please indicate the dollar range of any related contracts;(3) Is your firm a small business?; (4) If this project were set-aside for small business, would you submit a proposal?; (5) If this project were set-aside for small business, would you submit a bid proposal if in your range?; (6) Is your firm a certified HUBZONE firm?; and (7) is your firm a certified 8(a) firm? The resultant contract will be made as a Firm Fixed Price commercial type contract. Email only response are requested by 12:00 (EST), Thursday 22 May and shall be forwarded to Jimmy Toala at Jimmy.Toala@navy.mil. This document will assist the Government in determining if this acquisition will be set aside for small businesses and if it will be procured on a competitive basis. Failure to answer any above questions may result in a determination of capability for purposes of this survey. This is not a Request for Proposal. Questions regarding technical or contractual issues must be addressed to the Contract Specialist via e-mail ONLY. The RFQ will incorporate provisions and clauses in effect through FAR and DFARS. It is the contractor's responsibility to be familiar with the applicable clauses and provisions. The clauses may be accessed in full text at these addresses: http://acquisition.gov/comp/far/index.html and http://www.acq.osd.mil/dpap/dars/dfars/index.htm. Lack of registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) database (www.sam.gov) will make a contractor ineligible for award. The government anticipates release of the RFQ during mid-late June 2014.
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