USA MATERIEL COMMAND ACQUISITION CENTER, NATICK CONTRACTING DIVISION, ATTN: STEAA-NC, NATICK MA 01760-5011

84 -- MARKET SURVEY/SOURCES SOUGHT: GLOVE SYSTEMS; PETROLEUM, OILS, AND LUBRICANTS HANDLER'S SOL 032&&&-9810-0003 POC Debra McLean, Project Officer (508) 233 5435 (Site Code DAAD16) PETROLEUM, OILS, AND LUBRICANTS HANDLER GLOVE SYSTEM (PHGS). THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS. The U.S. Army Natick Research and Development Enterprise at U.S. Army Soldier Biological and Chemical Command is conducting a MARKET SURVEY to identify commercial gloves for military fuel handlers. The PHGS program will provide individual soldiers with the best possible hand protection during petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) operations. The PHGS will be used during operations not limited to fuel operations, oil and lubricant servicing requirements, chemical cleaning, preventive maintenance activities, and corrosion control. The PHGS is required to improve the safety, health, and environmental protection of the soldier. The POL missions span all areas of the world, all terrain and climates, low and medium intensity conflicts, and low to high technology conflicts. During the performance of POL activities, equipment and containers are sometimes externally contaminated and will come in contact with the skin if proper protection is not worn. The capability of this glove may be a modular system that has components that should compliment climates according to Army Regulation 70-38. The congressionally mandated Soldier Enhancement Program, whose purpose is to enhance survivability items used by the U.S. Army Soldier, is the initiative to provide this increased level of protection. The PHGS shall provide the individual soldier protection form threats related to the exposure to POL products that are potentially caustic, toxic, and could be detrimental to the health and welfare of the soldier and the accomplishment of the combat commander's mission. The gloves will be employed throughout a full range of operations and under all environmental conditions. Shortcomings of existing POL gloves (Mitten Set, Extreme Cold Weather MIL-M-87033) and (Gloves, Rubber, Industrial, Type II ZZ-G-381D) are high cost, bulk, and lack of dexterity and tactility to operate POL equipment under all environmental conditions. They tend to be ungainly and very cumbersome for the intended task. The PHGS Program shall identify a commercial temperate weather glove for handling JP8 that meets OSHA MH requirements. The current military Gloves, Rubber, Industrial, Type II do not meet this requirement. Current POL handlers' gloves and mittens are not flame resistant. The current gloves are supposed to be supplied at the organizational level and may not be readily available for the specific intended use. The PHGS must be a commercial off the shelf (COTS) item that will not require additional research and development. The following capabilities are threshold requirements unless otherwise annotated as objective: The PHGS shall provide environmental protection in temperature ranges -25 degrees F to 120 degrees F for at least 5 minutes in duration while conducting POL operations. A majority of refuel operations will occur during these temperature ranges. The PHGS shall provide protection from POL products on the hands, wrists, and up to the middle of the forearm and objective: zero contamination to fingers, hands, wrists, and up to middle of the forearms. Provide tactility, dexterity, and grip that allow POL handlers to perform all required functions: to grip and operate all types of hoses, nozzles, pump controls, couplings and valves, push buttons, and flip switches in all kinds of weather and field conditions. Design of the PHGS must maximize soldier protection, safety, and comfort and user acceptance. The PHGS shall be compatible with all currently fielded and current developmental clothing and individual equipment (CIE), specifically the Extended Cold Weather Clothing System (ECWCS), Joint Service Lightweight Integrated Suit Technology (JSLIST), and Joint Firefighter Integrated Response Ensemble (JFIRE). Must be capable of integration with other POL handlers' CIE. Other CIE may include the cold weather field jacket or the improved rain suit. The PHGS shall be sized with no more than three sizes to properly fit the central 90% of the military population based on the 5th percentile female through the 95th percentile male soldier hand measurements. The PHGS shall be subdued in color so that it will blend in with operational environments, i.e., green, black. The PHGS shall have a minimum service life of 120 days (threshold), 180 days (objective), and have a minimum shelf life of 5 years. The glove system must withstand storage requirements for a reasonable period of time without becoming unserviceable due to mold, fungus, rot, etc., and to ensure the item is serviceable when it is issued to soldiers. The PHGS shall provide flame resistance from flash fires that may occur in POL operations. The PHGS in its cold weather system configuration shall pass the NFPA 1971 (1997) Edition Protective Clothing for Structural Fire Fighting/Thermal Protective Performance Testing (Objective). The flame resistance shall be equal to or better than the current gloves (Mitten Set, Extreme Cold Weather MIL-M-87033) and (Gloves, Rubber, Industrial, Type II ZZ-G-381D "resistant to acids,alcohol, and alkali, aromatic fuel and organic solvent"). The PHGS shall resist degradation to the glove material fibers by POL products JP4, JP5, JP8, DFA, DF1, DF2, DFM, MOGAS, JET-A, and JET-A! (threshold), and all other class III package products (objective) during POL operations over a 120-day period. The PHGS is not mission essential and will not be required to survive a NBC contamination and the decontamination process. The PHGS shall not require any special logistical considerations, instructions for use, care, and storage will be published in an instruction sheet with each pair of gloves that, if possible, can be sewn to the inside of the gloves. The PHGS shall not increase military force structure requirement. Use and maintenance of the PHGS shall not require an increase in target audience soldier cognitive skill. Fielding of the PHGS shall not impact upon operator or maintainer training programs. All safety hazards associated with the operation, maintenance, transportation, storage, and handling of the PHGS shall be eliminated or reduced to an acceptable level of risk. The PHGS shall repel POL and be able to be easily cleansed of residual POL that may present a safety hazard. The PHGS shall be designed to eliminate or control all potential health hazards. Any potential health hazards shall be identified. Interested firms are requested to submit information on their products within thirty (30) days following the publication of this synopsis. This should include as a minimum, a description that details the glove material construction, physical properties, performance characteristics, and any other information that the firm believes demonstrates the value of their product(s) and ability to meet the requirements of the PHGS program. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS. No solicitation document is available at this time but a future solicitation may be released. Companies should reply IN WRITING with statement of interest and product information (product literature, specifications, etc.) by Nov 15, 1998 toU.S. Army Soldier Biological & Chemical Command, ATTN: SSCNC-IC/PM-ESS (Debra McLean), Kansas St. Natick, MA 01760-5019. POC for this request is Debra McLean (508) 233- Posted 10/21/98 (I-SN264126). (0294)

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