DESCRIPTION
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is seeking information from interested vendors that can provide CBP with ballistic shields.
THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATIONAL purposes only. This is not a Solicitation. This Request for Information (RFI) from industry will allow the Government to identify interested sources capable of meeting all requirements. The information sought is for planning purposes only.
THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS. The Government will not award a contract on the basis of this RFI, nor will the Government pay for any information, or administrative costs incurred in response to this RFI; all costs associated with responding to this RFI will be solely at the interested party’s expense. All proprietary or sensitive information must be clearly marked.
This announcement in no way obligates or commits the Government to acquire any product or service. There shall be no basis for claims against the Government because of information submitted in response to this RFI.
BACKGROUND
CBP has identified a need for high quality rigid, lightweight ballistic shields that can be deployed by individual Officers/Agents during dynamic law enforcement response to active threats. CBP is considering the execution of a new long-term contract to meet this need. CBP is conducting market research to capture the industry’s technological capabilities and to determine the most effective approach in developing an acquisition strategy.
The Law Enforcement Safety and Compliance Directorate, Harpers Ferry, WV, on behalf of Operations Support, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, is assessing this information. This announcement constitutes an official Request for Information (RFI).
REQUESTED INFORMATION
To facilitate the assessment, the following information is requested:
- Company Name, Company Address, Point of Contact, Telephone Number, e-mail Address.
- What size business (Small, Large) are you? Under what NAICS code are you classifying yourself as small or large?
- Are you a manufacturer or an authorized reseller of ballistic shields?
- Where are your shields manufactured? If you are an authorized reseller, who manufactures your shields?
- What is your organization’s experience with and capability for manufacturing and/or distributing ballistic shields for domestic law enforcement agencies?
- If you are an authorized reseller, would you require ballistic shields from multiple manufacturers to meet the requirements?
- What is your standard warranty timeframe for manufacturer’s defects? What coverage does the warranty include?
- Do you have ballistic shields (HG2 and RF1) that have been tested using the most current version of the ASTM International Standard E3347/3347M; Standard Specification for Ballistic-Resistant Shields Used by Law Enforcement Officers and ASTM International Standard E3141/E3141M; Standard Test Method for Ballistic Resistant Shields for Law Enforcement? Have the shields passed this testing?
- Attached is a draft Statement of Work (SOW). Can you provide ballistic shields that meet all the requirements contained in the SOW? If so, please indicate the make/model of the shield for each section (HG2 and RF1), or if you are in the process of developing shields that will meet these requirements.
- Are your proposed ballistic shields on GSA Schedule? If so, what is the schedule number?
- What is the manufacturer level of ISO certification?
- What is the normal lead-time for delivery of shields? Please frame your response based on groups of:
- 2 (qty)
- 50 (qty)
- 250 (qty)
- Please provide any additional feedback regarding the Draft SOW that you have not already addressed.
RESPONSES
Responses shall be the minimum length necessary to accommodate all requested information and submitted via e-mail only. Proprietary information, if any, should be minimized and MUST BE CLEARLY MARKED. To aid the Government, please segregate proprietary information. All responses shall be submitted via email not later than 2pm ET January 10, 2025 to the following:
Jared A. Tritle, Contracting Officer
Jared.A.Tritle@cbp.dhs.gov
QUESTIONS
Questions regarding this announcement shall be submitted in writing by e-mail to the Contracting Officer, email address listed above. Verbal questions will NOT be accepted. Questions, if not answered directly to the respondee, may be answered by posting on SAM; accordingly, questions shall NOT contain proprietary, sensitive, or classified information.
SUMMARY
This request for information (RFI) is for planning purposes only and should not be construed as a Request for Proposal or as an obligation on the part of the Government to acquire any services or hardware. Your response to this RFI will be treated as information only. No entitlement to payment of direct or indirect costs or charges by the Government will arise as a result of contractor submission of responses to this announcement or Government use of such information. No funds have been authorized, appropriated, or received for this effort. The information provided may be used by CBP in developing its Acquisition Strategy, Performance Work Statement and Performance Specification. Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary or competition sensitive information contained in their response. The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this RFI or to otherwise pay for the information submitted in response to same. The information provided herein is subject to change and in no way binds the Government to pursue any course of action described herein. The U.S. Government is not obligated to notify respondents of the results of this survey.
The purpose of this RFI is solely to conduct market research for potential CBP ballistic shields.
