Interim Combat Service Rifle

Not wanting rifle makers to feel left out like pistol makers...

Oh wait, this is just like the M4 replacement/upgrade RFP...

What the ICSR must have:

1. Caliber - 7.62x51mm
2. Semi and Full automatic selectable
3. Suppressor capable
4. Safety - Contractor must provide a detailed System Safety Assessment Report in accordance with Data Item Description (DID) attached to this announcement (Attachment 0002) in order to confirm the weapon will pass safety testing.

If it has those four things it will be rated by:

1. Dispersion (300m - function, 600m - simulation)
2. Compatible w/ Future Weapon Sight-I and laser
3. Weapon length (folder or collapsed)/ Weight (empty/bare) / Velocity (300m and 600m calculated)
4. Semi-Automatic and Fully Automatic function testing (bursts and full auto)
5. Noise (at shooter's ear) / Flash suppression
6. Ambidextrous Controls (in darkness or adverse conditions) / Rail interface
7. 20-30 round magazine to support a 210 round combat load
8. Folding sights

For the record...

210 rounds of 7.62x51mm M80A1 is 11.76 lb.

210 rounds of 5.56x45mm M855A1 is 5.88 lb.

Assuming sense breaks out and they adopt the 0.29 lb. magazine Magpul makes...

210 rounds is really 220 and is 11 magazines; for 3.22 lb. of magazines.

15.51 lb. of ammo and magazines.

The FN SCAR-17 is pretty light for a 7.62 NATO rifle.  With it's heavier magazine (1.6 lb. each) it's 8.8 lb. plus 10 spare mages for 16 more pounds for almost 25 lb. for just the gun and its ammo.

Yeah, this is a FUCK YOU Mr Grunt proposal.

I'm willing to bet that they're going to want a clipped barrel version so the suppressor isn't so ungainly long, which will likely bring ballistic performance right back to where 5.56 is right now; gaining nothing at the cost of extra mass.

It's difficult to keep from being cynical about the acquisition process.



The RFP:

Solicitation Number:

W15QKN-17-Z-0ANP

Notice Type:

Combined Synopsis/Solicitation

Synopsis:

Added: Aug 04, 2017 3:45 pm

Commercial Opportunity Notice (CON) for Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) 
Army Contracting Command - New Jersey

Interim Combat Service Rifle (ICSR)
SECTION 1 - INTRODUCTION 

1.1 Background and Authority* 

The Army has identified a potential gap in the capability of ground forces and infantry to penetrate body armor using existing ammunition. To address this operational need, the Army is looking for an Interim Combat Service Rifle (ICSR) that is capable of defeating emerging threats. The Government has a requirement to acquire a commercial 7.62mm ICSR to field with the M80A1 Enhanced Performance Round (EPR) to engage and defeat protected and unprotected threats. The ultimate objective of the program is to acquire and field a 7.62mm ICSR that will increase Soldier lethality. 

The Government intends to award a maximum of eight (8) Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs), procuring seven (7) weapons from each Offeror for test and evaluation purposes. The Government reserves the right to award less than eight (8) OTAs or to make no OTA awards. Offerors may submit more than one (1) proposal, however, each proposal must be separate and distinct from one another. Each proposal shall include a bid sample, proposal and system safety assessment report. Once the test and evaluation is concluded, the Government may award a single follow-on Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) based contract for the production of up to 50,000 weapons. This estimate is subject to change. 

All interested Offerors are required to submit a bid sample, proposal, and system safety assessment report. The weapon system bid sample (one (1) weapon), along with proposal and a system safety assessment report, shall be delivered no later than 1500 Eastern Daylight Time Wednesday 6 September 2017 . The one (1) bid sample weapon shall include enough magazines to support the basic load of 210 rounds, one (1) cleaning kit, one (1) suppressor, one (1) specialized tool kit (if required) and one (1) commercial manual.

Under the authority of 10 U.S.C. 2371b, Other Transaction Agreements for Prototypes may be awarded to nontraditional and traditional defense contractors to carry out prototype projects that are directly relevant to enhancing the mission effectiveness of military personnel and the supporting platforms, systems, components, or materials proposed to be acquired or developed by the Department of Defense, or to improvement of platforms, systems, components, or materials in use by the armed forces.

The information provided in this Commercial Opportunity Notice (CON) for Other Transaction Agreements (OTA) is intended to ensure that to the maximum extent practicable, competitive procedures are used when entering into agreements to carry out this prototype project. 

*For additional information please refer to the Department of Defense (DOD), Other Transactions Guide for Prototype Projects (OTA Guide), Version 1.2.0, dated January 2017

1.2 CON for OTA Procedure 

This CON for an OTA is seeking proposals to accelerate lethal defensive and offensive capabilities utilizing innovative, commercial off the shelf item(s) for the selection of an ICSR. The acquisition will be conducted in several phases as follows:

Phase 1: Submission of ICSR Bid Sample(s), Proposal for each Bid Sample, System Safety Assessment Report for each Bid Sample and award for a maximum of eight (8) OTA's for seven (7) ICSRs each.

Phase 2: Testing and Evaluation of the seven (7) ICSRs acquired under the OTA's from each awardee.

Phase 3: Potential Selection of one (1) Offeror for award of a single Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity contract under the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) for follow-on production, for up to 50,000 ICSRs.

The ICSR Bid Sample, Proposal, and System Safety Assessment Report shall be submitted as specified in Section 3 of this CON for an OTA. The Government will evaluate the Proposal(s) and ICSR Bid Sample(s) against the criteria stated in this announcement. The Government will not pay Offerors for the ICSR Bid Sample submissions, and may engage in dialogues with Offerors prior to OTA award.

SECTION 2 - DEFINITIONS 
"Agreements Officer" as defined by the DoD OTA Guide is to an individual with authority to enter into, administer, or terminate other transactions for prototype projects. To be eligible to be an Agreements Officer, the individual must be a warranted DoD Contracting Officer with a comparable dollar value warrant.

"Innovative" means-- 
(1) any new technology, process, or method, including research and development; or 
(2) any new application of an existing technology, process, or method. 

"Key Participant" as defined by the DoD OTA Guide means a business unit that makes a significant contribution to the prototype project. Examples of what might be considered a significant contribution include supplying new key technology or products, accomplishing a significant amount of the effort, or in some other way causing a material reduction in the cost or schedule or increase in performance.

"Nontraditional Defense Contractor" as the term is defined in section 2302(9) of title 10, United States Code with respect to applicable authority, means an entity that is not currently performing and has not performed, for at least the one-year period preceding the solicitation of sources by the Department of Defense for the procurement or transaction, any contract or subcontract for the Department of Defense that is subject to full coverage under the cost accounting standards prescribed pursuant to section 1502 of title 41 and the regulations implementing such section. This includes all small business concerns under the criteria and size standards in Title 13, Code of Federal Regulations, part 121 (13 CFR 121). 

"Other Transaction for Prototype Projects" refers to this type of Other Transaction Agreement (OTA). This type of OTA is authorized by 10 U.S.C. 2371b for prototype projects directly relevant to enhancing the mission effectiveness of military personnel and the supporting platforms, systems, components, or materials proposed to be acquired or developed by the DoD, or for the improvement of platforms, systems, components, or materials in use by the armed forces. This type of OTA is treated by DoD as an acquisition instrument, commonly referred to as an "other transaction" for a prototype project or a Section 2371b "other transaction". "Prototype" can generally be described as a physical or virtual model used to evaluate the technical or manufacturing feasibility or military utility. 

"Small Business" as defined by the DoD OTA Guide means a small business concern as defined under section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632)

SECTION 3 - GUIDELINES FOR PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION OF PROPOSAL and ICSR BID SAMPLE 
The purpose of the Proposal and ICSR Bid Sample is to identify innovative solutions for the Department of Defense and preclude effort on the part of the Offeror whose proposed work is not of interest to the Government. Accordingly, Offerors are encouraged to submit Proposal(s) and ICSR Bid Sample(s) following the instructions detailed below. The Proposal and ICSR Bid Sample should specifically identify how the Offeror will achieve the requirements stated in this CON for OTA on Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps) fbo.gov. In general, companies will be notified within approximately 120 calendar days after the CON has closed whether their solution is of interest to the US Government. 

PROPOSAL and ICSR BID SAMPLE SUBMISSION: 

1) The costs of preparing and submitting the Proposal and ICSR Bid Sample are not considered an allowable direct charge to any contract or agreement. 

2) Advertising brochures are not desired.

3) Multiple Proposals may be submitted by the same organization; however, each Proposal shall consist of the following: ICSR Bid Sample, Proposal, and System Safety Assessment Report. Each Proposal must be separate and distinct from one another.

4) The Proposal(s) shall be valid for a period of 180 days. The period of performance for the OTA(s) will be no greater than 24 months unless otherwise mutually agreed to by all parties

5) Technical data with military application may require appropriate approval, authorization, or license for lawful exportation. 

6) All Proposals and ICSR Bid Samples shall be unclassified. Proposals and ICSR Bid Samples containing data that is not to be disclosed to the public for any purpose or used by the Government except for evaluation purposes shall include the following sentences on the cover page of the Proposal: 

"This Proposal includes data that shall not be disclosed outside the Government and shall not be duplicated, used, or disclosed -- in whole or in part -- for any purpose other than to evaluate this submission. If, however, an agreement is awarded to this Company as a result of -- or in connection with -- the submission of this data, the Government shall have the right to duplicate, use, or disclose the data to the extent agreed upon by both parties in the resulting agreement. This restriction does not limit the Government's right to use information contained in this data if it is obtained from another source without restriction. The data subject to this restriction are contained in sheets [insert numbers or other identification of sheets]" 

Each restricted data sheet should be marked as follows: 
"Use or disclosure of data contained on this sheet is subject to the restriction on the title page of this proposal." 

7) Foreign-Owned businesses may be an Offeror alone or through some form of teaming arrangement with one or more United States-owned businesses. However, the ability to obtain an agreement based upon a submission may depend upon the ability of the Foreign- Owned business to obtain necessary clearances and approvals to obtain proscribed information, prior to the close of this CON for OTA. 

8) Questions regarding the objectives or preparation of the Proposal and ICSR Bid Sample shall be addressed to Gloria Thoguluva, Contract Specialist, Army Contracting Command - New Jersey, Email: gloria.thoguluva.civ@mail.mil. 

9) Proposal submission and System Safety Assessment Report must be submitted electronically via Email to: gloria.thoguluva.civ@mail.mil. Note: electronic submission of files exceeding 20 megabytes (MB), but less than 2 gigabytes (GB) in size, can be transmitted to gloria.thoguluva.civ@mail.mil using the AMRDEC Safe Access File Exchange (SAFE) system at https://safe.amrdec.army.mil/safe/Welcome.aspx

10) ICSR Bid Samples must be submitted to the below address, using the standard commercial shipping and packaging as listed in Attachment 0001 of this CON, along with Email notification that shipment has been initiated.

Mail ICSR Bid Samples to:
US Army RDECOM ARDEC
DODAAC: W15BXD, UIC: W4MKAA
Attention: Shipping and Receiving, Building 91

Mark for:
Scott Wombacher 973-724-9267 / Jose Hernandez 973-724-9267 / Doug Hill 973-724-9502
Customer: PM Soldier Weapons
Armament Technology Facility, Bldg. 7
RDAR-WSW-F (ATF)
Picatinny Arsenal, NJ 07806-5000

Email Shipment Notification, to include (1) Shipment Date, and (2) Tracking Number to:
Gloria Thoguluva, Email: gloria.thoguluva.civ@mail.mil, and 
Gherin Fracasso, Email: gherin.fracasso.civ@mail.mil

PROPOSAL PREPARATION

Proposal information shall be provided to the Government in a written submission. The submission shall provide more details on the proposed solution submitted. The Proposal shall not exceed fifteen (15) pages using 12-point font. The System Safety Assessment Report, Data Rights Assertions, Significant Non-Traditional Participation or Cost Share, and Commercial Manual do not count towards the fifteen (15) pages.

PROPOSAL CONTENT

Each Proposal submitted shall consist of five (5) sections: Section 1 shall provide an introduction; Section 2 shall provide data rights assertions; Section 3 shall provide production capability information; Section 4 shall address price/cost/schedule; and Section 5 shall address significant non-traditional participation or cost share.

Proposal Section 1, Introduction

Title Page (does not count against page limit) 

Company Name, Date, Point of Contact Name, Title, E-Mail Address, Phone, and Address and any subcontractors or team members. Include an abstract which provides a concise description of the proposal.

Proposal Section 2, Data Rights Assertions
(This section will not count towards the fifteen (15) page count)

The Proposal will identify any intellectual property involved in the effort and associated restrictions on the Government's use of that intellectual property.

In addition to these required areas, the Government may request the Offeror provide additional information/detail with respect to the Technology Concept information provided in the Proposal. 
Include documentation proving your ownership of or possession of appropriate licensing rights to all patented inventions (or inventions for which a patent application has been filed) that will be utilized under your proposal for an ICSR. If a patent application has been filed for an invention that your proposal utilizes, but the application has not yet been made publicly available and contains proprietary information, you may provide only the patent number, inventor name(s), assignee names (if any), filing date, filing date of any related provisional application, and a summary of the patent title, together with either: (1) a representation that you own the invention, or (2) proof of possession of appropriate licensing rights in the invention.

The Proposal will provide a good faith representation that you either own or possess appropriate licensing rights to all other intellectual property that will be utilized under your proposal for ICSR.

Proposal Section 3, Production Capability

The Proposal shall address the following Factor and Subfactors:

a. Factor: Production Capability: Include a brief overview of the Offeror's production capabilities and experience. If any subcontractors will be utilized, identify subcontractors and key functions they will support.

i. Subfactor 1: Manufacturing Process: Briefly describe manufacturing process to include assembly line, production, test, inspection, assembly, packaging and shipping of ICSRs. Include description of capacity of available weapon and ammunition storage facilities. Identify long lead items and potential to impact the proposed production schedule for quantities up to 50,000 units (as specified in Subfactor 4 below). Describe facility layout for minimum and maximum monthly production rates.

ii. Subfactor 2, Quality Management: Briefly describe the Quality Management process for in-coming inspection; in process inspection and control; and final inspection. Describe the process for identification, inspection, and control of critical performance characteristics and processes. Describe the process for inspection and prevention of non-conforming product.

iii. Subfactor 3, Commercial Manual: Submit a Commercial Manual for the ICSR (does not count against page limit). At a minimum, the manual shall contain the following information: weapon overview, pre-operation of the weapon, operation of the weapon, how to access malfunctions, basic disassembly, maintenance, and schematic of the major assemblies.

iv. Subfactor 4: Schedule: Provide a notional schedule for quantities up to 50,000 units to include with each weapon, magazines to support the basic load of 210 rounds, cleaning kit, specialized tool kit (if required) and manual for potential FAR-based follow-on contract. The schedule shall include minimum monthly production (including ramp up production) and maximum monthly production. Shipping will be FOB Origin. Ship to Address is to be determined (TBD).

Proposal Section 4, Price 
The Offeror shall provide any data or supporting information as the parties agree is necessary for the determination of a fair and reasonable price for the following quantities:

a. Quantity of seven (7) ICSR units for the OTA with magazines to support the basic load of 210 rounds per weapon, seven (7) cleaning kits, one (1) suppressor, one (1) specialized tool kit (provide if required) and seven (7) commercial manuals. Delivery shall be 30 days after award. Shipping will be FOB Destination.

Ship to Address is:
US Army Aberdeen Test Center
Bldg. 358
Attn: ICSR Project, G. Niewenhous
Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, 21005

b. Quantity of seven (7) Spare Part Kit units for the OTA to support the testing after award. The proposal shall identify the contents of the kits. Contents will be determined by the Offeror, based on their knowledge of the weapon to support testing. If the Government runs out of spares during testing, the testing will continue and will be scored accordingly. Shipping will be FOB Destination.

Ship to Address is:
US Army Aberdeen Test Center
Bldg. 358
Attn: ICSR Project, G. Niewenhous
Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, 21005

c. Provide a rough order of magnitude (ROM) price for quantities up to 50,000 units to include with each weapon, magazines to support the basic load of 210 rounds, cleaning kit, specialized tool kit (if required) and manual for potential FAR-based follow-on contract. The price range(s) shall reflect minimum monthly production (including ramp up production) and maximum monthly production associated with each. Shipping will be FOB Origin. Ship to Address is to be determined (TBD).

Proposal Section 5, Significant Non-Traditional Participation or Cost Share 
(This section will not count towards the fifteen (15) page count)

Provide a description of how your company will meet the requirements for non-traditional participation or cost share as detailed below.

Before an agreement can be executed, one of the following conditions shall be met:
- At least one nontraditional defense contractor is participating to a significant extent in this prototype project; 
- All significant participants in the transaction other than the Federal Government are small business or nontraditional defense contractors; or
- At least one third of the total cost of the prototype project is to be paid out of funds provided by parties to the transaction other than the Federal Government

SECTION 4 - PROPOSAL and ICSR BID SAMPLE BASIS OF EVALUATION 

Basis for Award:

The below Evaluation Criteria will be used in the selection of up to eight (8) OTA awards:

     Step 1: Initial ICSR Bid Sample Evaluation - Go / No Go:

If an Offeror's ICSR Bid Sample receives one (1) "No Go" in any of the 4 areas listed below in this Step 1, that Offeror will be eliminated from the competition with no further evaluation.

1. Caliber - 7.62x51mm
2. Semi and Full automatic selectable
3. Suppressor capable
4. Safety - Contractor must provide a detailed System Safety Assessment Report in accordance with Data Item Description (DID) attached to this announcement (Attachment 0002) in order to confirm the weapon will pass safety testing.

The Government intends to make no more than eight (8) OTA awards as a result of this CON. The basis for award of OTA(s) resulting from this notice will be the result of the evaluation of the Factors specified below.

Evaluation Factors:
Factor 1, Bid Sample
Factor 2, Production Capability
Factor 3, Price

Order of Importance: Bid Sample is more important than Production Capability, which is more important than Price.

Individual Proposal(s) and ICSR Bid Sample(s) will be evaluated in a careful, full and impartial manner pursuant to the stated criteria of this CON for an OTA. Awards will be made to the company or companies that best meet the Government requirements based on an integrated assessment of the evaluation results of the following Factors: Bid Samples, Production Capability and Price, in descending order of importance (i.e. Bid Sample is more important than Production Capability , which is more important than Price). The Government reserves the right to conduct a Pre-Award Survey or similar, in order to determine Contractor responsibility.

     Step 2: Production Capability Factor Evaluation:

Evaluation Factors: The Government will weigh the relative benefits of each proposal and will assess the results of the following factor/subfactors:

Factor: Production Capability: The Production Capability Factor has four (4) Subfactors which are listed below.

Subfactor 1: Manufacturing Process

Subfactor 2: Quality Management

Subfactor 3: Commercial Manual

Subfactor 4: Schedule

Order of Importance: All the Subfactors are equal in importance.

Rating Definitions: The evaluators will use the following terms in support of the rating of all non-cost/price evaluation Factors:

a. Deficiency - A material failure of a proposal to meet a Government requirement or a combination of significant weaknesses in a proposal that increases the risk of unsuccessful contract performance to an unacceptable level. If there is at least one deficiency, the proposal will be removed from the competition.

b. Significant Weakness - A flaw that appreciably increases the risk of unsuccessful contract performance.

c. Weakness - A flaw in the proposal that increases the risk of unsuccessful contract performance.

d. Strength - An aspect of an Offeror's proposal that has merit or exceeds specified performance or capability requirements in a way that will be advantageous to the Government during contract performance.

e. Significant Strength - An aspect of an Offeror's proposal that has appreciable merit or appreciably exceeds specified performance or capability requirements in a way that will be appreciably advantageous to the Government during contract performance.

f. Uncertainty - Any aspect of a non-cost/price Factor proposal for which the intent of the Offeror is unclear (e.g., more than one way to interpret the offer or inconsistencies in the proposal indicating that there may have been an error, omission or mistake).

If an Offeror's proposal receives one (1) or more deficiencies the proposed candidate will be eliminated from the competition with no further evaluation. If the weaknesses, significant weaknesses and/or uncertainties outweigh the strengths and/or significant strengths, the proposed candidate will be immediately eliminated from the competition and not allowed to proceed into Step 3 Bid Sample Testing.

SUBFACTOR 1: Manufacturing Process

The Government will evaluate the adequacy of the Offeror's manufacturing process for producing the ICSR to meet the Offeror's proposed production schedule. The Government will evaluate adequacy of the proposed manufacturing facilities. The Government will evaluate adequacy of the Offeror's Manufacturing Process on its ability to be executable and its supportability. The Government will evaluate the following areas:

a. The adequacy and completeness of the manufacturing process and the Offeror's assembly line, including production, test, inspection, assemble, package, and shipping of the ICSR.

b. The adequacy and capacity of the available weapon and ammunition storage facilities for the ICSR requirement.

c. Long lead items and their impact on the proposed schedule.

d. The adequacy of the production facility layout to accommodate the Offeror's minimum production rate and maximum production rate.

SUBFACTOR 2: Quality Management

The Government will evaluate the adequacy of the Offeror's Quality Management process. The Government will evaluate the following areas:

a. The adequacy of the Quality Management process for in-coming inspection; in-process inspection and control; final inspection.

b. The adequacy of the process for identification, inspection, and control of critical performance characteristics and processes (those characteristics and related processes that could result in loss of performance, test failures, or reduced reliability).

c. The adequacy of the process for inspection and prevention of non-conforming product

SUBFACTOR 3: Commercial Manual

The Government will evaluate the adequacy of the Offeror's Commercial Manual. The Government will evaluate the following areas:

a. The usability of the manual to properly operate and maintain the weapon.

b. The adequacy of the manual to contain information, at a minimum, weapon overview, pre-operation of the weapon, operation of the weapon, how to access malfunctions, basic disassembly, maintenance, and schematic of the major assemblies.

SUBFACTOR 4: Schedule

The Schedule will be evaluated for capability to produce quantities for potential follow-on production. The evaluation will include a review of the notional schedule for production quantities of up to 50,000 units to include weapon magazines to support the basic load of 210 rounds for each weapon, cleaning kit, specialized tool kit (if required), and manual.

     Step 3: Bid Sample:

The Government will be evaluating the performance of the various bid samples against each other using the below-listed attributes. The Government will be using a weighted point scoring system to perform its evaluation of the ICSR bid samples. The attributes are ranked in order of importance, for further details see Attachment 0003 (Bid Sample Testing Attribute Ranking Explanation). The evaluation will consist of live fire testing of the attributes listed below. These attributes are ranked in descending order of importance. The evaluation results will then be tallied to determine the overall rating.

1. Dispersion (300m - function, 600m - simulation)
2. Compatible w/ FWS-I and laser
3. Weapon length (folder or collapsed)/ Weight (empty/bare) / Velocity (300m and 600m calculated)
4. Semi-Automatic and Fully Automatic function testing (bursts and full auto) 
5. Noise (at shooter's ear) / Flash suppression 
6. Ambidextrous Controls (in darkness or adverse conditions) / Rail interface 
7. 20-30 round magazine to support a 210 round combat load
8. Folding sights 

NOTE 1: Attributes 2, 6, 7, and 8 above will be evaluated on a zero/full point basis. An Offeror whose bid sample receives zero (0) points for one (1) or more of these attributes will not be automatically eliminated from the competition; however, receiving a zero (0) score for one (1) or more of these attributes will adversely impact an Offeror's overall score.

NOTE 2: The proposed candidate will be eliminated from the competition with no further evaluation if at any time the weapon becomes inoperable during testing.

NOTE 3: In order to evaluate the bid sample, the Offeror must include the cleaning, lubrication and preservative (CLP) that is currently on the weapon. The Offeror must be aware that during the evaluations, the weapon will be cleaned with standard, military CLP.

     Step 4: Price Evaluation:

Price Analysis:
The Government will conduct price analysis of the overall prices submitted for the below items to determine price reasonableness for OTA award(s). Price reasonableness will be based on competitive offers received in response to this CON for OTA

a. Seven (7) ICSRs units with magazines to support the basic load of 210 rounds per weapon, seven (7) cleaning kits, one (1) suppressor, one (1) specialized tool kit (provide if required) and seven (7) manuals

b. Seven (7) Spare Part Kit units for the OTA to support the testing after award.

Price Realism:
The ROM prices will be reviewed for price realism for quantities up to 50,000 units to include with each weapon, magazines to support the basic load of 210 rounds, cleaning kit, specialized tool kit (if required) and manual for potential FAR-based follow-on contract.

Upon review of a Proposal(s) and ICSR Bid Sample(s), the Government may elect to invite an Offeror prior to award of OTA to provide additional clarifying information. 
The Government will evaluate the Proposal(s) and ICSR Bid Sample(s) as they are received. Proprietary information will be protected from potential competitors.

SECTION 5 - AWARD OF PROTOTYPE OTA(S)

The Government intends to award a maximum of eight (8) Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs), procuring seven (7) weapons from each Offeror for test and evaluation purposes. The Government reserves the right to award less than eight (8) OTAs or to make no OTA awards.

Award(s) will be fixed price and will be made using an Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs). The Agreements Officer will negotiate directly with the Offeror on the terms and conditions of the OTA, including payments 
To receive an award, one (1) of the following must be present: 
• Significant participation by non-traditional defense companies; or 
• One-third cost share of the total agreed-upon price unless an exception under section 2371b(d)(1) applies. 

To receive an award, Companies must have a Dunn and Bradstreet (DUNS) number and must register in the System for Award Management (SAM). This system verifies identity and ensures that payment is sent to the right party. In general, to invoice and receive payment after award of an OTA, Companies must register in Wide Area Work Flow (WAWF) system. The company must be considered a responsible party by the Agreements Officer, and is not suspended or debarred from such agreement by the Federal Government, and is not prohibited by Presidential Executive Order, or law from receiving such award. 

Awards under this CON for OTA will be made to Offerors on the basis of the evaluation criteria listed above and is in the best interest of the Government. 

COMPTROLLER GENERAL ACCESS TO INFORMATION 

In projects that provide for payments in a total amount in excess of $5,000,000, the agreement must include a clause that provides for the Comptroller General the ability to examine the records of any party to the agreement or any entity that participates in the performance of the agreement. 

SECTION 6 - FOLLOW-ON PRODUCTION CONTRACT 
Given that competitive procedures will be used for selection of the OTA(s), and provided that the ICSR prototype project is completed successfully, the Government reserves the right to award a single Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity, FAR based follow-on production contract without further competition. Selection of the successful prototype for award of the follow-on production contract will be conducted using testing and evaluation of the delivered prototypes, including but not limited to Function and Performance Testing, which is focused on receiving a safety confirmation and safety release.

Areas to be evaluated could include, but not be limited to: Controllability and Recoil, Trigger, Ease/Speed of Magazine Changes, Sighting System Interface (e.g., ability to acquire and maintain sight picture), and Usability of Controls (e.g., safety). Additionally, a small, limited user evaluation may be conducted with qualified solders. Additional details regarding the evaluation will be provided at a later date to the offerors who are selected to receive the OTA award(s).

SECTION 7 - OTHER INFORMATION 

Army Contracting Command - New Jersey (ACC-NJ) policy is to treat all submissions as source selection information, and to disclose their contents only for the purpose of evaluation. Restrictive notices notwithstanding, during the evaluation process, submissions may be handled by support contractors for administrative purposes and/or to assist with technical evaluation. All ACC-NJ and DoD support contractors performing this role are expressly prohibited from performing DoD-sponsored technical research and are bound by appropriate nondisclosure agreements. 
ICSR Bid Samples will be returned to unsuccessful Proposal Submitter(s) upon award of OTA. ICSR systems acquired under the OTAs will be owned by the Government and utilized for further testing. ISCSR Bid Samples for those Offerors who are awarded an OTA will be kept for further evaluation. 

SECTION 8 - CONTACT INFORMATION 

Amy Contracting Command - New Jersey

Gloria Thoguluva, Email: gloria.thoguluva.civ@mail.mil, and 
Gherin Fracasso, Email: gherin.fracasso.civ@mail.mil

Be advised, only an Agreements Officer has the authority to enter into a binding agreement on behalf of the Government. He or she will sign the agreement, and only an Agreements Officer has the authority to change the terms of the agreement.