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This Sources Sought Announcement is to assist the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center (NSRDEC) to identify potential sources to provide a special vacuum system for studies of radiative thermal management

The Government requests that responses be submitted electronically to mary.k.prebensen.civ@mail.mil and richard.m.osgood.civ@mail.mil by August 6, 2018 by 5pm EST.

Background: The Government is in need of a high vacuum chamber to investigate personal thermal management by passive radiative heating and/or cooling through novel arrays of polymeric films and fibers. To assess the thermal properties of these advanced polymeric films and fibers developed at NSRDEC, a vacuum chamber will be procured which will allow for the isolation and study of the radiative component of heat flow through these materials. The high vacuum chamber will bring new in-house capabilities by allowing for the interrogation of thermal radiative performance of materials by minimizing the effects of other heat transfer modalities such as through thermal convection.
Our requirements must encompass the following specifications. A cubic, stainless steel vacuum chamber with dimensions of 20-24" by 20-24" by 20-24" with a hinged door. The vacuum chamber will reach a target pressure between 1.0e-6 to 1.0e-5 torr. The chamber will contain numerous flanges and flow-through ports for optimum modular functionalities for future upgrades. Key features include 1) flow through ports for temperature probes, 2) flow through ports for powering heater devices inside the chamber to simulate body skin temperature (~34C) under the film/fabric sample, and 3) ideally, the ability to control the temperature inside the low pressure chamber environment around the film/fabric sample.

Optional features include 1) An IR transparent window at the top of the chamber 2) ability to mount an IR camera on the top of the chamber,

Requirements:
General Specifications:
• Chamber dimensions: L: min 20-24", W: min 20-24", and H: min 20-24"
• Hinged door
• Stainless steel and polished
• Four 4 inch viewports (top side of chamber)
• Feedthrough ports
o for temperature probes (thermocouple, RTD, and thermistor)
o for electrical power
• Vacuum pumping ports
• Flange
o ISO-LF-DN100 (NW100) (quantity = 1)
o QF40-100-LF (NW40) S3 (quantity = 1)
o QF40-100-LF (NW40) SS, with Blank (quantity = 3)
• Vacuum chamber and pumps self-contained in a stand/cabinet.
• Interior painted in high emissivity paint.

Specific Specifications:
 50-pin D-sub vacuum feed in LF100 flange
 Vacuum pump system: with ultimate pressure of 1e-6 to 1e-5 torr
 Manual or automatic re-pressurization system.
 Vacuum gauge
 Test system testing and validation.
 Internal chamber temperature control
• Temperature range from -20C to 80C
• Heating and cooling unit control by either of the two methods below:
o Thermal Shroud/Cooler with liquid coolant pumped
o Thermoelectric heater/cooler
o Optional
 Viewport on door with shutter
 Uni-axial or XY linear translational actuator
 Chamber interior light

Deliverables: Complete vacuum system

Delivery Date: The Government anticipates 12 weeks lead time for this commercial item. Please identify timeframe required for delivery.

Government Furnished Property (Equipment/Materials/Information/Computer Utilization):N/A

Interested parties are invited to submit a response to this Sources Sought Announcement. THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT ANNOUNCEMENT ONLY

This Sources Sought Announcement is issued solely for information and planning purposes and to identify interested sources. THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION. No contract will be awarded from this announcement. This Sources Sought does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future. It is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. Further, unsolicited proposals will not be accepted. Funding is not available at this time. The United States Army has not made a commitment to procure any of the items/services discussed, and release of this Sources Sought Announcement should not be construed as such a commitment or as authorization to incur cost for which reimbursement would be required or sought. Response to this Sources Sought Announcement is voluntary and no reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this and any follow-on information requests. All submissions become Government property and will not be returned.

Not responding to this Sources Sought Announcement does not preclude participation in any future RFP if any is issued. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized in the Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOps) website. It is the responsibility of the potential responders to monitor this site for additional information pertaining to this subject.

RESPONSES:
Interested parties may identify their interest and capability by sending responses regarding this requirement to the NSRDEC via e-mail ONLY to mary.k.prebensen.civ@mail.mil and richard.m.osgood.civ@mail.mil no later than August 6, 2018 by 5:00 p.m. EST. The U.S. Government will not pay for any information or administrative cost incurred in response to this Notice. All costs associated with responding to this Notice will be solely at the expense of the interested party.

Please provide business size (indicate your socioeconomic status), applicable NAICS code, and CAGE code. If you hold a GSA Federal Supply Schedule contract, please identify your contract number.

QUESTIONS:
Any questions for clarification may be emailed to mary.k.prebensen.civ@mail.mil and richard.m.osgood.civ@mail.mil no later than August 1, 2018 by 5:00 p.m. EST. Verbal questions will NOT be accepted. Questions shall NOT contain proprietary or classified information. An unattributed list of questions and answers will be published at the same web location of this Sources Sought Announcement.

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