The Government requests that responses be submitted electronically to [email protected] and [email protected] by June 7, 2018 by 5pm EST.

Background: The Government (NSRDEC) is in need of a sweating guarded hot plate (SGHP) that can measure the thermal resistance and vapor permeability of smaller textiles. Present specifications for custom, 6-zone variable sized SGHP capable of measuring sample sizes: 2.5"by 2.5"/4"/6"/8" and 12" by 12" with dynamic sweating delivery system, active cooling, and dynamic heatflux sensor, integrated chamber that can operate without plumbing to laboratory facilities needed. The team has completed market research to procure a variable sized, custom 6-zone SGHP.

Description: The following specifications are required.
General Specifications:
• 6 - Zone Sweating Guarded hot plate. Variable test plate that can test samples 2.5"x2.5"/4"/6"/8"/12"x 12" sizes with guard ring & lower guard.
• Digital Sweat Delivery
• Addition of a dynamic Heatflux Sensor to each test zone
• Active Cooling feature to allow for textile testing under sustained thermal loads and higher ambient temperatures
• Integrated Climatic Chamber with temperature ranges from 15oC to 55oC, ± 0.1oC and Humidity range 30-70%
• Recirculating fluid reservoir to supply distilled or DI water
• Communication output needs to be serial communication port, not USB
• Certified 4-layer reference material for instrument calibration
• Laptop PC preloaded with Windows 7 operating system
• Complete operating manuals and one year limited warranty
• Onsite start-up & training
Specific Specifications:
• 6-zone sweating hotplate with variable test plate and guard ring dimensions. Available combinations (software selectable) include 2.5"x2.5" test plate with 4.75" guard ring, 4"x4" test plate with 4" guard ring, 6"x6" test plate with 3" guard ring, and 8"x8" test plate with 2" guard ring. Zone configurations are suitable for sample sizes ranging from 2.5"x2.5" up to 12"x12"
• Hotplate heater power (test plate maximum heat flux) up to 1,200 W/m2
• Hotplate operational temperature range 20°C to 50°C
• Hotplate intrinsic thermal resistance range 0.002 to 2.0 K•m²/W.
• Hotplate intrinsic evaporative resistance range 0 to 1000 Pa•m²/W
• Manual plate height adjustment for precise test setup
• ± 0.1°C Temperature
• ± 3% Relative humidity

Deliverables: custom 6-zone SGHP with digital sweat delivery, Dynamic Heatflux Sensor, and active cooling, integrated climate chamber, legacy communication output (serial communication port), recirculating fluid system, certified 4-layer reference fabric, computer with software, manuals, one-year limited warranty, on-site startup & training

Delivery Date: The Government anticipates 18-20 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 [email protected] and [email protected] no later than June 7, 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 [email protected] and [email protected] no later than May 31, 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.