Natick dropped a pre-solicitation for a new Low Viz Body Armor carrier on the street on the 15th of January while all of us were concentrating on SHOT Show. The actual solicitation which is supposed to hit the street by the end of the month is worth, “The minimum contract value will be $57,000 with a maximum value of $22,800,000.00.” SOCOM is seeking a Commercial Off The Shelf carrier and vendors will have 30 days to submit to include, “Complete proposals shall contain offerors technical, manufacturability, past performance, price and warranties to include Production Demonstration Systems (PDSs) packages. Initial Submissions will require 3 complete PDSs for each size and version of the SPEAR BALCS LVBAV.” This is for carriers only and not armor.
This requirement has been fulfilled for many years by the PACA carrier. However, it was only compatible with BALCS cut armor and plates used in the CIRAS and RBAV. This procurement demands a carrier that is compatible with both the RBAV and MBAV armor.
Finally, this is a set aside for small business. With so many companies being gobbled up by big business I wonder who is left to support this solicitation. Read about it here.