The Marine Corps strikes again. This time it’s the USMC Corpsman Assault System which relies on a government owned design. So far the Marines have done this with several items including the IMTV and the USMC Pack. It means that commercial gear companies don’t have a shot at getting their designs into the hands of Marines and the issue equipment is designed by committee.
About a year ago, MARCORSYSCOM issued an RFI for production of a Corpsman Assault System consisting of:
Corpsman Assault System
Medical Assault Pack, CAS
Shoulder Harness Assembly, CAS
Shoulder Harness Pocket Assembly, CAS
Handle Assembly, CAS
Medical Sustainment Bag, CAS
Medical Thigh Rig, CAS
Belt, Medical Thigh Rig, CAS
Strap, Upright, Medical Thigh Rig, CAS
Strap, Medical Thigh Rig, CAS
Modular Medical Pouch, CAS
Narc Pouch, CAS
Medium Pouch, CAS
Large Pouch, CAS
Small Reversible Pouch, CAS
Medium Reversible Pouch, CAS
Elastic Panel, CAS
Double Pocket Panel, CAS
Stacked Pocket Panel, CAS
Triple Pocket Panel, CAS
I’m surprised it took a year for this to actually hit the pre-solicitation stage but the Marine Corps has done a very good job of keeping an eye on the programmatics side; synching dollars and programs. They know where their money is and when to spend it.
The Marines know what they want and are giving interested parties a heads up that they plan on buying up to 10,000 of these systems. Specifically, they want offerors to be able to produce at least 8,585 Corpsman Assault Systems within ten (10) months of contract award.
Patterns are available in the documentation for those interested in bidding. Feel free to read the whole thing at www.fbo.gov.
Commercial gear companies in fact do get to get their design into systems like these. More than you would think.
You’re right they do. It’s just that they don’t get compensated for it.
I send SSD a detailed response to his inaccurate article. He can change his “facts” if he’d like but here are tidbits:
-The design team were 90% Navy Corpsmen. In this case Design by Committee is a very good thing.
-Commercial gear companies were involved in the design and were paid/compensated.
-SSD should fire his informants and check facts before writing.
-SSD’s “surprise that it took a year” illustrates a lack of regular DoD sewn products solicitation timelines.
Touchy touchy. Government owned designs are bad for the industry. There’s no nice way to put it. Sugar coat it however you want.
As I sent you in the response to your email.
No informants. That statement is hilarious. All you have to do is read the presoliciation and know the history of the other USMC Government owned designs. At some point, the Marine Corps needs to acknowledge that they need a healthy tactical nylon industry in order to have somewhere to appropriate designs from. If the Government doesn’t compensate them, they will go away and there won’t be anyone to “inspire” designs.
However, since I wrote the article I did hear that during the design process a wide variety of commercial medical kit was used as reference and various features were taken from a variety of vendors’ gear. You’re right when you told me that you got what you wanted and not just one vendor’s design but the problem with that is that you took design elements from companies that make their living from those ideas. Great designs dont happen for free. Those inspirations you were able to harvest belonged to someone else. Are you willing to go on record and say that every company that had a product on the table knew it was there and was notified and compensated when their design element was appropriated?
Yes, I’m surprised it took a year to go from sources sought to Pre-solicitation for a Governement owned design. It shouldn’t. The Marines has just purchased packs so they knew what production timelines and costs were like. A budget cycle might drive that type of a wait but a program office who has its stuff together shouldn’t. Of course, that office spent much of the Spring preoccupied with other “stuff.”
As a combat medic i would rather have lit designed by guys like me who know what we need rather than a commercial ‘as used by delta sas seals’ that may be great for them but not by infantry/marine types.
I just wish the British military would do this type of kit procurement albeit a bit faster We just end up with a hydration pack with med kit dumped in it then have to spend our money on a decent but not right pack To hump around
Same old USMC story. Marines keep spending tax dollars on 2nd rate kit and the “labs” keep paying retired USMC generals big money make it look like its a competition. Small business don’t have a chance even when we provide better equipment year after year
I don’t really see many people getting rich in the contract sewing game and that’s what this is. Whoever wins this will be winner of a race to the bottom. Everyone who bids will lowball the heck out of it just like they did the pack. They’ll be making pennies for the privilege of keeping their doors open for a few more months.
“No Informants” then “I did hear that during the design process”. Hmmm. Thank you for making my point!
Your article remains factually and generally inaccurate and you have clearly never worked (for long or for a successful company at least) in the outdoor/tactical industry. Find new informants. Gossip blogs don’t require accuracy unless there is a concern about credibility.
Informant was your word not mine. And it is an interesting choice of words now isn’t it? Why did you use that word? It’s as if you were caught with your hand in the cookie jar and are in damage control mode. I know you don’t work for the program office so that must mean you are one of the guys on the “design committee” who wants to justify his actions.
And yeah, after I wrote the article someone told me that a bunch of Corpsmen were consulted on the setup. After. Because that person wanted to sell me on how great this Government design was. It’s no secret I’m not a fan of Government owned designs derived from commercial products.
I don’t think you even read the article. Go back and read it, particularly the first paragraph. I haven’t done anything wrong here. I think that Government owned designs that are derived from uncompensated commercial products are inherently wrong. You’re the one rushing in here telling everyone I’m a liar.
If you want to make your case you’re going to have to do better than hide behind a fake name and you’re going to need to provide evidence as in documentation. So feel free to send it. Email traffic, statements, evidence of compensation. I mean, we never saw a notice to industry asking them to participate in your working group meetings now did we? How did you determine which companies to work with? Sounds like some sort of drug deal. So that’s a great place to start. Show us your relationship to this whole process and how your group decided which commercial products they were going to baseline from. And also explain how that determination was made. Show some transparency.
There is nothing “pre” about this solicitation.
Maybe you’d better take the time to go actually read what’s in FBO.
I’ve read it just a couple times….This is a solicitation.
“And yeah, after I wrote the article someone told me that a bunch of Corpsmen were consulted on the setup. After.”
Dead wrong and pathetic. Fire your informant. He/she is forwarding BS and you keep posting it. Sour grapes? No shame? I read the article. It’s wrong. Check facts. Get over it.
Moving on. Done with your gossip blog.
Why do these guys always think they need to have the last word?