Product Manager Soldier Protective Equipment (PM SPE) is hosting an Industry Day for the Military Combat Eye Protection (MCEP) Qualified Products List (QPL) effort. The MCEP QPL Industry Day will be held on Wednesday, 27 June 2012, in the Belvoir Room at the Fort Belvoir Officers’ Club, 5500 Schultz Circle #20, Fort Belvoir, VA 22060-6102, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. EST.
Interested vendors must RSVP by 4:00 p.m. EST on 20 June 2012 and provide the name(s) of those attending on their behalf. Attendees must be U.S. citizens. Due to limited space, attendance will be limited to manufacturers of protective eyewear and a maximum of three (3) attendees per company. Reservations are available on a first-come, first-served basis or until capacity has been met.
One challenge to industry for this new program is that vendors must adapt their products to interface with the Universal Prescription Lens Carrier (UPLC), NSN 6540-01-600-6532. This is a GOTS product and some eyepro geometries may not accommodate this item.
The current Army Protective Eyewear List has been fraught with controversy. The process has been haphazard and when lots of product from individual vendors fails testing, the Army has been reticent to disseminate the information. Hopefully, the Army will adopt a more streamlined, and transparent process.
