Soldier Protection Equipment - Vital Torso Protection

Product Manager Soldier Protective Equipment (PdM SPE) is seeking information on industry capabilities and availability to support the Product Management Office (PMO) market research efforts for Vital Torso Protection (VTP) ballistic armor. The PMO requests industry provides white papers with supporting test data addressing their capability and interest in producing a Lightweight Small Arms Protective Insert (LSAPI). This is a Request for Information (RFI) only. The request is solely for information and planning purposes. It does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future. Solicitations are not currently available. Requests for a solicitation will not receive any response from the Government. This notice does not constitute a commitment by the Government to offer a contract for any supply or service whatsoever. White paper submissions are voluntary. The Government will not pay for information requested nor will it compensate respondents for any cost incurred in developing information provided to the Government. This RFI aims to collect information from vendors on their ability to design and potentially deliver a VTP hard armor plate variant supporting the Army�s VTP Full Rate Production (FRP) requirements. The Government requests white papers with supporting test data solely for internal Government purposes (if available) to further develop and/or refine Statement of Work (SOW) requirements. Appropriate measures will be taken to manage received information and store documentation in accordance with Government standards to prevent the dissemination of sensitive information. Back Face Deformation (BFD) measurements and test standards will adhere to current approved Government Department of Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E) test protocols. The technical ballistic requirements for this ballistic insert will be provided upon request from the PMO to the potential sources of supply who possess an active facility clearance. In