Maritime Assault Suit System (MASS) Assessment Event (AE)

18 November 2021

Submissions Closed 11 October 11:59 PM ET

 

Purpose
SOFWERX, in collaboration with USSOCOM PEO SOF Warrior (PEO-SW), will host an Assessment Event (AE) to identify solutions for the Maritime Assault Suit System (MASS) and Lightweight MASS (L-MASS).

Objective
This program is seeking the following surface dry suit variants: (1) Maritime Assault Suit System (MASS) and (2) Lightweight MASS (L-MASS). These suits would be used as a combat/dry suit for the Naval Special Warfare community in maritime, land, airborne, shipboard, and transitional environments. The MASS and L-MASS must be comfortable, yet durable enough for rugged field use. Weight of MASS not to exceed 5-lbs and L-MASS not to exceed 4-lbs. They must keep the Operator as dry as possible in maritime and all weather conditions, including surface swims and while immersed in 10 feet of water for 1 minute. They should not restrict range of motion for activities including, but not limited to swimming, running, assault movements, and weapons manipulation. Additional important characteristics can be found in the Statement of Objectives (SOO) at the bottom of this webpage.

Why You Should Participate
USSOCOM seeks to enter into non-FAR or FAR-based agreements with Industry, Academic, and National Lab partners whose solutions are favorably evaluated by USSOCOM PEO-SW Subject Matter Experts. As such, the AE is considered competitive in the same manner as a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) or Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO), and solutions will be evaluated independently of one another primarily for technical merit. This serves dually as notification of the intent to research the feasibility of an agreement under 10 U. S. Code, Section 2371b and/or Section 2371b(f), and as notice of pre-solicitation activities IAW FAR 5.204.

Event Timeline
Completed Phase 1 – 15 September 2021 to 11 October 2021 Submissions Open: Interested respondents who could potentially provide solutions that meet the needs of USSOCOM are encouraged to submit their solutions for USSOCOM review. To submit your technology for potential Phase 3 attendance, please follow the submission instructions below.

Completed Phase 1a: 28 September 2021 Q&A Telecon: Interested offerors may participate in a virtual Q&A session to better understand the intent of the event by USSOCOM. The telecon will take place on 28 September from 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM ET. Click Here to RSVP (NLT 27 September)

Completed Phase 2 – 12 October 2021 to 09 November 2021 Downselect: USSOCOM will downselect those respondents/submissions they feel have the highest potential to satisfy their technology needs. Favorably evaluated submissions will receive an invitation o/a 10 November 2021 to attend the Phase 3 AE.

Completed Phase 3 –  18 November 2021 Assessment Event (AE): During the AE, selected participants will be allotted a one-on-one session with the USSOCOM evaluation panel to pitch, demonstrate, and/or discuss their solutions. The forum will include a Q&A portion, and discussions may continue outside of the event. Solution brief evaluation criteria will be outlined in the event invitation. If the USSOCOM evaluation panel favorably evaluates a solution brief, negotiations for Phase 4 may immediately begin.

Phase 4 – Path Forward: Successfully negotiated awards may fall under any combination of these categories:

  • Other Transaction Agreements under 10 U.S. Code, Section 2371 or 2371b* (prototyping/production follow-on)
  • Procurement contract for experimental purposes 10 U. S. Code, Section 2373
    Business to business research and development agreement as a sub-award (15 U.S. Code, Section 3715)
  • Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (15 U.S. Code, Section 3710a)
  • *An award under 10 U. S. Code, Section 2371b may result in the further award of a follow-on production agreement without additional competition based on successful prototype completion. The Government may make this follow-on production award even if all successful prototype criteria are not fully met during the prototype project.

Reference Materials
Submissions Closed 11 October

  1. Review the Statement of Objectives (SOO): Click Here to Review
  2. Review the MASS AE Q&A Telecon Transcript: Click Here to Review
  3. Review the MASS AE Q&A Telecon Brief Slides: Click Here to Review

Questions?  
For event-related questions, please contact Claire Hawley, claire.hawley@sofwerx.org

 

-