Sources Sought
Sources Sought Notice - Chemical Agent Resistant Coating - Enhanced
Dept of Defense · Dept of the Army · Sol. VPS_CARC_E
Due in 11 days
AI summary Beta
The Army's Product Manager Vehicle Protection Systems is doing market research to find companies that can make a Chemical Agent Resistant Coating - Enhanced (CARC-E) paint system. The paint would add signature management (making vehicles harder to detect) to the standard Army topcoat colors for combat vehicles. This is a Sources Sought request for information only, not a solicitation, and no award will be made from it.
Watch out for
- Not a solicitation. This is market research only; there is no award, no payment for response costs, and a solicitation may never be issued.
Funds are NOT available to pay for preparation of responses to
- Specialized military coating qualification. The paint would need to be qualified to Army military specifications, and the questions favor firms with prior CARC or signature-reduction coating experience and possible classified-facility needs.
- Short response window. Posted 2026-10-05 with responses due 2026-10-20, about two weeks to prepare a 10-page answer.
Read from the notice and 1 attachment.
- Sources Sought Notice - Chemical Agent Resistant Coating.pdf
Full brief
What they want
- Identify companies able to supply a CARC-E paint system for US Army combat vehicles
- Paint must add signature management features to a fully compliant palette of Army topcoats
- Written RFI response (max 10 pages) answering the numbered questionnaire
- Company details: CAGE code, facilities, business size, active SAM registration
- Past prime contracts for CARC-E and experience with signature-reduction coatings
- Security: facility clearance level and time to reach a secret-level clearance
- Qualification: timing for sample coupons and qualification to MIL-DTL-64159B or MIL-DTL-53039E
- Quality: ISO certifications or quality plan, and source-controlled material experience
- Place of performance
- USA
- Offers due
- 20 October 2026 at 1200 EST (SAM.gov field shows 2026-10-20 12:00 -04:00)
- How to submit
- Email to Contract Specialist Terrell Cheathem (terrell.m.cheathem.civ@army.mil), CC Lauren Wagner (lauren.e.wagner10.civ@army.mil); DoD SAFE link available on request for proprietary data
- Page limits
- RFI responses shall not exceed 10 pages
What to include when you submit
- Email subject line must be the title "Chemical Agent Resistant Coating - Enhanced" plus the company name
- Send in Microsoft Word 2016 or earlier, or Adobe Acrobat
- Text only: no pictures or graphics
- No classified information in the response
- Answer every question and number each answer to match the question number
- Include a release statement allowing proprietary information to go to Army reviewers, including support contractors
- Mark proprietary data clearly; the front page should say "Proprietary Information Contained" if it applies
- Spell out acronyms on first use
You must have
- Respondents must give their business size and active SAM (System for Award Management) registration information
Company business size and active System for Acquisition Management
- Respondents are asked about facility clearance levels and whether they can reach a secret-level clearance if production needs it (a question, not a stated requirement)
Does your company have a facility clearance level? If so, at what level?
- The coating would have to be qualified to military specifications MIL-DTL-64159B or MIL-DTL-53039E
Not in the notice text
- Whether a solicitation will ever be issued
- Quantity, contract type, period of performance and estimated value
- Whether a small business set-aside is planned (the SAM.gov set-aside field says none)
- Whether classified production facilities will be required
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Key facts
- Response due
- Oct 20, 2026, 4:00 PM UTC
- Posted
- Oct 5, 2026
- Notice type
- Sources Sought
- Solicitation
- VPS_CARC_E
- Agency
- Dept of Defense · Dept of the Army
- Office
- W6QK ACC- Dta
- NAICS
- 32551
- Product/service code
- 8010
- Business type
- Manufactured parts & equipment
- Contracting contact
- Terrell Cheathemterrell.m.cheathem.civ@army.mil
Full notice text from SAM.gov
Product Manager Vehicle Protection Systems (PdM VPS) is performing market research on capabilities to reduce or eliminate the signatures on various US Army Combat Vehicles. This sources sought is seeking to identify potential sources to provide a Chemical Agent Resistant Coating - Enhanced (CARC-E) paint system which incorporates specific signature management capabilities into a fully compliant palette of U.S. Army Topcoats.
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