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AI summary Beta
The Navy's Indian Head Division is doing market research to find companies that can make the MC91 loaded cartridge assembly, which fires the MK 5 MOD 0 explosive bolt on the AN/BST-1 buoy system. It wants 100 production units plus test samples, all delivered within one year of award. This is a sources sought notice only and the Navy does not plan to award a contract from it.
Watch out for
Explosives manufacturing. You need an energetic loading line, ATF licensing and explosive storage approvals, which most small businesses do not have. Does your facility hold the necessary ATF licensing
Export-controlled technical data. You cannot see the drawings or specs until you have a DD Form 2345 and other approvals. The Technical Data Package (TDP) contains technical data whose export is restricted by the Arms Export Control Act
Tight one-year delivery. You must stand up a manufacturing line and deliver all units within one year of award. Contractor must be able to stand up a manufacturing line
Nonmanufacturer rule limits teaming. A small business that resells a large business's cartridges needs an individual SBA waiver before solicitation closes. are you aware of the requirements to obtain an individual SBA Nonmanufacturer Rule (NMR) waiver prior to solicitation close?
Possible sole-source or obsolete materials. The Navy asks whether any materials are obsolete or sole-sourced, a sign of supply-chain risk.
Read from the notice text only.
Full brief
What they want
Make, test, package and deliver the MC91 cartridge assembly (100 production units plus qualification and acceptance test samples)
Meet specs WS6061 and WS6052 and work with the MK 5 MOD 0 explosive bolt
Stand up a manufacturing line and deliver everything within one year of award
Provide nondestructive testing, including hermetic seal helium leak and X-ray inspection
Answer the questionnaire with capability, availability, production rate and a rough price estimate
Period of performance
All deliveries within one year of award
Offers due
November 9, 2026, 17:00 Eastern Time (the SAM deadline field shows 3:00 PM Eastern)
How to submit
Email to the two NSWC IHD points of contact listed in the notice
Page limits
PDF, no more than 15 pages in total
What to include when you submit
Give organization name, address, point of contact, phone, email, business size, UEI and CAGE Code
Include a summary of capabilities and delivery timeframe and schedule
Answer the questionnaire in the notice
If you are a small business, say whether you will do at least 50% of manufacturing cost in-house or use another source
You must have
Approved DD Form 2345, signed NDA and active CAGE code to receive the export-restricted technical data package interested vendors must submit a written request accompanied by an approved DD Form 2345
ATF licensing, Net Explosive Weight storage capacity and DoD 4145.26-M compliance to manufacture and store loaded cartridges Does your facility hold the necessary ATF licensing
Small business primes must self-perform at least 50% of manufacturing cost, or use a small business manufacturer, or get an SBA Nonmanufacturer Rule waiver perform at least 50% of the cost of manufacturing (excluding material costs) in-house
Safety-approved facility for energetic materials at your own safety-approved facility
Not in the notice text
Set-aside status of any future solicitation (none stated)
Estimated value and contract type
Place of performance
Exact content of WS6061, WS6052 and ADL 2429839, which are in the restricted data package
Whether a solicitation will follow
Written by AI from the notice text on SAM.gov, and can make mistakes. Check the solicitation before you bid.
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469 contracts at this agency for the same NAICS and product/service codes had activity in the last 5 years, according to USAspending.gov. Small businesses won 20% of the dollars in this market over the last 3 fiscal years.
Typical contract$1.2MMiddle half: $629K to $3.5M
Typical per year$524KValue divided by years of performance
This announcement should not be construed as a commitment by the U.S. Government. The U.S. Navy does not intend to award a contract based on this Request for Information/Sources Sought Notice. THIS IS NOT A Request for a Proposal AND DOES NOT OBLIGATE THE U.S. GOVERNMENT TO ISSUE an RFP. This RFI is for U.S. Government planning purposes only and constitutes requests for exchange of information pursuant to FAR Part 10. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Indian Head Division (NSWC IHD), Contracts Department, Code 02 is conducting Market Research on the Loaded Cartridge Assembly, DODIC MC91. NSWC IHD is conducting a market survey to identify sources/vendors capable of supplying the MC91 cartridge satisfying the following requirements: 1. The cartridge needs to meet the criteria specified by WS6061 and WS6052, ADL 2429839, their lower-tier documents, and be compatible with the MK 5 MOD 0 Explosive Bolt (M254), a critical component on the AN/BST-1 Buoy system. The Technical Data Package (TDP) contains technical data whose export is restricted by the Arms Export Control Act (Title 22, U.S.C., Sec 2751, et seq.). To receive the TDP, interested vendors must submit a written request accompanied by an approved DD Form 2345 (Military Critical Technical Data Agreement), signed NDA, and active CAGE code. 2. Contractor must be able to stand up a manufacturing line and be able to support the U.S. Government by providing all deliveries within one year of award. 3. Procurement includes production units (QTY 100) as well as all associated destructive test samples required for qualification and acceptance. This procurement includes the manufacture, testing (including nondestructive testing (NDT/radiographic) capabilities), packaging, and delivery of the MC91 Cartridge Assembly. Request your company provide responses to the following questionnaire: Does your company have a production line available that can meet the requirements mentioned above? If yes, describe your company's history and experience with supplying this item (or similar cartridges for explosive bolts) including the total number supplied to date and how the facilities are ready to support USG requirements. What is your company’s availability of inert metal parts or existing validated energetic loading lines? If the MC91 cartridges are not currently in stock, when would they be available for delivery? How many days or months after an award? Can your Company provide the rate of production the manufacturing facility is capable of per year? Can your company provide a Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) unit price estimate based on the stated quantity of 100 production units plus required test samples, along with estimated stepped pricing for higher production rates? Do test reports exist that demonstrate the MC91 (or similar cartridges for explosive bolts) manufacturing accuracy and reliability? Actual reports are not required to be submitted as part of this request for information but will be accepted after your initial response to this request. Are you able to supply documented ability of your company's MC91 cartridges to function reliably with the MK 5 MOD 0 Explosive Bolt? Does your facility hold the necessary ATF licensing, Net Explosive Weight (NEW) storage capacity, and compliance with DoD 4145.26-M to manufacture, assemble, and store loaded MC91 cartridges? Describe your inspection capabilities for energetic components, specifically hermetic seal testing (helium leak rate) and real-time radiography (X-ray) for internal explosive pellet/column alignment. What are the lead times for primary energetic ingredients/mixes and specialized metal hardware required by WS6061 and WS6052? Are any materials obsolete or sole-sourced? Does your company possess or capability to produce all tooling, crimping dies, and electrical/bridgewire resistance test fixtures required to manufacture this item, or would Government-Furnished Equipment/Tooling (GFE/GFT) be required? Small Business Subcontracting & Nonmanufacturer Rule Compliance: If responding as a Small Business prime under NAICS 325920, please clarify your manufacturing approach: Does your company intend to perform at least 50% of the cost of manufacturing (excluding material costs) in-house at your own safety-approved facility? If you do not manufacture the cartridges in-house, do you intend to source the MC91 cartridges from another domestic small business manufacturer? If you intend to partner with a large business manufacturer, are you aware of the requirements to obtain an individual SBA Nonmanufacturer Rule (NMR) waiver prior to solicitation close? All interested sources shall provide the organization name, address, point of contact, phone number, e-mail address, business size, Unique Entity ID, and CAGE Code. In addition, all interested sources shall provide a summary of their company’s capabilities and delivery timeframe and schedule. All responding sources must email their response submissions no later than 17:00 Eastern Time on November 9, 2026 to the Point of Contacts (POCs) listed below. Submissions must be in PDF format and shall not exceed fifteen (15) pages in total. 1) NSWC IHD Attn: Michael Persinger Picatinny Arsenal, NJ 07806 Michael.a.persinger2.civ@us.navy.mil 2) NSWC IHD Attn: Gerardo Ilaria Picatinny Arsenal, NJ 07806-5000 gerardo.ilaria.civ@us.navy.mil
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