Solicitation
Invitation for Bids - Vision Correction Assembly
Department of Defense · Department of the Army
AI summaryOnly firms with a current DD Form 2345 certificate (Militarily Critical Technical Data Agreement) can get the drawings needed to bid. The Army (Army Contracting Command - Detroit Arsenal) wants one firm to make the Vision Correction Assembly under a five-year, firm-fixed-price (FFP: one set price per unit) indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ: orders placed as needed) contract. This is an invitation for bids (IFB), a sealed-bid buy where the lowest total price from a responsible bidder wins. The response due date is November 13, 2026, 2:30 PM Eastern, and bids are opened virtually on November 18, 2026, at 1:00 PM local time (Warren, MI). More in the summary
A newer version of this notice was posted Oct 23, 2026. See the latest version.
AI summary Beta
Summary of the version posted Oct 19, 2026. The notice was amended Oct 23, 2026. Check what else changed on SAM.gov. This summary may miss requirements: 2 of 6 attachments weren't read (W912CH26BA0140001 Conformed Copy.pdf, Army Package - TPP-EH3L0149EH ePDM Common A.1[1].zip). Check the attachments on SAM.gov.
Only firms with a current DD Form 2345 certificate (Militarily Critical Technical Data Agreement) can get the drawings needed to bid. The Army (Army Contracting Command - Detroit Arsenal) wants one firm to make the Vision Correction Assembly under a five-year, firm-fixed-price (FFP: one set price per unit) indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ: orders placed as needed) contract. This is an invitation for bids (IFB), a sealed-bid buy where the lowest total price from a responsible bidder wins. The response due date is November 13, 2026, 2:30 PM Eastern, and bids are opened virtually on November 18, 2026, at 1:00 PM local time (Warren, MI).
Who can bid (4)
- A current, valid DD Form 2345 (Militarily Critical Technical Data Agreement) certification, which is needed to get access to the export-controlled TDP before you can bid.
- Be granted access to the TDP before submitting a bid. Request it on SAM.gov under the solicitation; the Army says certification takes about six to ten weeks to process.
- Register in the System for Award Management (SAM) under NAICS code 339115 before bidding.
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- Meet the responsibility rules in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 9.104 (capable, financially sound, able to perform). The Army may visit the plant or ask for financial and production information.
How to submit: Email to Evan Graham (evan.j.graham3.civ@army.mil) and Katherine MacFarland (katherine.e.macfarland.civ@army.mil), subject line 'IFB Submission - W912CH-26-B-A014 (Contractor Name)'. No fax, paper, disc or hand-carried bids.. What to include is under Full summary below. Check the solicitation's instructions on SAM.gov.
Things to watch (10)
- Serious: Export-controlled drawings need a DD Form 2345 first. You must hold DD Form 2345 and be granted access to the technical data package (TDP: the drawings and specifications) before bidding, or the bid is rejected.
- Serious: All-or-none bid. A bid must price every contract line item number (CLIN: one priced line of the contract) and the full quantity; partial bids are not accepted.
- Worth checking: Email-only bids with an exact cutoff. Bids go by email only, and a bid that reaches the Army's email system after the exact date and time is late.
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- Worth checking: Only the minimum quantity is guaranteed. Only 30,690 EA is guaranteed over five years; the yearly quantities are estimates, so volume may be far lower than priced.
- Worth checking: First article test must be priced. Bidders must price the first article test report (CLIN 0016). A first article test (FAT) checks sample items before production; leaving the price blank means you do it free.
- Worth checking: Contractor supplies its own Q113 Rough Handling Machine. Testing needs a Q113 machine that you must obtain or build and get the Army to approve; the Army's drawings for it are for reference only.
- Worth checking: Unbalanced pricing can get a bid rejected. If one year or line is priced far above or below its real cost, even a low total can be rejected.
- Worth checking: Export-control rules pass down to subcontractors. Every subcontractor that sees the TDP is bound by the same export-control and destruction rules, so plan for them before sharing drawings.
- Minor: Response due date changed by Amendment 0001. Amendment 0001 moves the response due date to November 13, 2026 from October 30, 2026, and bid opening to November 18, 2026 from November 3, 2026. Older pages in the solicitation still show November 3.
- Minor: Bid must stay valid 120 days. The bid price must hold for at least 120 calendar days; a shorter period is rejected.
Read from the notice and 4 attachments. 2 of 6 not read. Show which files.
- Solicitation - W912CH26BA014.pdf (read)
- W912CH26BA014 Amendment 0001.pdf (read)
- QA-CBC CDRLs-13-May-26 EH3L0149EH.docx (read)
- First-Article-Waiver-Worksheet.pdf (read)
- W912CH26BA0140001 Conformed Copy.pdf: not read (it couldn't be opened): open it on SAM.gov
- Army Package - TPP-EH3L0149EH ePDM Common A.1[1].zip: not read (access is restricted): request it on SAM.gov
Full summary
What they want
- Make and deliver the Vision Correction Assembly, National Stock Number (NSN) 4240-01-631-8044, part number 5-1-4208, to the Government's technical data package (TDP).
- Ordering Year 1 estimate: 481,917 Each (CLIN 0011). Ordering Years 2 through 5: 122,760 Each per year (CLINs 0012 to 0015). All are estimates only.
- Guaranteed minimum over the five years is 30,690 EA; the maximum is 1,216,196 EA. The first order for at least the minimum is placed at award.
- Run first article testing (FAT) and deliver a First Article Test Report (CLIN 0016, 1 Lot), due 90 days after the Government furnished property needed for the testing is received.
- Pack and mark to military rules (MIL-STD-2073-1, MIL-STD-129, special packaging instruction P5-1-4208): palletize loads of 50 cubic feet or more, bar code, heat-treat wood packing.
- Get or build your own Q113 Rough Handling Machine for testing and get Government approval to use it.
- Deliver contract data items (CDRLs) such as engineering change proposals, and hold a start of work meeting within 30 days after award.
- Protect the export-controlled TDP and destroy all copies when the work is done, including copies held by subcontractors.
- Contract type
- Firm-fixed-price (FFP) indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract awarded by sealed bidding (invitation for bids)
- Period of performance
- Five one-year ordering periods beginning on the date of contract award
- Place of performance
- 76525, MI, USA as SAM.gov gives it. Bidders state their own production location in Section K.
- Estimated value
- Not stated
- How they'll choose
- Sealed bidding: award to the responsible bidder with the lowest total price. No discussions are held.
- Offers due
- November 13, 2026, 2:30 PM Eastern (from the version posted Oct 19, 2026; amended since)
- How to submit
- Email to Evan Graham (evan.j.graham3.civ@army.mil) and Katherine MacFarland (katherine.e.macfarland.civ@army.mil), subject line 'IFB Submission - W912CH-26-B-A014 (Contractor Name)'. No fax, paper, disc or hand-carried bids.
What they'll judge offers on
- Total price: each year's unit price for CLINs 0011 through 0016 multiplied by the estimated annual quantity and added up; lowest total wins
What to include when you submit
- Send the completed IFB with the Standard Form 33 (SF 33, the cover form you sign as your bid), filling in blocks 13 through 18.
- Fill in unit prices and dollar amounts in Section B for CLINs 0011, 0012, 0013, 0014, 0015 and 0016. Do not enter a price for CLIN 9000.
- Bid the total quantity of every item. Send one bid with one approach; bids with alternate terms may be rejected.
- Fill in the inspection and acceptance points (Section A calls this E.6, Section L calls it E.7) and the time of delivery (F.1).
- Complete the Section K certifications and fill-ins: Violation of Arms Control Treaties, Place of Manufacture, Place of Performance, and Tax on Certain Foreign Procurements. Also complete the Equal Low Bids fill-in (Section M).
- Acknowledge Amendment 0001 (dated 19 OCT 2026) in block 14 or section A.5.
- Keep the bid valid for at least 120 calendar days. A bid allowing less is rejected.
- Use Word, Excel or PDF files only (PDFs scanned at 200 dots per inch or more). File names: 50 characters or fewer, no periods or special characters. No links to web pages.
- Each email can be at most 10 megabytes. Split larger bids into numbered messages ('Message 1 of 3'). Do not encrypt emails.
- Large businesses must send a small business subcontracting plan with the bid. It is not required of small businesses.
- A one-page cover letter is optional and is not evaluated.
After award, you must have
- Name an operations security (OPSEC) coordinator who has completed Level I OPSEC training. New employees need Level I training within 30 calendar days of reporting for duty. From Solicitation - W912CH26BA014.pdf:
The Contractor shall identify an individual who will be an OPSEC Coordinator.
Not in the notice text
- Part of the solicitation was not read. 'Solicitation - W912CH26BA014.pdf' had its middle left out (the rest of Section E and Sections F through K: delivery schedule, special requirements, clauses, certifications). 'W912CH26BA0140001 Conformed Copy.pdf' is attached but not read, and the TDP zip (Army Package - TPP-EH3L0149EH) needs access approval on SAM.gov.
- Delivery dates and delivery terms (Section F, F.1 Time of Delivery) are not in the text read.
- The Government's estimate or budget in dollars is not given.
- Provision 52.219-4 adds a 10 percent price preference for HUBZone small businesses, but the text read does not say how it applies to this unrestricted buy.
- Whether a first article waiver will be granted is the Army's decision. A sample waiver worksheet is attached.
- Which Government furnished property will be supplied for first article testing, and when, is not in the text read.
Eligibility and how to respond
- No set-aside, but the notice names requirements you must meet before you can bid:
- The notice mentions export-controlled data. You may need a Joint Certification Program (DD Form 2345) approval to see the drawings.
- How to submit, from the AI summary: Email to Evan Graham (evan.j.graham3.civ@army.mil) and Katherine MacFarland (katherine.e.macfarland.civ@army.mil), subject line 'IFB Submission - W912CH-26-B-A014 (Contractor Name)'. No fax, paper, disc or hand-carried bids. Check it in the notice before you send anything.
Notice details
- Posted
- Oct 19, 2026
- Notice type
- Solicitation
- Office
- W6QK ACC- DTA, Warren, MI
- Product/service code
- 4240 · Safety and Rescue Equipment
- Business type
- Medical & healthcare (FedReady's grouping, from NAICS 339115)
- Versions
3 versions have been posted, newest first.
- Oct 23, 2026 · Amendment 0002Due Nov 13, 2026
- Oct 19, 2026 · Amendment 0001 (this version)Due Nov 13, 2026 (changed)
- Sep 30, 2026 · SolicitationDue Oct 30, 2026
- Attachments
Past awards and competition
Who has won work like this before, the likely incumbent, and what similar contracts paid, from USAspending.gov.
Before you respond
- How to respond to a solicitation (8 steps)
- How to read a government solicitation
- How to price a government contract
Terms on this notice: Solicitation
Full notice text from SAM.gov
This procurement will utilize Invitation for Bids procedures, detailed under FAR Part 14 Sealed Bidding. The Government intends to award a single contract to the responsible offeror whose proposal represents the best price to the Government. Effective 19 OCT 2026, Amendment 0001 is hereby issued to IFB W912CH26BA014. Please refere to the updated attached IFB solicitation and amendment 0001. SCOPE: The Army Contracting Command - Detroit Arsenal (ACC-DTA) has issued a solicitation for a new five-year, Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP), Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract for the manufacture and delivery of the Vision Correction Assembly. NSN 4240-01-631-8044, Part Number: 5-1-4208 This is a non-commercial requirement to be manufactured in accordance with a Government-owned Technical Data Package (TDP). The contract will also include requirements for First Article Testing (FAT), Production Lot Testing (PLT) and other Contract Data Requirements (CDRLs). TECHNICAL DATA PACKAGE (TDP): The TDP associated with this procurement is export-controlled (Distribution Statement D) and requires special handling. To be eligible to gain access to the TDP when the solicitation is released, interested offerors must have a current and valid DD Form 2345, "Militarily Critical Technical Data Agreement" certification on file with the U.S./Canada Joint Certification Office (JCO). Instructions for obtaining certification can be found at: http://www.dla.mil/HQ/InformationOperations/Offers/Products/LogisticsApplications/JCP.aspx.
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