Commercial SUV Modification for Armored Design

Background
The purpose of this acquisition is to develop multiple commercially modified SUV designs and successful prototypes for the production of armored Large Sport Utility Vehicles (GM/Chevrolet Suburban, Ford Excursion, Cadillac Escalade, or equal) for the protection of U.S. Ambassadors, other U.S. Government officials overseas, and foreign officials in the U.S. The Department of State (DOS) Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS) is seeking a Contractor to provide commercial item modification services in order to develop a viable armored vehicle design based on a commercial chassis. The DOS has identified the AV program managed by the Defensive Equipment and Armored Vehicle Division (DEAV) as one of its top security programs.

Work Details
The requirement includes the design and development, prototype fabrication, and test and evaluation of a Large SUV (Suburban, Yukon, Escalade, Expedition, or equal), including validation testing and any rework needed to achieve successful test results of each variant. Certification to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) is preferred but not required.

The SUV must include at a minimum four side doors with a rear lift gate or similar doorway to maximize storage access. The vehicle should include typical fit/finish/features/amenities of modern commercial SUVs and feature separate rear passenger HVAC.

Design of four production SUV variants are required including:
- Standard configuration with a mid-market trim level and bench seating for the second and third rows;
- Pursuit/Follow configuration based on mid-market trim but with most interior wall and floor surfaces coated with spray-on bed liner material;
- VIP configuration with premium trim level configuration providing elevated finish and seating configuration;
- VIP-Executive configuration with the second row replaced by jump seats and a captain’s chair in place of third row seating.

Period of Performance
The maximum period of performance for this effort is three years (a base year and two option years), which shall be broken down into phases such as Requirements Definition, Preliminary Design Development, Detailed Design Development, Proof of Concept, Receipt of Raw Materials, Prototype Build, Automotive Performance and Ride Quality, Validation Testing, Government Automotive and Durability Testing, Government Ballistic and Blast Testing.

Place of Performance
The primary place of performance is at the Contractor’s facility or the facility of its subcontractors. Travel may be authorized in advance by the Department of State.