DISCLAIMER
THIS SOURCES SOUGHT IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. IT IS A MARKET RESEARCH TOOL BEING USED TO DETERMINE POTENTIAL FIRMS CAPABLE OF PROVIDING THE SUPPLIES DESCRIBED HEREIN PRIOR TO DETERMINING THE METHOD OF ACQUISITION AND ISSUANCE OF A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. THE GOVERNMENT IS NOT OBLIGATED TO AND WILL NOT PAY FOR ANY INFORMATION RECEIVED FROM POTENTIAL SOURCES AS A RESULT OF THIS SOURCES SOUGHT. THIS DOES NOT CONSTITUTE SOLICITATION AND SHALL NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT. RESPONSES IN ANY FORM ARE NOT OFFERS AND THE GOVERNMENT IS UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO AWARD A CONTRACT AS A RESULT OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. NO FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE TO PAY FOR PREPARATION OF RESPONSES TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. ANY INFORMATION SUBMITTED BY RESPONDENTS TO THIS TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION IS STRICTLY VOLUNTARY.
INTRODUCTION
The Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), Portfolio Acquisition Executive (PAE) Munitions, is conducting market research to identify potential sources capable of providing a pyrotechnic flare device that meets or exceeds the performance characteristics of the MK 58 MOD 1 Marine Location Marker (MLM), or a suitable alternative that fulfills the operational requirements outlined below.
THIS SOURCES SOUGHT IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. It is a market research tool being used to determine potential and eligible firms capable of providing the hardware described herein prior to determining the method of acquisition and issuance of a Request for Proposal. The Government is not obligated to and will not pay for any information received from potential sources as a result of this sources sought.
BACKGROUND/REQUIREMENT
The MK-58 MLM was developed as a means to mark a location at sea. MLM's are hand launched or air dropped. They are typically used as reference markers for Sea/Air Rescue training and operations and are also used to mark and track submarine activity. Additionally, the MLM's are used as targets for gunfire and bombing exercises at sea.
Required Capabilities
The MARINE LOCATION MARKER (MLM) MK 58 MOD 1 is approximately 21.7" long by 4.94" in diameter. The MLMs weigh approximately 11.5 pounds. The center of gravity is approximately 7.93" from the base end of the MLM. The MLM contains a MK 72 MOD 1 WATER ACTIVATED BATTERY, MK 13 MOD 0 ELECTRIC SQUIB, two transfer fuses, and two Red Phosphorus candles which produce a yellow flame and white smoke. The required burn time is 40-60 minutes.
- The drawings and performance specification are available upon request. Contractors must be properly registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) and the Joint Certification Program (JCP) in order to receive the controlled attachments.
ELIGIBILITY
The applicable NAICS code is 325998. The Product Service Code (PSC) is 1370. Businesses of all sizes are encouraged to respond; however, each respondent must clearly identify their business size in their capabilities statement.
SUBMITTAL INFORMATION
Interested parties may submit a Capability Statement package identifying their interest and capability in response to this notice. Only Capability Statements received on or before 17 July 2026 will be considered by the Government. The requested information is to assist the Government in conducting market research to determine potential business sources that have the assets, skills, experience, financial stability, qualifications, rights to technical data, and requisite knowledge required to support the requirement. A determination not to complete this proposed contract action based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Capability Statements received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. Capability Statements submitted should be pertinent and specific in the technical/management/business area under consideration.
It is requested that interested businesses submit to the contracting office a brief capabilities statement package (no more than 10 pages in length on 8.5 x 11-inch paper with one-inch margins, single-spaced, Times New Roman 12-point font minimum) demonstrating ability to perform the task listed under the required capabilities. This documentation must address, at a minimum, the following:
- Notice number from the SAM.gov posting to which you are responding.
- Company Name; Company Address; CAGE Code; and Points-of-Contact (Primary and Secondary) name, phone number, fax number, and e-mail address.
- Company profile to include number of employees, annual revenue history (3 or more years), office location(s), DUNS number, business size, and a statement regarding current small/large business size status.
- Prior/current corporate experience performing efforts of similar size and scope within the last three years, including contract number, organization supported, indication of whether as a prime or subcontractor, contract values, Government point of contact with current telephone number, and a brief description of how the referenced contract relates to the product described herein.
- Type of work your company has performed in the past in support of the same or similar requirement.
- Can or has your company managed a task of this nature? If so, please provide details.
- Company's ability to begin performance upon contract award without the requirement for additional negotiations or contract awards to procure rights to start performance for any resultant effort.
- If qualifying as a small business, provide an explanation of your company's ability to perform at least 50% of the tasks described herein within the period of performance.
All responses, including capability statements, shall be submitted no later than 17 July 2026. Responses shall be submitted electronically to the designated Contract Specialist, Anita Talavera, in Microsoft Word format or Portable Document Format (PDF) at the following email address: anita.m.talavera.civ@us.navy.mil.
No phone calls will be accepted. The Government may contact RFI respondents in order to seek clarification of submitted information or gain additional input.
All questions must be submitted via e-mail. The Government is not committed nor obligated to pay for the information provided, and no basis for claims against the Government shall arise as a result of a response to these sources sought.
DOCUMENT MARKINGS
It is incumbent upon sources providing responses to this Notice to accurately mark all data with all appropriate data rights, distribution and classification markings. All information submitted will be adequately safeguarded from unauthorized disclosure. All submissions must be clearly marked with the following caption: Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI).
Responses that fail to comply with the above instructions or present ideas not pertinent to subject, may not be reviewed. All information received in response to this Notice that is marked proprietary will be handled accordingly. Information submitted in response to this Notice is submitted at no cost to the Government and will not be returned. The Government is under no obligation to provide responses or comments to information received from interested persons but it may request additional information in the following review. Note: If an interested person is a foreign concern or if a U.S. interested person has a team member or partner who is a foreign entity, adherence to all International Traffic and Arms Regulations (ITAR) is required.
All information received in response to this Sources Sought marked "Proprietary" will be protected and handled accordingly. Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary or competition sensitive information contained in their response. The Government reserves the right to ask follow-up clarifying questions to individual companies based on proprietary information submitted without posting those questions.
