UPDATE 5/16/2018: We continue to wait for F&ESE awards for the 2016 solicitation, as well as a new RFP for the SOE program. In the meantime, DLA released a solicitation for a new TLS program, Foreign Military Sales Medical Surgical (Med/Surg), on May 10, 2018. Read more about the program, potentially worth over $500 million, below. Proposals are due on July 13, 2018. 

2017 is bringing two major Tailored Logistics Support (TLS) contracts into play for the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), through DLA’s Troop Support- Construction & Equipment office. With both being small-business set-asides, and continuations of prior contracts, the first contract will be used to procure special operations equipment (SOE) worth $1 billion per year, and the second will allow for the purchase of a total $985 million in fire & emergency services equipment (F&ESE). These two contracts, the Fire & Emergency Services Equipment TLS program and the Special Operations Equipment TLS program, will allow for a continued partnership between DLA and suppliers, continuing learned procurement best practices which support the military units, federal agencies, and other authorized customers who use the contracts worldwide to procure commercial products.

SOE Tailored Logistics Support

Special Operations Equipment TLS has been re-competed a number of times over the past decade but it has carried the same format, and a number of the same contractors, over the years. The program calls for support in the form of providing “all special operational equipment, supplies, and related incidental services necessary to perform their [the authorized customers’] missions.” This support amounts to $1 billion per year in sales for the indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) vehicle, according to DLA. Specifically, in it’s outreach to small businesses for input in forming the next contact, DLA recognizes the items covered by the program as belonging to 19 categories:

Survival Gear and Equipment Kits Tactical Equipment Personal Protection Equipment Protective Eyewear and Vision Enhancing Equipment Escalation of Force Equipment Visit Board Search and Seizure (VBSS) Scuba Gear and Miscellaneous Diving Equipment Thermal Protection Equipment Surface Supplied Diving Equipment Communication Devices (such as walkie-talkies, two-way radios, etc.)

Compressors and Air Purification Systems Hyperbaric Instrumentation & Equipment and Saturation Equipment Lifesaving/Search and Rescue Equipment Air Crew Support and Flight Deck Safety Items 15. Underwater Tools Protective Gear, Miscellaneous Apparel, Clothing and Textiles Load Carrying Equipment (vests, backpack systems, trunk lockers, etc.) Lethality Support Items (slings, holsters, straps, fasteners, reflective belts, etc.) Mountain Climbing Equipment

The program is currently in a market research period, with the prior contracts ending in July 2017. Incumbents for that initiative, which started in 2013, included Atlantic Diving Supply (ADS), Federal Resources Supply Company, H Squared Inc., Source One Distributors Inc. (Source One), Tactical and Survival Specialties Inc. (TSSi), and W.S. Darley & Co.

ADS, Source One, TSSi, and W.S. Darley are familiar faces to the TLS program, as those companies were also on the same SOE TLS contract which lasted from 2009 to 2014. In 2014, W.S. Darley also received a 2-month bridge contract between the two SOE TLS iterations, worth up to $84 million.

As with the prior contracts, DLA has formatted the next SOE program to have a 2-year base period of performance, with three unilateral 1-year extensions. The market research survey is due on August 9th, and DLA will then decide on a path forward for the next program.

Fire & Emergency Services Equipment TLS

The F&ESE Tailored Logistics Support program shares a similar format (as a 5-year IDIQ), similar customers, and similar suppliers with the SOE contracts, albeit with a very different set of products: fire & emergency services equipment. The supplies include, but are not limited to:

hoses, hose fittings, nozzles, tools, fire extinguishers and other extinguishing agents, poles, ladders, rescue equipment respiratory protective devices, regulators, uniforms, station training gear, turn out gear first response and search and rescue supplies, decontamination equipment, detection equipment, protective clothing used for hazardous material (HAZMAT) and other emergency scenarios

communication equipment and tools, first responder equipment, training equipment, compressors, emergency egress and protective systems pumps, generators, and storage, containment, and racking systems

Before the current solicitation, contracts were awarded in 2012 to ADS, Federal Resource Supply Company, L.N. Curtis & Sons, The Mallory Company, Unifire, and W.S. Darley & Co. Unlike SOE, DLA started the F&ESE procurement process for the next version in 2016, a year before expiration.  As mentioned before, the IDIQ will have a 2-year base period with three 1-year options, and a maximum value of a huge $988 million. Proposals were due on June 26, 2017, and it is now up to DLA to announce the winners of this important opportunity.

Foreign Military Sales Medical Surgical (FMS Med/Surg) Tailored Logistics Support

On May 10th, 2018, DLA Troop Support- Medical released the RFP for a brand new TLS program known as Foreign Military Sales Medical Surgical (FMS Med/Surg). The new program will use fixed-price, Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) contracts to procure Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) Medical/Surgical products for foreign military sales customers. DLA specifically mentions the need for supplies in the following Federal Supply Code (FSC) categories, but leaves the option for other categories:

• 6510 – Surgical Dressing Material
• 6515 – Medical and Surgical Instruments, Equipment, and Supplies
• 6520 – Dental Instruments, Equipment, and Supplies
• 6532 – Hospital and Surgical Clothing and related Special Purpose Items
• 6540 – Ophthalmic Instruments, Equipment, and Supplies
• 6545 – Replenishable Field Medical Sets, Kits, and Outfits
• 6640 – Laboratory Equipment and Supplies
• 7210 – Household Furnishings
• 8335 – Shoe Findings and Soling Material

While the program will be used primarily “to provide rapid response, direct vendor delivery, advanced distribution, material management, and information fusion, in response to, and in satisfaction of, DLA Troop Support FMS customers’ demands,” DLA leaves open the option to use the new TLS contracts for non-FMS requirements from traditional DOD customers.

The opportunity will have a 1-year base with four 1-year options, for a total period of performance of 5 years. Based on historical demand, DLA estimates a new contract could be worth over $51 million per year, for a 5-year total of approximately $258 million. However, the contract ceiling allows for a maximum of almost $517 million. The procurement process for this vehicle will be a full-and-open competition ending with 3 to 5 contract awards. However, if all 5 awards are made to large businesses, DLA will utilize a set-aside and award a single contract to a small business. Submitted proposals must include three volumes: Non-Price Past Performance, Non-Price Technical Proposal, and the Price Proposal. The Price Proposal must utilize the excel sheet format provided in the RFP package. Proposals are due on July 13, 2018.

Interested in learning more about the SOE and the F&ESE programs down to the award and task-order level, or tracking other DLA procurement opportunities, like ECAT? Sign up for a free trial with EZGovOpps. As the premiere market intelligence platform, EZGovOpps can provide the information needed to follow procurement trends, produce personalized opportunity forecasts, and provide custom analyst-updates for a complete understanding of the Federal contracting market today.

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