Hot-forming experiments on Structural Reactive Material (SRM) munition casing/Isostatic

Advance Contract Award Notice – (19-58057)

Hot-forming experiments on Structural Reactive Material (SRM) munition casing/Isostatic

Pressing (HIP)

Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN):

• An ACAN is a public notice indicating to the supplier community that a department or agency intends to award a contract for goods, services or construction to a pre-identified supplier, thereby allowing other suppliers to signal their interest in bidding, by submitting a statement of capabilities. If no supplier submits a statement of capabilities that meets the requirements set out in the ACAN, on or before the closing date stated in the ACAN, the contracting officer may then proceed with the award to the pre-identified supplier.

Background:

• The National Research Council Canada has developed a unique research method for utilizing metals as fine powders sintered to form munition objects. This unique shaping protocol /powder metallurgy (PM) was developed in collaboration with (DRDC) over a five year period. The (SRM) casing process for (PM) methods advanced and evolved significantly to a hot forming research method into a variety of munition shapes for DRDC’s dynamic field testing.

Definition of the Requirement: 

• The National Research Council Canada has a requirement to carry out hot-forming experiments on solid, Structural Reactive Material (SRM) munition casing blanks prepared from powders and consolidated by Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP). The objective is to develop a hot forming procedure to impose the proper munition shape and dimensions to a series of solid, HIPed casing blanks prepared by NRC. These blanks are tubular, sealed stainless steel (SS) canisters containing the consolidated (100% dense) SRM material. After hot forming, parts will then be submitted to minimal machining to remove the SS canister skin and reach the precise, final dimensions of the given munition type as per specific drawings which will be supplied by NRC.

(Minimum Essential Requirements) Statement of Capabilities:

• By submitting a statement of capabilities, any interested parties must adhere to the following minimum essential requirements:

• Must have significant experience (10 years plus) with Hot Forming 40mm to 155mm projectile bodies for both the Canadian Military (DRDC) and the US Military. Any interested party with equivalent experience may submit their experience to the Contracting Authority for consideration.
• The potential supplier must have the following technical facilities to hot form the parts: 

• 400 kW Induction Unit to heat the projectile body.
• 200 Ton Hydraulic Press – Hot Form ( 90mm )
• 500 Ton Hydraulic Press – Hot Form ( 155mm )
• 5000 Ton Hydraulic Press – Hot Form ( 500 lb Body )

• Must have Certified Manufacturing Technologists with a combined experience of over 40 years in metal parts manufacturing.
• Must be a Munition Supply Program (MSP) member or equivalent.

Sole Source - Provisions in accordance with the Government Contracts Regulations (GCRs)

• Only one firm is capable of performing the contract

  Applicability of the trade agreement(s) to the procurement

  This Procurement is subject to the following trade agreement(s) 

• World Trade Organization - Agreement on Government Procurement (WTO-AGP)
• North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
• Canadian Free Trade Agreement – (CFTA)

  Limited Tendering Provisions in accordance with the trade agreements:

• 1016.2 (b) - where, for works of art, or for reasons connected with the protection of patents, copyrights or other exclusive rights, or proprietary information or where there is an absence of competition for technical reasons, the goods or services can be supplied only by a particular supplier and no reasonable alternative or substitute exists. 

Justification for the Pre-Identified Supplier:

• IMT Defense is the only known company capable of hot forming the (SRM) testing parts into required large caliber munition bodies. IMT Defence is a member of Munition Supply Program (MSP – a long-term procurement program to sustain Canadian munitions industrial base) and has conducted a number of contracts to deliver the highest quality metal parts of medium to large caliber military projectile bodies. The proposed contractor (IMT Defense) is the only known supplier with the unique experience, facility and machinery to address (NRC)’s minimum essential requirements. IMT Defence has worked for decades with the Canadian Government shaping and forming steel, aluminum and hard metal alloys.

Ownership of Intellectual Property:

• Canada intends to retain ownership of any Foreground Intellectual Property arising out of the proposed contract on the basis that the main purpose of the contract is to deliver a not-yet fully developed component or subsystem that will be incorporated into a complete system at a later date, as a prerequisite to the planned transfer of the complete system to the private sector, through licensing or assignment of ownership, for the purposes of Commercial Exploitation.

Period of the proposed contract or delivery date

• Five period – (Estimated start and completion date) December 2019 - March 31st, 2024.
• The National Research Council Canada reserves the right to negotiate follow-on phases as required.

Cost estimate of the proposed contract

• The estimated value of the contract over the 5 year period is 689 944.07$ (GST/HST extra).

Name and address of the pre-identified supplier

IMT Corporation

347 King Street West

Ingersoll, ON, N5C 3K6

Suppliers' right to submit a statement of capabilities

• Suppliers who consider themselves fully qualified and available to provide the goods, services or construction services described in the ACAN may submit a statement of capabilities in writing to the contact person identified in this notice on or before the closing date of this notice. The statement of capabilities must clearly demonstrate how the supplier meets the advertised requirements.

Closing date: Tuesday, December 10th 2019 (2pm)

Inquiries and submission of statements of capabilities are to be directed to:

Simon Riendeau, Procurement Supervisor Eastern Region

National Research Council Canada

6100 Royalmount Ave Montreal, Qc H4P 2R2

Phone: 514-496-6363 - Email: Simon.Riendeau@cnrc-nrc.gc.ca