The Department of Defense, through the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), is seeking qualified contractors to perform recertification testing on 160 MK8 life raft cylinders under DoT-Special Permit (DoT-SP) 16320 at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Virginia. The anticipated contract will be a Firm Fixed Price (FFP) requirements contract, with a performance period from January 26, 2026, to March 26, 2026, requiring contractors to conduct Modal Acoustic Emissions (MAE) testing and manage the marking and return of the cylinders. Interested businesses must submit an executive summary detailing their capabilities, resources, and relevant corporate experience by January 9, 2026, at 11:00 am (EST) to Theresa Clark at theresa.m.clark@navy.mil. No pricing information should be included, and responses will not be returned, as this notice is solely for market research purposes.

Sources Sought Notice.pdf

Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), Norfolk Naval Shipbuilding, has issued a Sources Sought notice to identify potential contractors for testing 160 MK8 life raft cylinders under DoT-Special Permit (DoT-SP) 16320. This is for market research and planning, not a request for quotation. The anticipated contract is a Firm Fixed Price (FFP) requirements contract, with a performance period from January 26, 2026, to March 26, 2026. The NAICS code is 562998 (Testing laboratories, except medical, veterinary). Interested businesses must submit an executive summary, no more than three pages, by January 9, 2026, at 11:00 am (EST) to theresa.m.clark@navy.mil. The summary should detail capabilities, resources, technical competencies, and relevant corporate experience from the past five years, including contract information and customer references. Do not include pricing. This notice does not commit the government to an award or to cover response expenses.

Statement of Work 1-7-2026 KTR VERSION.pdf

The Statement of Work outlines the requirements for recertification testing of 160 Navy MK8 life raft cylinders. The contractor will provide all necessary resources to perform Modal Acoustic Emissions (MAE) testing in accordance with DoT-Special Permit (DoT-SP) 16320. Key responsibilities include marking condemned cylinders as “CONDEMNED” and rendering them incapable of holding pressure, while passing cylinders will be marked “DoT-SP 16320” and “MAE”. The contractor is also responsible for packaging and returning all cylinders to Norfolk Naval Shipyard using dedicated ground freight. The period of performance for this contract is from January 26, 2026, to March 26, 2026.

This is a Sources Sought notice to determine the availability of potential sources for a tentative requirement to perform test 160 MK8 life raft cylinders under DoT-Special Permit (DoT-SP) 16320 at Contractor Facility. Additional detailed information is provided on the attached draft Performance Work Statement (PWS). As part of its market research, Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), Norfolk Naval Shipbuilding is issuing this Sources Sought notice to determine if there exists an adequate number of qualified interested businesses capable of fulfilling this requirement as further described in the Draft PWS. The Government may use the responses to this notice for information and planning purposes.

The Draft PWS describes only the currently contemplated possible scope of services and may vary from the scope of work in a final PWS included in any Request for Quotations (RFQ).  
  
A Firm Fixed Price (FFP) requirements contract is anticipated. Period of performance will be 26 January 2026 – 26 March 2026.  
  
NAICS Code for this requirement is 562998, Testing laboratories (except medical, veterinary).  
  
Offerors possessing the requisite skills, resources and capabilities necessary to perform the stated requirement are invited to respond to this source sought notice via the submission of an executive summary, no more than five (3) pages in length. Responses must use twelve point Times New Roman font.  
  
In your response provide a brief description of the capability, resources, technical competencies and organizational experience relative to the key task areas.

Standard brochures and/or paraphrasing of the Draft PWS will not be considered sufficient to demonstrate the capabilities of an interested party.  
  
The submission should include the following information: 1) company name, address, and point of contact with corresponding phone number and e-mail address; 2) DUNS number, business size and classification; and 3) relevant corporate experience information. Relevant corporate experience information is defined as experience (within the past five years) that is of the same or similar services to that which is described herein and a technical description of ability to meet the requirement (2 references). The corporate experience should include the applicable contract number, contract period of performance, a brief description of the services provided, and the relevancy of the services to the proposed requirement.

A customer point of contact with corresponding telephone number and e-mail address should also be included.

This Sources Sought notice is only for the purpose of identifying potential sources as part of NAVSEA market research. No RFQ exists; therefore, do not request a copy of the RFQ. Please restrict all responses to non-proprietary information. Responses to the notice will not be returned. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this notice. NAVSEA will not pay for information received in response to this notice.  
  
There is no commitment by the Government to issue an RFQ, make an award or awards, or to be responsible for any monies expended by industry responses to the Sources Sought notice.  
  
Do not submit pricing information in response to this RFI.  
  
All submissions are required to be submitted via email to theresa.m.clark@navy.mil no later than 11:00 am (EST) on 9 January 2026.

Please direct any questions concerning this RFI to Ms. Theresa Clark at theresa.m.clark@navy.mil and rebekah.r.riggins.civ@us.navy.mil .

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