Army asks industry for enabling technologies to detect explosive chemicals at standoff ranges

By John Keller 

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abnormal behaviors, chemicals, and vapors that could indicate the presence of vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs) at standoffdistances. Officials of the Army Contracting Command, on behalf of the Army product manager for force protection systems (PdM-FPS) at Fort Belvoir, Va., issued a sources-sought notice (W909MY-18-R-C009) earlier this month for the Countering Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (CVIED) project.

Army experts are looking for mature non-developmental capabilities that could be delivered within one year to detect abnormal vehicle and personnel characteristics, as well as and chemicals and vapors from standoff distances.

Suspicious characteristics include excessive weight; off-centered loading; erratic maneuvering; uncharacteristic electronic devices; electronic emissions; uncharacteristic heat, density, or other unlisted signatures; and modifications from original equipment design.

Officials want non-proprietary interoperability with currently fielded force protection systems that could be used as mobile fixed-site solutions for standoff detection and relaying detection data to operations centers or entry-control points.

The Army wants only non-developmental products; no government development funding is available for any development, which would need to be funded at private expense.

Companies interested should email responses no later than 30 May 2018 to Sabin Joseph, the Army 's contracting officer, at sabin.a.joseph.civ@mail.mil and Contract Specialist Christian Digbeu at christian.y.digbeu.civ@mail.mil.