NATO’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) this week announced their intention to issue an Invitation for International Bidding (IFIB) for the provision of CBRN equipment, clothing and body armor for deploying civilians. The organization plans to establish a standing requirements contract against which various NATO organizations can order equipment as needed for deploying civilian personnel.
Potential U.S. bidders must be approved for participation in NATO International Competitive Bidding (ICB) by the U.S. Department of Commerce and have a background in providing products similar in scope and magnitude to the requirement in the SHAPE solicitation.
SHAPE plans to host an Industry Day before initiating the bidding procedure in order to seek industry input on best practices, market availability, and current standards on protective equipment. The event is still in the planning stages but is estimated to take place in mid-July 2012.
To become part of the bidders list and receive further updates and information, interested vendors have until June 20, 2012 to either submit evidence of their existing NATO ICB approval status or submit their one-time application for such to the Department of Commerce.
SHAPE plans to issue the formal IFIB in October 2012 with a bid deadline sometime in December. The estimated period of performance will be for calendar year 2013 with four one-year options. Further details are available under Solicitation Number: IFIB-ACO-SH-12-10.
