RFI: Standoff Chemical Detector of Vehicles

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)

DEVCOM Chemical Biological Center (CBC) Spectroscopy Branch

This Request for Information (RFI) is issued in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 15.201(c)(7) for the purpose of conducting market research. This RFI is not a solicitation, request for proposal, or request for prototype proposals. No contract will be awarded from this announcement. The Government will not reimburse respondents for any costs incurred in preparing or submitting a response to this RFI. No telephone calls, office calls, or one‑on‑one meetings will be accepted or conducted as a result of this notice.

All responses, questions, and comments shall be submitted via email to:

• Benjamin Gilson (Contract Specialist) – benjamin.gilson.civ@army.mil
• Elizabeth Nordell Contracting Officer) – elizabeth.m.nordell.civ@army.mil

Responses are due no later than April 15, 2026 at 5:00 PM Eastern. All submissions shall be provided in Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, or PDF compatible format. Proprietary information must be clearly marked and segregated.

1.0 PURPOSE

DEVCOM CBC is conducting market research to identify potential sources capable of providing optical standoff imaging technologies suitable for integration onto unmanned ground platforms to detect, map, and characterize chemical contamination on materiel surfaces. This RFI seeks to assess industry interest, capability, and technical maturity in support of DEVCOM CBC’s mission to remove the Warfighter from contaminated environments and accelerate post‑incident recovery operations.

The Government intends to use the information received to refine requirements, assess technology readiness, and inform future acquisition planning. This RFI does not commit the Government to any future procurement.

2.0 TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION

DEVCOM CBC is seeking information on standoff imaging technologies that can be used to quickly scan vehicle surfaces to locate and identify chemical contamination to inform the decontamination process and post-decontamination verification prior to returning materiel to service.

Partial solutions that only address the ability to rapidly scan vehicle surfaces to detect gross chemical contamination will be allowed, provided the technology is already TRL 7 or higher and commercially available. These solutions should not need additional S&T development, only platform integration and testing, which will be done by DEVCOM CBC.

Proposed optical sensors, at a minimum, should possess the following characteristics:

• Ability to scan surfaces from a 2-5 m standoff distance
• Ability to integrate onto an unmanned ground platform (use of pan/tilt stages are acceptable). Integration onto a robotic arm is acceptable, provided system weighs under 45 lbs.
• Ability to scan vehicle surfaces at a rate of 5 m2 per minute
• Operable under a wide range of environmental, operationally relevant conditions (i.e., temperatures, relative humidity levels, dusty and windy conditions, low-light)
• On-board processing of imaging data for real-time detection of contamination
• Ability to export imaging information into external software for contamination mapping models. Ideally the system will have the ability to export segmentation maps to align with Image Segmentation pixel-by-pixel convolutional neural network mapping approach.
• Detect the presence of gross chemical contamination (threshold) to trace quantities of chemicals
• Detect surface contamination in a variety of presentations (droplets, thin films, deposited particles, etc.)
• Detect chemical contamination on a variety of surfaces, primarily chemical agent resistive coating (CARC), glass, and rubber
• Detects chemicals in the presence of aqueous-based decontamination solutions
• Be able to detect a variety of chemical agents, pharmaceutical based agents (synthetic opioids) and degradation products in liquid/solid forms.

Lower TRL technologies may need additional science and technology development, but should address the objective requirements (in addition to the above sensing characteristics:

• Ability to scan vehicle surfaces at a scan area rate of 10 m2 per minute
• Be man portable (weigh less than 12 lbs.) or integrated onto manned or unmanned platforms
• Ability to detect a large dynamic range from gross chemical contamination to trace contamination (low mg/m2) across an area of approximately 12x18 inches or larger.

Responders must communicate a solid understanding of optical detection of chemical contamination on surfaces and articulate the strengths and limitations of their proposed sensor. Considerations such as surface illumination, limits of detection, and scan area rate must be understood to meet requirements. Responders should be able to compare their technology to the current state of the art to demonstrate innovation.

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY

All submissions become Government property and will not be returned. Respondents shall provide a brief description on how they plan to develop or advance existing technologies/sensing materials for the identified applications as well as any anticipated technical parameters of their product (or conceptual product). Validation can include historical, literature data or relationship with current Department of War (DoW) researchers. Validation can also include investment from interagency past programs.

3.0 BACKGROUND

The Department of War (DoW) seeks to develop and integrate optical imaging sensors onto unmanned ground platforms capable of detecting and mapping chemical contamination on materiel. This capability will support equipment decontamination operations while removing the Warfighter from contaminated environments. The objective is to integrate fast‑scanning, sensitive optical sensors onto unmanned platforms to accelerate decontamination and return materiel to service following a CBRN incident.

4.0 REQUESTED INFORMATION

Respondents shall address the following items in Arial 12‑point font, in no more than five (5) pages total, excluding Section 1, Business Information. Responses shall be submitted in Microsoft Word–compatible or PDF format. A 10‑slide PowerPoint presentation may also be submitted but is not required and does not count toward the page limit.

4.1 Business Information

Provide the following:

• Company Name
• Address
• Point of Contact with Phone Number and Email Address
• Business Size (Large or Small), using the size standard under NAICS 541512 unless another NAICS is justified (see SBA Size Standards: https://www.sba.gov/document/support-table-size-standards)
• Small Business Representation (8(a), SDB, WOSB, HUBZone, VOSB, SDVOSB, etc.)

4.2 Technical Capability

Address your ability to meet the technical requirements in Section 2.0. Identify any gaps your company has related to technical capability or the ability to manufacture a deployable product. Provide the Government insight into what would be required to bridge the gap between your current product and an end-user-ready system that meets the specifications in Section 2.0. Provide the Government with unit cost for higher TRL technologies or rough order of magnitude (ROM) cost for lower TRL technologies as outlined in Section 2.0.  Pricing will not be construed to be an offer, and is simply to provide the Government insight to roughly gauge current and short term market realities for this technology.

4.3 Relevant Past Performance

Provide up to three examples of similar work, including:

• Contract number
• Prime or subcontractor role
• Dollar value
• Period of performance
• Relevance to this requirement

4.4 Accounting System

State whether you possess—or can and are willing to obtain—a DCAA‑approved accounting system. Address whether a cost‑reimbursable contract type would be required or useful to mature your product into an end‑user‑ready capability.

4.5 Purchasing System

State whether you or a potential teaming partner possess a purchasing system compliant with DFARS 252.244‑7001(c).

4.6 Facility Clearance

State what, if any, facility clearance level your company currently possesses (e.g., Confidential, Secret, Top Secret).

4.7 Additional Information

Provide any additional information relevant to DEVCOM CBC’s market research.

5.0 INDUSTRY ENGAGEMENT

DEVCOM CBC will not conduct one‑on‑one meetings during the RFI period. Questions will be collected and addressed collectively during Industry Day. Participation in this RFI is not required for participation in any future solicitation.