DLA Troop Support, Clothing & Textile Directorate is conducting market research and seeking information from interested parties concerning the availability of domestic "LEATHER, SHEEPSKIN, HAIR TYPE" in the United States for use in the manufacture of various gloves. Currently, the FAR 25.104a provides an exception to the Berry Amendment in allowing the use of non-domestic leather, sheepskin, hair type for DOD procurements. This market research is intended to help determine the need for this exception as it relates to DLA procurements for the following items and quantities:

1) PGC: 01834
Men's and Women's (Unisex) Black Dress Gloves
made in accordance with specification A-A-50386 dated March 13, 1991
with an estimated annual requirement of 210,408 pairs per year

2) PGC: 00526
Summer Flyers Gloves, Green
made in accordance with specification FQ/PD 09-02B dated April 28, 2016
with an estimated annual requirement of 102,888 pairs per year

3) PGC: 02578
Summer Flyers Gloves, Tan
made in accordance with specification FQ/PD 09-02B dated April 28, 2016
with an estimated annual requirement of 7,068 pairs per year

4) PGC: 04183
Summer Flyers Gloves, Green, Touch Screen Capable
made in accordance with specification FQ/PD 09-02B dated April 28, 2016
with an estimated annual requirement of 53,868 pairs per year

5) PGC: 04184
Summer Flyers Gloves, Tan, Touch Screen Capable
made in accordance with specification FQ/PD 09-02B dated April 28, 2016
with an estimated annual requirement of 5,532 pairs per year

6) PGC: 02370
Intermediate Cold Weather Flyers Gloves, HAU-15/P, Green
made in accordance with specification MIL-DTL-32173 dated August 20, 2004
with an estimated annual requirement of 70,392 pairs per year

Please answer the following questions:
1. Is sufficient domestic Hair Sheepskins available in the U.S. to satisfy the DLA estimated annual requirements for these gloves?

2. If not, is it possible to get sufficient Hair Sheepskins from non-domestic sources in a pickled state and then "tanned" in the US to satisfy the above requirements?

3. If non-domestic Hair Sheepskins are required, how much processing of those skins should be permitted to be performed by non-domestic sources to meet quality requirements in the referenced (PD/Spec/CID) versus those that can or should be performed in the US on the above list of requirements?

4. Please confirm that domestic tanning capability exist to process hides needed to make the glove requirements specified above and if requirements for any other Hair Sheepskin products have an adverse impact on the domestic tanning capability of the above requirements.

5. Is there a price difference between the pickled form and the blue form of the hair type sheepskins?

In accordance with FAR 15.201(e), responses to this RFI are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes and does not constitute a solicitation for proposals. Your response to this notice will be treated as information only.

Please submit your response to Clifford Lawson via email: [email protected] by 3:30 PM EDST July 10, 2018.