Editor's Note: The following information is an ASA edited version of an original JPEO-CBD Sources Sought announcement of 12 October 2006. The response date of 24 October 2006, 12 days after original announcement, obviates any possibility of response, except for the favored few who may have been aware of this announcement before publication date. However, the requirements as listed are valid current and future goals for manufacturers as well as a caution for users of sensitive equipment. The author's use of the term "small plane" for single seat fighter, does pose some minor questions on the author's understanding of requirements. Can a loaded USAF F-15, single seat fighter, which weights in at several times the weight of the US Army's largest multiseat aircraft - be called a "small plane"?

The Joint Material Decontamination System (JMDS)

          The Joint Program Executive Officer for Chemical Biological Defense (JPEO-CBD) has a requirement for a Joint Material Decontamination System (JMDS) for use throughout the, U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy to provide the ability to decontaminate chemical and biological warfare agents from sensitive equipment and platform interiors without degradation of the equipment in an immediate, operational and thorough environment. Sensitive equipment is high value or low density electronic or optic equipment that cannot be decontaminated using existing means without degradation of their functions.

          Examples of critical sensitive equipment are laptops, night vision goggles, and the Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System. Platform interiors refers to the interior decontamination of tactical platforms such as personnel carriers and small aircraft such as a single seat fighter plane, as well as large platform interior decontamination such as interiors of buildings, ships and large aircraft, e.g., cargo aircraft. The decontaminant portion of the technology will utilize a decontaminant in a gaseous phase with proven effectiveness against a broad spectrum of chemical and biological agents to include VX, GD, and HD, spores, vegetative bacteria and viruses. The decontaminant formulation will not leave a residue requiring rinsing.

          The decontaminant will be compatible with materials consistent with those found in sensitive equipment and platform interiors. The system hardware will utilize commercially available components such as a pump, generator and environmental control that will be integrated to form the JMDS hardware system. The hardware will convert the decontaminant from a liquid to a vapor. The vapor will be pumped into an enclosure to fumigate/decontaminate the equipment. The hardware will maintain conditions inside the enclosure to keep the decontaminant in a vaporous state. The decontaminant will be recycled to circulate the vapor throughout the enclosure.

The following Key Performance Parameters (KPPs) are applicable to this requirement and are provided for information purposes only. The format has the title of KPP, Developmental Threshold (DT) and Developmental Objective (DO).

KPP 1- Efficacy, Thorough Decontamination

• Decontaminate the effects of all current generation chemical and biological warfare agents present on platform interiors, aircraft, ships, fixed site facilities, mobile maintenance facilities and sensitive equipment (10 g Challenge)
  
• DT-Off Gas - Nerve-G less than 0.00003; DO-Off Gas - Nerve-G less than 0.000003
  
• DT-Off Gas - Nerve-V less than 0.00001; DO-Off Gas - Nerve-V less than 0.000003
  
• DT-Off Gas - Blister-H less than 0.003; DO-Off Gas - Blister-H less than 0.0001
  
• DT-Contact - Nerve-G less than 1.7; DO- Contact - Nerve-G 0
  
• DT-Contact - Nerve-V less than 0.04; DO-Contact - Nerve-V 0
  
• DT-Contact - Blister-H less than 3.0; DO-Contact - Blister-H 0
  
• DT-Bacterial endospores -- less than 100 Colony Forming Units (CFU)/m2; DO-Bacterial endospores -- 0 CFU/m2
  
• DT-Vegetative bacteria-- less than 10 CFU/m2 10 Plaque Forming Units (PFU)/m2; DO-Vegetative bacteria-0 CFU/m2 0 PFU/m2

KPP 2. Efficacy, Immediate/Operational Decontamination

• DT-Decontaminate Nerve-G, Nerve-V and Blister-H agents of operational significance from a starting liquid challenge of 1g/m2 below detection levels of M8 Chemical Agent Detector Paper within 5 minutes contact time; DO-Decontaminate Nerve-G, Nerve-V and Blister-H agents of operational significance from a starting liquid challenge of 1g/m2 below detection levels of M8 Chemical Agent Detector Paper immediately

KPP 3. Equipment degradation

• DT-Decontaminated equipment will retain tactical mission capability following decontamination; DO-Decontamination will cause no equipment degradation.

KPP 4. Safety

• DT-Equipment, subseque nt to decontamination, will not present a health or safety hazard to personnel; DO-Equipment, subsequent to decontamination, will not present a health or safety hazard to personnel.

KPP 5. Decontamination process effectiveness

• DT- Contamination levels on sensitive equipment will be reduced to the threshold levels in KPP 1 greater than or equal to greater than 95% of the time after one decontamination process; DO-Contamination levels on sensitive equipment will be reduced to the threshold levels in KPP 1 greater than or equal to greater than 95% of the time after one decontamination process.

KPP 6. Reliability

• DT-JMDS system(s) will have a reliability of greater than 0.85; DO-JMDS system(s) will have a reliability of greater than 0.98