According to the RFP, successful offerors will be notified and given an additional 30 days to submit the remainder of the proposal requirements for Phase II evaluations.
“Evaluation Phase II will consist of specific hardware testing, as well as evaluation of the written technical proposal, management, cost/price, government purpose rights (GPR), fielding-operational and supportability impact and past performance, and small business participation volumes of the proposal in accordance with the evaluation criteria contained in the solicitation,” it states. “At the completion of Evaluation Phase II, an award decision will occur that will result in the award of a firm-fixed price IDIQ [indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity] contract for up to three (3) vendors entering the down-selection evaluation.”
A Marine’s best friends. U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Brandon Mann, a dog handler with Alpha Company, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, and native of Arlington, Texas, sights in with his M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle while providing security with Ty, an improvised explosive device detection dog, during a patrol in Afghanistan Feb. 16. The Marine Corps is procuring M27s as partial replacements for existing M249 Squad Automatic Weapons. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Alfred V. Lopez
The RFP states that “a firm fixed price order will be placed with each of the Awardees for the minimum guarantee of one (1) weapon system component package, as described in the statement of work. The weapon systems component package deliverables will be used for the final evaluation and final down-select to one (1) Awardee.”
Total government procurement requirements for any new IC are identified as 178,890 units over a seven-year period.
While the Army has the overt lead in the IC program, a representative from Marine Corps Systems Command offered, “Marine Corps combat developers actively participated in the Joint Integrated Product Team that developed Individual Carbine (IC) requirements and will closely monitor IC progress. In parallel with the IC effort, the Marine Corps is developing a path forward to optimize the M16A4 and M4 carbine with significant product improvements in the event the IC is not selected to replace the Marine Corps Modular Weapon Systems [M16A4 and M4]. We are closely aligned with U.S. Army planned improvements to the M4. These improvements are designed to enhance performance, reliability, and sustainability.”
As noted above, the Army’s IC explorations do not limit contractors to 5.56 mm. However, it remains a common small arms caliber for soldiers and Marines, not only in M16A2/A4-series rifles and M4/M4A1-series carbines, but also in the M249-series Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW). Service representatives credit the weapon with providing squad-level fire support by laying down a base of sustained fire at greater ranges than M16- or M4-series weapons.
A collapsible buttstock allows shoulder firing in both extended and collapsed positions and improves weapons control when firing in confined spaces. Additionally, a “short barrel” (4.25 inches shorter than the standard barrel) allows for improved egress and maneuver in Close Quarters Battle (CQB), like room-clearing operations. In fact, the ability to provide 5.56 mm automatic fire in these types of operations has also been offered by some as significant justification for converting U.S. Army M4 carbines to the fully automatic M4A1 configuration.
The Marine Corps is directing some of its program efforts toward the fielding of a new M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle (IAR).
During the summer of 2011, the Marine Corps exercised the IAR full-rate production delivery order to manufacturer Heckler & Koch (the IAR is a variant of the HK416), capping a competition that began three years earlier. In comparison to the 18-pound weight of the standard M249, the M27 IAR weighs 11.62 pounds with ancillary equipment.
“After a rigorous testing process, both in garrison and deployed environments, and in-depth consultation with weapons experts through the Corps, the commandant approved the fielding of the M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle,” said Marine spokesman Maj. Joseph Plenzler in a June 2011 press statement. “The fielding of the IAR will significantly enhance the ability of our infantrymen to gain and maintain fire superiority, reduce their fighting load and provide them a more ergonomic and accurate weapons system that can keep up during the assault.”