Acoustic Test Fixture (ATF) System and Associated Services

Request for Information Notice HT9426-26-RFI-TM01 for “Acoustic Test Fixture (ATF) System and Associated Services”.

This is a REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ANNOUNCEMENT ONLY. It is neither a solicitation announcement nor a request for proposals or quotes and does not obligate the Government to award a contract. Requests for a solicitation will not receive a response. Responses to this RFI must be in writing and are limited to a total of five (5) pages.

The purpose of this RFI announcement is to conduct market research to make appropriate acquisition decisions and to gain knowledge of potential qualified offerors interested and capable of providing the “Acoustic Test Fixture System and associated services” described below. Documentation of technical expertise must be presented in sufficient detail for the Government to determine that your company possesses the necessary functional area of expertise and experience to fulfill the requirement.

The Defense Health Agency Contracting Activity, 808 Schreider Street, Fort Detrick, MD 21702, is seeking potential qualified offerors to provide application and services that conform to the following minimum essential characteristics:

• The ATF shall have two symmetrical simulated ears that include: representative pinnae, conchae, and ear canals, with ear canal and circumaural flesh simulations, and two instrumented ear canal couplers. The ATF shall be anthropometrically representative overall with approximately flat surfaces surrounding the pinnae.
• The ATF shall have a bitragion width greater than or equal to 13 cm and less than or equal to 18 cm. It shall have a head height greater than or equal to 12 cm and less than or equal to 15 cm.
• Ear canal couplers shall be in accordance with ANSI/ASA S3.25, and ANSI S12.42.
• The length of the ear canal extension (ANSI/ASA S3.25 coupler) shall be 14 ± 1 mm, with an inside diameter of 7.5 to 8.0 mm including the flesh simulation. The ear canal extension shall be lined with a flesh simulation material having a thickness of from 1.5 to 3.0 mm.
• The ATF shall include flexible pinnae, flexible circumaural bases of sufficient diameter that can fully support earmuff cushions, and a resilient lining in each ear canal.
• The flesh simulations shall have a Shore 00 durometer reading between 30 and 60 when measured at 37 ± 2 ºC.
• The circumaural material shall be between 5 and 8 mm thick and greater than 120 mm in diameter.
• ATF shall be maintained at a temperature of 37 ± 2 degrees C during testing because of the influence of temperature on the dynamic characteristics of elastomeric materials used in earplugs and earmuff cushions
• Low noise ear simulator system equipped with ½ inch low noise microphone coupler system with dynamic ranges from 10.5 dB(A) to 113 dB.  
• Power Module designed for Low-noise Systems.
• The ATF shall have a minimum self-insertion loss of 60 dB from 80 Hz to 12.5 kHz when measured using a suitable isolation cup or plug with the flesh simulation absent.

The North American Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 334515 – Instrument Manufacturing for Measuring and Testing Electricity and Electrical Signals (Size Standard: 750 Employees).

Notice to potential offerors: All offerors who provide goods or services to the United States Federal Government must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) at www.sam.gov and complete online representations and certifications in SAM.  The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of the RFI or otherwise pay for the information requested.  Responses will be treated as information only and not as a proposal.

All interested parties shall submit information by email to both Tammy McRae and Jeremy McMurry at tammy.n.mcrae.civ@health.mil and jeremy.l.mcmurry.civ@health.mil, no later than 12:00 PM Eastern Time on 2 April 2026.