April 13, 2026
As the nation’s combat logistics support agency, the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) manages the end-to-end global defense supply chain—from raw materials to end user disposition—for the US military services; 11 combatant commands; other federal, state, and local agencies; and partner and allied nations. Specifically, NCMS is assisting DLA Troop Support Clothing & Textiles Directorate (DLA TS C&T) in identifying a company to improve production rates and output on domestically sourced critical safety textile webbings.
Background
Shuttle loom Class 1 Textile webbings are used in rigging, safety equipment, parachute, and tentage applications. As a result, they require higher working & breaking tensile ratings, in addition to abrasion, heat, and UV resistance. Most commonly they are made of nylon or polyester and flat or tubular in design. DLA currently manages at least 36 national stock numbers that call for shuttle loom construction.
Currently, there are only two known domestic manufacturers that use shuttle looms in the manufacturing process. This legacy technology produces a true woven edge (selvage) on both sides of the webbing, which is critical for preventing fraying. Modern shuttle-less looms, while faster and more efficient, typically create one woven edge and one knitted edge. This knitted edge is susceptible to fraying, which can lead to catastrophic failures in critical applications such as parachute-assisted cargo drops, potentially resulting in severe injury or death.
Objectives
The primary objective is to develop, evaluate, and implement an improved production process for critical safety webbings. This can be achieved by either enhancing current shuttle loom manufacturing processes to increase efficiency and reduce lead times, or by introducing new or alternative technologies that can produce webbing with two durable, fray-resistant woven edges, equivalent or superior to that of a shuttle loom. The new process must be scalable, cost-effective, and capable of meeting all requirements within the specification for tensile strength, abrasion resistance, and other critical safety specifications. The goal is to create a sustainable domestic supply chain for this critical material.
Submission Requirements
Interested parties should submit a white paper response, NO MORE THAN 4 pages, that does the following:
- Describe a general approach including phases to accomplish the objectives
- Describe assumptions
- Establish a high-level project schedule and estimated timing
- Technical Approach:
- Describe your proposed manufacturing process in detail. Explain how it addresses the issue of edge fraying inherent in shuttle-less looms.
- If proposing a new technology, provide data (e.g., from prototypes and/or lab testing) that demonstrates the durability and fray-resistance of the webbing’s edges.
- If proposing improvements to existing shuttle loom processes, detail the specific innovations and how they will increase production rates and efficiency.
- Compliance and Quality Assurance:
- Explain your quality control process for ensuring the integrity of the webbing, especially the edges.
- Describe your capability to meet existing military specifications (e.g., MIL-DTL-4088, PIA-W-4088, MIL-PRF-17337G, MIL-DTL-5038K, MIL-W-5625, MIL-T-6134).
- Provide details on your testing procedures for tensile strength, abrasion resistance, and other critical parameters.
- Manufacturing Capability and Scalability:
- Describe your current manufacturing capabilities and equipment.
- Provide an estimate of your production capacity and lead times.
- Outline your plan for scaling up production to meet DLA’s needs.
- Experience and Past Performance:
- Summarize your company’s experience in manufacturing narrow fabrics, webbing, or other textiles for aerospace, military, or safety applications.
- Provide examples of similar projects and their outcomes.
- Provide URLs to corporate presentations including engineering, modeling and simulation, prototyping, testing, and manufacturing capabilities
- Cost:
- Provide a Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) cost for implementing your proposed solution.
Deadline
Responses are due by COB on May 8th. All submissions should be in the form of a PDF file that is titled: SourcesSought.DLA.textile.CompanyName (ex. SourcesSought.DLA.TEXTILE.NCMS)
Submissions should be emailed to: opportunities@ncms.org
*** The intention of this Sources Sought is to contract the initiative through the Commercial Technologies for Maintenance Activities (CTMA) contract vehicle. It is important to note that this contract vehicle is a Cooperative Agreement, requiring an in-kind contribution and a CTMA final report. The program also does not allow fixed fee/profit. Please reach out to or opportunities@ncms.org for any questions or concerns regarding these items.
Evaluation Criteria
- Technical Feasibility. How technically feasible is the proposed solution, given the present state of the technology? Solutions with a lower technological risk profile are favored.
- Responsiveness. How responsive is the proposed solution? Solutions responsive to the problem identified, without creating new problems, are favored.
- Viability. How viable is the proposed solution, given existing organizational and regulatory environments? Solutions compatible with existing DLA, DoD, and federal policies, processes, and procedures are favored.
- Desirability. How desirable is the proposed solution to the eventual end-user? Solutions easily adaptable, useful, and implementable are favored.
- Funding. Does funding reasonably exist to fund the proposed solution? Solutions with lower prices are favored.
Disclaimer and Other Legal Information
NCMS encourages the participation of Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs), including Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs) and Women’s Business Enterprises (WBEs).
Responding to a Sources Sought, RFI, or Survey does not guarantee that a CTMA Program initiative will result. By submitting a response, you are agreeing to allow NCMS to share your information with the United States government. All submissions containing proprietary information shall be marked accordingly.
Any industry or academia participant awarded a contract by a participating government sponsor pursuant to a Sources Sought, RFI, or Survey will be compensated, under the agreement, on a cost-reimbursable basis. Each project participant will be expected to share in the total project cost by contributing cash or in-kind resources.
Under the CTMA Program, the parties shall limit participation on the project to (1) U.S. citizens, (2) lawful permanent residents as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(20), (3) other protected individuals as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), and (4) Canadian citizens (pursuant to the principles underlying the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement), if such participation will involve visual inspection of the Technology, Intellectual Property or Technical Information, or oral exchanges of information about the foregoing. We also require the project participants to furnish NCMS, upon request, with proof of the citizenship status of its personnel participating on the project, including (1) U.S. citizens; (2) legal permanent residents; and (3) foreign nationals who are not permanent residents. In instances where it is necessary to involve foreign national employees in the visual inspection of the Technology, Intellectual Property, or Technical Information, or oral exchanges of information about the foregoing, the parties will be required to furnish to NCMS proof of appropriate valid export license, or technical assistance agreement, or exemption from licensing requirements (e.g. Canadian exemption) to the extent required by the International Traffic In Arms Regulations (“ITAR”) or the Export Administration Regulations (“EAR”). A copy of such license or agreement shall be furnished to NCMS before any disclosure of information to such foreign person. In the event a party believes that the subject matter of the project agreement is not covered by ITAR, that party may request a written waiver of the requirements of foreign national provision in the CTMA Agreement, which may be granted if the NCMS contracting officer agrees that ITAR does not cover the subject matter.
These requirements also apply to individuals who have dual citizenship status.
