Acquisition: Fire Performance Tests and Requirements for Shipboard Mattresses
Abstract
An audit was performed in response to a request from the Director, Defense Logistics Agency regarding the award and administration of contract SP0100-00-D-EE72 to procure innerspring mattresses for the Navy. The Navy, under its habitability improvement program, had been testing innerspring mattresses since the early 1990s as replacements for the neoprene foam mattresses on board ships. In March 2000, the Secretary of the Navy approved a habitability improvement initiative to replace the neoprene foam mattresses on board ships with significantly more comfortable innerspring mattresses. The Navy had a total requirement for 180,000 innerspring mattresses to support this habitability improvement initiative. From March through July 2000, the Naval Sea Systems Command developed a purchase description for a fire-resistant, innerspring, shipboard mattress. Based on the purchase description, the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia awarded contract SP0100-00-D-EE72 to National Industries for the Blind in July 2000 to manufacture 90,000 innerspring mattresses valued at $ 12.5 million. A follow-on contract for additional innerspring mattresses was awarded in August 2001. In August and September 2001, the Naval Sea Systems Command and the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia had fire performance tests conducted on the innerspring mattresses for the initial and follow-on contracts. The tests identified that the innerspring mattresses did not meet fire resistance requirements. In October 2001, the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia directed National Industries for the Blind to stop manufacturing the innerspring mattresses.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 14, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA402646
Entities
People
- David K. Steensma