Task order no. DTFH61-12-d-00008-t-12003 for "federal highway administration geotechnical laboratory support" is issued in the total amount of $21,944.84 consisting of a total estimated cost of…

Task order no. DTFH61-12-d-00008-t-12003 for "federal highway administration geotechnical laboratory support" is issued in the total amount of $21,944.84 consisting of a total estimated cost of $20,509.20 and a fixed fee amount of $1,435.64. Issue task order proposal request 120001: federal highway administration geotechnical laboratory support. Work is to be accomplished in accordance with engineering software consultants' technical proposal submitted on may 17, 2012, the terms and conditions of the basic IDIQ contract, and the statement of work provided herein. In order to accomplish the objectives in this task order, the contractor shall, as a minimum, satisfactorily perform the following: purpose: the purpose of this task is to develop six (6) technical synopses on a variety of topics that are related to closely spaced geosynthetic reinforced soil (GRS) systems. Background: the technical synopses should examine the closely spaced GRS systems and their habits that are less than or equal to 12 inches in length. Examples of the GRS systems that are to be examined but shall not be limited to: walls, abutments, and the integrated bridge system (IBS). Each technical synopsis shall be a maximum of five (5) pages single spaced text with 12 point font. The technical synopses shall follow the guidance in outlined report fhwa-RD-03-074. Any figures or photos shall be compliant to fhwa reporting regulations. If references are to be used, a list of references shall be included with the corresponding technical synopses. The technical synopses shall provide background on the follow topics for education in the behavior of GRS: topic 1: the technical synopsis shall examine the w factor and its implications on the design of a load bearing wall. This discussion will include a summary of the research and the associated theory leading to the development of the semi-empirical modified t/SV equation, also known as the w equation . The summary should include a discussion on the contribution of the components of the w factor as related to a GRS wall abutment and how that equation fits to the prediction of capacity. Topic 2: the technical synopsis shall discuss the design implications of performing (or not performing) the check for geosynthetic pullout of a GRS wall or abutment. The technical synopses shall also provide background on any available research on this topic and any associated performance data. The technical synopses shall also discuss the history of this design component in terms of traditional MSE theory and the appropriateness of extending this check to GRS technology. Topic 3: the technical synopsis shall examine the implication of limiting eccentricity, also known as overturning, on the design of a GRS system. The technical synopses shall discuss the history, purpose, and theoretical justification of this design component in terms of different gravity wall systems to include a cantilever wall system. Topic 4: the technical synopsis shall examine the short reinforcement embedment lengths and its implications on the design of a GRS walls or load bearing walls. This discussion shall include a summary of the available research and case histories of GRS structures with short reinforcement lengths (