Developing Pedestrian Realistic Artificial Datasets (RADs)
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is seeking the development of Pedestrian Realistic Artificial Datasets (RADs) through a full and open competition solicitation. The primary objective is to create standalone software or static datasets capable of generating pedestrian count data for various roadway facilities through input parameters. Proposals must focus on developing a Windows-compatible executable targeting researchers with statistical software access, with emphasis on pedestrian volumes and potential movement patterns. The evaluation will be conducted on a best-value trade-off basis, with technical capability weighted most heavily, followed by past performance and price considerations. Key dates include a March 5, 2025 deadline for submission of questions to the Contracting Officer, with responses to be posted as a solicitation amendment, and a proposal submission deadline of April 7, 2025 at 1:00 PM Eastern Time.
This solicitation is not set aside for any specific category of business and has no incumbent contractor identified. The estimated contract value is approximately $400,000, structured as a firm fixed-price contract with a 30-month period of performance. The project falls under NAICS code 541715 for Research and Development in Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences, with a size standard of 1,000 employees. No specific travel funding is anticipated, and the government intends to award a single contract, potentially without further discussions based on initial proposals. The deliverables are expected to include a user guide, use cases demonstrating utility for safety research and planning, and marketing efforts targeting stakeholders such as State Departments of Transportation, planners, and researchers, with electronic delivery using MS Office suite tools or alternative platforms like GitHub or SourceForge.
693JJ325R000014 Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration
2/20/25, 10:42 AM Technical and Support Services for Pavement Programs (Solicitation)
This is a solicitation for an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) contract to provide technical, engineering, publication, marketing, and professional support services related to transportation topics focused on pavements and materials for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), a civilian agency within the Department of Transportation. The contractor shall provide a broad range of support services as required. Key requirements include stakeholder engagement, establishing best practices, technology delivery through workshops and training, demonstration projects, and technical/engineering assistance. The evaluation criteria include technical capability, management approach, and cost/price. Proposals are due by August 12, 2024.
This contract is a competitive small business set-aside. The period of performance is 60 months, with a minimum guarantee of $25,000 in task orders and a maximum total value of $18,500,000. The place of performance is Washington, DC. Task Order 0001 under this ID/IQ contract has an estimated value of $555,000 to $750,000, including $160,000 for travel and other direct costs, and a period of performance of 48 months.
693JJ324R000010 Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration
7/11/24, 9:01 AM Procuring Testing Services and Simulated Service Environments for Agricultural NH3 Nurse Tanks
BACKGROUND: The U.S. DOT’s Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe) is currently conducting a research study to analyze the fatigue life of agricultural anhydrous ammonia (NH3) nurse tanks of interest under normal operations. The purpose of the research is to determine if the NH3 nurse tank requirements dictated by the hazardous materials regulations (HMR) provide an equivalent level of safety as the requirements for other cargo tanks. The HMR currently allows specification cargo tanks to operate indefinitely if periodic inspection and requalification of cargo tanks are met through 49 CFR Part 180. Some cargo tanks have been operating for 30+ years, without incident; however, no information or data exists on whether these cargo tanks would exceed the tanks’ useful life (i.e., the endurance limit) for the remainder of their operations. Nurse tanks, a subset of cargo tanks, are exempt from 49 CFR Part 180 if they meet American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) code specifications and commodity limitation requirements. In recent years, the performance of NH3 nurse tanks has been questioned. There have been cases where nurse tanks have failed and caused significant hazardous materials (hazmat) release to the environment and affected public safety. Information on nurse tank performance is limited, since the current HMR exempts nurse tanks from periodic hydrostatic tests at test pressure during periodic intervals and no cyclic tests are required for these tanks.
The ultimate goal of this Volpe study is to use simulation and modeling technologies to analyze the fatigue life of NH3 nurse tanks of interest/concern to inform the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) on whether potential changes to the HMR are needed to protect public safety. It is anticipated that the study will include obtaining NH3 nurse tanks and running gear test specimens from manufacturers, retailers, or current owners of such equipment, conducting full-scale nondestructive and destructive testing, and developing finite element (FE) engineering models of nurse tanks using data collected from the full-scale testing. A subsequent phase is expected to include using the FE models to evaluate the performance of nurse tanks under a variety of conditions.
The type and quantity of tests to be performed in this study are both currently unknown. Some potential types of tests include: nondestructive hydrostatic testing with instrumented (e.g. strain gages, pressure transducers) NH3 nurse tanks, destructive hydrostatic testing (e.g. hydrostatic burst testing of tanks) with instrumented NH3 nurse tanks, and actual or simulated service conditions (e.g. filling/emptying, on-road and off-road dynamic loads, etc.) for a nurse tank mounted on running gear.
The availability of tanks of various designs (e.g. varied capacity, materials of construction, vintage, manufacturer, etc.) with or without running gear are unknown. Due to the potential large and diverse fleet of nurse tank designs, Volpe seeks to subject a variety of NH3 nurse tanks of different ages and design details to a variety of tests, as practical. Performing a variety of tests on a variety of NH3 nurse tanks is planned to help determine whether nurse tanks of different designs exhibit similar behaviors under a variety of conditions that may be encountered during service.
SCOPE: Volpe is seeking responses to this RFI from federal laboratories, academic and research institutions, entities that currently perform testing or inspections on NH3 tanks (nurse tanks or other DOT specification tanks), NH3 nurse tank owners, NH3 nurse tank users, and any consulting firms with the capability and experience in conducting experimental testing on pressure vessels and/or dynamic vehicle tests. Responses may address the following items that Volpe finds critical to conduct the agricultural NH3 nurse tank study:
Descriptions of your facility, equipment, experience, test capacity and staff preparedness for testing and/or inspecting NH3 nurse tanks or other DOT specification tanks.
Experience and capability for conducting hydrostatic tests to failure (i.e. burst) of ASME specification pressure vessels.
Experience and capability for developing a load spectrum representative of “typical” NH3 nurse tank service environment. Of particular interest is information related to the number of load/empty cycles an NH3 nurse tank experiences in a given period of time, how many miles and at what speeds the tank is transported via paved roads, how many miles and at what speeds the tank is transported via unpaved roads, and how many trips a given tank may make in a given period of time.
Experience and capability for conducting field measurements on in-service agricultural equipment, prior work done in this type of environment, and information related to challenges associated with conducting field measurements on in-service agricultural equipment.
Experience and capability for conducting simulated service environment testing and data collection of towed highway vehicles in both roadway and off-road environments.
Recommendations for instrumentation for measuring service loads, strains/stresses, internal pressure, or other quantities of interest from NH3 tanks in an actual or simulated service environment.
Experience and capability for handling anhydrous ammonia within a tested tank during non-destructive testing.
Experience conducting tests and inspections on NH3 tanks (whether nurse tanks, DOT specification tanks, or other specification tanks). Of particular interest is experience related to the types of indications or outcomes observable using different testing and/or inspection techniques, typical reasons for NH3 tanks requiring repair or removal from service, and any observations related to whether NH3 nurse tank inspections result in different indications from other types of NH3 tanks you may have experience with.
Recommendations on test requirements, number of repeated tests to establish repeatability, instrumentation, and post-test examination for non-destructive (e.g. hydrostatic) tests.
Recommendations on test requirements, types of component-level tests to be conducted, number of repeated tests to establish repeatability, instrumentation, and post-test examination for destructive (e.g. burst) tests.
Recommendations on test requirements, spectrum of load conditions, critical inputs, duration to establish repeatability, instrumentation, and post-test examination for in-service or simulated service condition tests.
Recommendations on variations in NH3 nurse tank design (e.g. capacity, vintage, materials of construction) or nurse tank running gear design that could be included in matrix of test articles (see related RFI on tank and running gear procurement – insert web link here).
Respondents need not provide information on all of the above items, partial responses will be appreciated as well. Any other comments that can help Volpe better define the research scope and direction and ultimately yield technical data beneficial to both the government and the industry are welcome.
Please note the related RFI on procuring tank and/or running gear specimens from agricultural NH3 nurse tanks (insert web link here).
This is a long term requirement with both immediate and future needs. As such, Volpe encourages respondents to submit their information by June 18 so that the information may be immediately but also encourages responses through the end of November.
This is a Request for Information (RFI) to be used for market research purposes only. This is not a Request for Quote (RFQ). This notice is issued solely for informational and planning purposes and it does not constitute a promise to issue an RFQ in the future. Responses to this RFI are not considered offers or proposals and the Government will not award a contract based on this RFI. The Government is not soliciting for proposals and will not accept unsolicited proposals. Respondents are advised that the Government will not pay for the information submitted in response to this RFI or any costs incurred in responding to this RFI. All costs associated with responding to this RFI will be solely at the interested parties' expense. It is the responsibility of the potential responder to monitor the website for additional information pertaining to this requirement.
All responses must be sent electronically via email to the Primary Point of Contact and Secondary Point of Contact listed on this posting. Any other responses, such as mail or telephone, will not be accepted.
326-01 Department of Transportation Immediate Office of the Secretary Transportation
4/27/21, 3:45 PM TECHNOLOGY LICENSING OPPORTUNITY for Fabrication of Complex Microchannels using Co-Sintering
TECHNOLOGY LICENSING OPPORTUNITY
Fabrication of Complex Microchannels using Co-Sintering
A hybrid co-sintering process with 3D printing and chemical processing allows for superior microstructural control, simplified component processing, and novel coatings control in embedded microchannels.
Opportunity: Idaho National Laboratory (INL), managed and operated by Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC (BEA), is offering the opportunity to enter into a license and/or collaborative research agreement to commercialize this new process for the fabrication of complex microchannels using co-sintering. This technology transfer opportunity is part of a dedicated effort to convert government-funded research into job opportunities, businesses, and, ultimately, an improved way of life for the American people.
Description: This technology is a hybrid co-sintering process that combines 3D printing and chemical processing to create complex microchannels. It uses 3D-printed shape-holders made of glass/ceramic to form topologically optimized cooling paths and chemical compounds for the dissolution of the shape-holders and selective dissolution and extraction of metals and oxides within the microchannels. The process uses digital light processing (DLP) stereolithography to produce parts with good surface quality, high resolution, and dimensional precision. The technology is energy efficient and environmentally safe and can be used for aerospace and land-based power turbine manufacturers. 3D printing allows for custom-optimized shape-holder configurations, and the process provides for the controlled deposition of functional coatings within the microchannels.
Benefits:
Superior microstructural control
Simplified component processing
Novel coatings control
Using high-resolution glass/ceramic 3D printing critically enhances design optimization and design-for-manufacture
Applications:
Component manufacturing produces metallic or cermet parts with embedded microchannels.
Aerospace and land-based power turbine manufacturing
Development Status: TRL 3, technology is undergoing proof-of-concept work.
IP Status: Provisional Patent Application No. 63/380,458, “Methods of Forming Articles by Additive Manufacturing and Sintering, and Related Articles,” BEA Docket No. BA-1329.
INL is seeking to license the above intellectual property to a company with a demonstrated ability to bring such inventions to the market. Exclusive rights in defined fields of use may be available. Added value is placed on relationships with small businesses, start-up companies, and general entrepreneurship opportunities.
Please visit Technology Deployment’s website at https://inl.gov/inl-initiatives/technology-deployment for more information on working with INL and the industrial partnering and technology transfer process.
Companies interested in learning more about this licensing opportunity should contact Andrew Rankin at td@inl.gov.
BA-1329 Department of Energy
2/17/23, 1:52 PM