9027 - Questions and Answers.pdf

FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Procurement Office

605 Suwannee Street, MS 20 Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0450

Phone: (850) 414-4381

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS DATE: December 9, 2024

BID No.: DOT-ITB-25-9027-SJ

BID Title: Composite Tensile Tester

OPENING DATE: Friday, December 13, 2024 @ 3:00 PM EST

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS PROVIDED BELOW

Question 1 Is there a time requirement for the delivery?

Answer 1 Delivery must be made by September 1, 2025.

Question 2 When is the purchase order expected to be rendered if an acceptable bid is found?

Answer 2 After the 72-hour protest period, the requesting office will gather the necessary documents and submit the purchase order for approval. This process could take up to two weeks, but no more than one month.

Question 3 Is there a budget limitation for this project?

Answer 3 The Department has an estimated budget, however, it is not being disclosed at this time.

Question 4

The system shall include an appropriate strain transducer for measuring longitudinal strain.

For the avoidance of ambiguity, does this strain refer to a deformation in the direction of the force, or a deformation perpendicular to the force?

Answer 4 In the direction of the force.

Question 5

The system must be capable of safely and accurately measuring within specified load ranges without noise.

o This may be accomplished by multiple load cells provided that the necessary equipment and software are included for interchange.

Can you please explain it further?

Answer 5

This is referring to signal noise or scatter. We are looking for the machine to record measurements with at least the minimum resolution of 10 lbf (4.45N) and maintain that resolution throughout the minimum total breaking load range of 1 kip (4.45kN to 400 kips (1,771 kN). If that can be accomplished with a single load cell, ok. If a configuration with multiple load cells is needed to to accomplish this task, that is also fine. There may also be other methods or means to ensure that the machine meets the requirements, but the main focus here is measurement precision.

Question 6 Is there a required timeline for the delivery of the machine? I noticed the date was removed from the shipping section. Open-ended is perfect as this is a unique project

Answer 6 See Answer 1

Question 7

Would the Department consider a bid which explicitly does not supply the steel tube anchors and returns that responsibility to the customer? Hydraulic grips for the machine would be provided and we would work with the engineers to select an appropriate tube which would not deform under the maximum clamping force for anchored specimens o Would this be covered by the product specifications/deviations? We would be happy to provide a sheet explaining the decision and division of work

Answer 7 No. All requirements must be met for a bid to be considered.

Question 8 Would the Department be able to supply prepared samples for pre-acceptance at our manufacturing site prior to the delivery, if our bid is accepted?

Answer 8

No. We can supply vendors with contacts to our approved rebar manufacturers to obtain samples from them, but we cannot supply prepared samples to the vendor. It is the vendor's responsibility to verify compliance with the Contract Specifications. Final acceptance will be performed upon delivery to the State Materials Office Composites Laboratory.

Question 9

According to our vendor:

"We are no longer supplying the horizontal-style testing systems. We could either retrofit their existing horizontal tester or provide a vertical one that is similar in specs, but we cannot meet the requirements as they are listed."

Please let me know if you are able to change them, so we can provide you with an accurate quote and the most competitive pricing.

Answer 9 No, we cannot change to allow a vertical configuration. The horizontal configuration and its dimensions were carefully considered to suit the available space in our lab.