Health Monitoring of Roller Bearings Using Resonant Ultrasound Spectroscopy(RUS)
Closed Special Notice Posted
A later notice was posted: the Limited / Sole Source Justification from .
- Solicitation number
- FR26RDI2000000003
- Agency
-
Federal Railroad Administration
Department of Transportation
- Responses due
- Set-aside
- No set-aside
Opportunity facts
- NAICS code
- 541715 Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology)
- PSC
- AS11 Transportation R&D Services; Surface Transportation, Public Transit, And Rail; Basic Research
- Place of performance
- Albuquerque, New Mexico 87123, United States
- Points of contact
Notice details come from SAM.gov. Updated .
About this opportunity
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has issued a Notice of Intent to award a sole-source contract to BlueHalo Labs LLC for the continued development of a Resonant Ultrasound Spectroscopy (RUS)-based roller bearing health monitoring system. This special notice, posted on April 16, 2026, represents a follow-on requirement to advance technology previously demonstrated under Contract No. 693JJ624C000042. The FRA is pursuing sole-source authority under FAR 6.3021 and 41 U.S.C. 3304(a)(1) based on the determination that only one responsible source can perform this continuation work without disruption or loss of program continuity. The effort falls under the Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences category (NAICS 541715) and addresses critical safety and operational concerns related to railcar roller bearing failures across the U.S. rail network.
The objective of this follow-on contract is to continue development of the Roller Bearing Damage Detector (RBDD), a system that combines RUS technology with machine-learning-based anomaly detection to identify internal bearing defects before catastrophic failure occurs. Phase 1 activities successfully validated laboratory performance and demonstrated the feasibility of using resonant-vibration spectral analysis to detect early-stage bearing damage. The performance period is scheduled to run from May 4, 2026, through November 3, 2027. While this is not a competitive solicitation, interested parties may submit a capability statement by May 3, 2026, at 2:00 PM Eastern Time to demonstrate their ability to perform the RUS continuation effort. Capability statements must be received within 15 calendar days of the posting date and should clearly address technical capacity to execute the work without duplication of effort or loss of program continuity.
Notice text
THIS IS A NOTICE OF INTENT (NOI) TO AWARD A SOLE SOURCE CONTRACT AND IS NOT A REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) intends to award a sole-source contract to BlueHalo Labs LLC to advance a Resonant Ultrasound Spectroscopy (RUS)–based roller bearing inspection system as a follow-on requirement to continue work previously performed by BlueHalo under Contract No. (693JJ624C000042) during the base performance period.
Railcar roller bearing failures represent a persistent safety and operational risk to the U.S. rail network. Under prior FRA sponsorship (Phase 1, Contract No. 693JJ624C000042), the Contractor demonstrated the technical feasibility of Resonant Ultrasound Spectroscopy (RUS) combined with machine-learning–based anomaly detection for identifying internal roller bearing defects prior to catastrophic failure. Phase-1 activities established the Roller Bearing Damage Detector (RBDD) concept, validated laboratory performance, and demonstrated sensitivity to early-stage bearing damage using resonant-vibration spectral peak identification and alignment techniques, and unsupervised anomaly detection models.
AUTHORITY
This sole source action is conducted under the authority of FAR 6.302‑1, implemented by 41 U.S.C. § 3304(a)(1), Only One Responsible Source.” No solicitation or request for quote is available.
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE
May 4, 2026 - November 3, 2027
RESPONSE INSTRUCTIONS
This Notice of Intent is not a request for competitive proposals; however, interested parties may submit a capability statement that clearly demonstrates the ability to perform the RUS continuation effort without disruption, duplication of cost, or loss of program continuity. Capability statements must be received no later than 15 calendar days from the date of posting, by 2:00 PM Eastern Time. Oral communication will not be accepted.
DISCLAIMER
This Notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for information provided in response. No solicitation document exists.
Notice history
| Notice | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| Health Monitoring of Roller Bearings Using Resonant Ultrasound Spectroscopy(RUS) | Limited / Sole Source Justification | |
| This notice | Special Notice |
Similar open opportunities
| Opportunity | Agency | Set-aside | Responses due |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY 26 Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) - Federal Railroad Administration | Federal Railroad Administration | No set-aside |
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