Runway Pavement Geotechnical Investigation & Material Failure Analyis

The 366th Contracting Squadron at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, is seeking qualification packages from Small Business architect-engineer firms to conduct a runway pavement geotechnical investigation and material failure analysis, with responses due August 28, 2026. This is a Total Small Business set-aside; price proposals are not requested.

Place of performance is Mountain Home AFB, Idaho. The contractor shall extract approximately 40 concrete core samples (6 inches in diameter, 16–18 inches deep)—30 baseline cores plus 10 subset cores—from designated runway locations and perform specialized laboratory testing in two consecutive phases. Phase 1 involves extracting approximately 15 samples from each runway end and conducting compressive and flexural strength testing per ASTM C42 and C496. Phase 2, initiated 24–48 hours after Phase 1 results are available, involves extracting an additional 10 cores and performing advanced petrographic and durability analysis including density and absorption (ASTM C642), petrographic examination (ASTM C856), air-void system analysis (ASTM C457), alkali-silica reactivity assessment (ASTM C1260/C1567), and carbonation depth and pH mapping (BS EN 14630/RILEM CPC-18R1). All core holes must be restored the same day with rapid-setting concrete grout reaching 3,000 psi within 2 hours. Field operations are restricted to off-peak night shifts coordinated with Airfield Management and require Foreign Object Debris prevention protocols, SIDA badging, airfield driver training, and Entry Authority List approval for controlled area access. The investigation focuses on identifying root causes of progressive pavement distress—surface cracking, spalling, and pitting—specifically assessing cyclic load fatigue, aggregate-cement binder bonding failure, or chemical degradation. The final deliverable shall include an executive summary, draft and final engineering reports, field operations and core log maps in CAD/GIS format, certified laboratory data sheets, and a root-cause failure analysis with actionable rehabilitation recommendations.

The NAICS code is 541330 (Engineering Services) with a $25.5 million size standard. PSC is C219 (Architect and Engineering-General: Other). Target award date is September 14, 2026. Evaluation criteria are Professional Qualifications (40 points), Specialized/Technical Competence (20 points), Capacity (20 points), Past Performance (10 points), and Location/Knowledge of Locality (10 points). Selection will prioritize demonstration of relevant recent project profiles within the last five years, specialized equipment access (heavy trailer-mounted hydraulic rigs, industrial diamond core bits, mobile water-pressure trucks), capability to complete core sampling and lab analysis within 24–48 hours, and proximity of key personnel to Mountain Home AFB, with maximum points awarded for staff located less than 100 miles from the base. Firms must submit a Standard Form 330 and a two-page RFQ response (8.5 x 11 inches, 1-inch margins, 10-point font minimum) to Contracting Officer Caleb Ferch (caleb.ferch.1@us.af.mil) and Contract Specialist Taylor Inman (taylor.inman.1@us.af.mil). A Questions and Answers document was uploaded August 25, 2026, clarifying that the 24–48 hour turnaround for laboratory results applies only to compressive and splitting tensile strength testing, that standard 5-day bag-conditioning for moisture is waived with approval from the designated specifier of tests, and that ASTM C642 density, absorption, and voids testing is scheduled for Phase 2 rather than Phase 1.