U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration, Office of Acquisition and Grants Services, RAD-30, 400 7th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20590

A -- ROLLER BEARING ACOUSTIC DETECTOR/WAYSIDE TRAIN INSPECTION RESEARCH SOL DTFR53-93-C-00001, Task Order 122 DUE 082697 POC Contracting Officer, Thomas L. Riddle, 202-632-3391 The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) intends to negotiate on a sole source basis with the Association of American Railroads (AAR) to conduct Roller Bearing Acoustic Detector/Wayside Train Inspection Research. The principal purpose of this work is to facilitate evaluation on the effectiveness of acoustic bearing detectors in identifying bearing defects on freight cars in a controlled test environment. This effort is a follow-on task order to previous research conducted by the AAR (i.e., Phase I laboratory testing and Phase II field tests) at the Transportation Technology Center (TTC) in Pueblo, Colorado, under the terms of the parent FRA task ordering contract, DTFR53-93-C-00001, short-titled "Care, Custody and Control of the TTC." In the subject requirement, the AAR/TTC will be responsible for setting up a "hospital" train to run past the prototype wayside detectors developed by program participants at their own expense, using data collected in Phase II testing. The prototype detectors will analyze the bearings in the train in near real-time, and provide results for post-test review and reporting. The AAR will be responsible for coordinating project activities and preparing one or more reports based on the individual and collective test results and analyses. The AAR will also be responsible for making one or more presentations on the project activities and sharing information gained. This stage of research and development testing for any new hardware for proof of design is essential before revenue service implementation can begin. The AAR is considered uniquely qualified to perform the proposed work due to its ability to conduct full-scale testing using the test facilities at the TTC. In addition, the AAR/TTC maintains a unique relationship with all components of the railroad industry. Through the AAR's existing technical committees, including the Wheels, Axles, Bearings and Lubrication (WABL) committee, its operating numerous other wayside detection systems, the AAR/TTC has the unique ability to research existing industry practices relevant to bearing defect detection, and then to disseminate the results of this research to all segments of the railroad industry, including shippers, component suppliers and other organizations. The necessity to maintain continuity in the research previously conducted is of paramount importance, and any possible opportunities for award to and performance by another source would likely result in substantial duplication of cost to the Government that is not expected to be recovered through competition and would present an unacceptable delay in fulfilling the agency's requirements. Consequently, the FRA intends to conduct the proposed efforts through a task order issued under the FRA's existing facilities management contract with the AAR. The applicable authority for this announced intention is that under 41 U.S.C. 253 (c)(1) as implemented by FAR 6.302-1, "Only One Responsible Source." This task is not a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) and a competitive RFP is not available. See Note 22. (0191)

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