DOT, Fed Hwy Admin, Office Of Acquisition Management, 400 7th St, SW, Room 4410, Washington, DC 20590

A -- STEEL BRIDGE COATINGS QUALITY AND FAILURE ANALYSIS RESEARCH SOL DTFH61-98-R-00067 DUE 070198 POC Elena de Leon, Contract Specialist, HAM-30C, (202)366-9054 BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT Steel Bridge Coatings Quality and Failure Analysis Research A. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) identifies the Federal Highway Administration's(FHWA) intention to sponsor applied research in the area of Steel Bridge Coatings Quality and Failure Analysis. The broad objective of this BAA is to solicit research to assist in providing solutions to the problem of corrosion protection of steel structures and steel bridge coatings. The bridge painting industry has undergone revolutionary changes in recent years. Environmental regulations have forced changes in specified paint materials and have mandated the use of containment and control of waste products and dust emissions during the removal of old coating systems. Regulations mandating specific protocols for worker health and safety have also forced changes in bridge painting operations. Although regulatory impact has caused significant netincreases in bridge painting costs, these changes have spurred innovation in terms of equipment, techniques, and management of bridge painting jobs. This innovation holds great promise to stabilize or even reduce costs in future maintenance efforts. Prior to ten years ago, there was no significant room for innovation in the bridge painting industry. Maintenance painting practices were relatively unregulated and inexpensive. Now that cost increases have reached tenfold in some instances, innovation which promises initial or life cycle cost savings is welcome. This BAA addresses the infrastructure maintenance burden and the need for a diverse menu of solutions to bridge maintenance problems. Current options for maintenance of bridge coatings include full removal and replacement of paint systems, overcoating, zone painting, and alternative surface preparation methods (e.g., high-pressure water, chemical stripping, recyclable/disposable abrasives, etc.) All of these methods have been used to varying degrees on bridge structures throughout the country; however, no comprehensive study of the specific merits and limitations of these "non-traditional" bridge maintenance painting techniques has been undertaken. Potential maintenance painting cost reductions can come from; 1) increases in productivity while maintaining quality and compliance, 2) techniques which offer a significant improvement in durability for nominal additional up-front investment, or 3) techniques which offer significant reductions in initial maintenance costs with only nominal performance and durability tradeoffs. B. REQUIREMENTS: The scope of this announcement is to invite innovation and to provide FHWA the flexibility to fund multiple research proposals which best address its mission and goals. In keeping with FHWA's desire for innovation and flexibility, the specific approach in the selected proposals will vary and will be negotiated. To avoid duplication of effort, the contractor shall conduct a brief, but thorough literature search prior to the initiation of any particular research task. These searches shall include review of pertinent literature published by Federal Highway Administration, Society for Protective Coatings (SSPC), National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE), US Department of Defense, and any other pertinent steel structure or coating interests. C. DELIVERABLES: The contractor shall provide as a minimum: 1. A comprehensive final report for each specific research area, both in hard copy and in a form suitable for posting on the web. 2. A draft Technical Note summarizing research results pertinent for immediate use by FHWA field and DOT engineers. 3. At least two briefings to FHWA staff regarding the progress and results of the research work. All publications shall conform to Guidelines for Preparing FHWA Publications FHWA-AD-88-001 dated 1/88 and Change 1 dated 5/20/94. All printed documentation shall be delivered in paper and electronic form using WordPerfect 7.0 or higher. Deliverables are required in formats ready for electronic or Internet publication in addition to tradition print publication. Electronic deliverables shall follow the formatting guidelines listed below: Artwork or graphics designed for the web shall be accompanied by all originals (photos, slides,existing artwork, etc.) if possible. These will then be used as a reference to check color. Electronic files submitted for inclusion in the graphic shall be saved in a jpeg or tif format with a minimum resolution of 300 pixels/inch. The current FHWA web-enabled database platform is Microsoft Visual Studio/Internet Developer. This platform is supported by our development and production servers. The servers are running NT Server, IIS server, and SQL server. Internet Developer allows the use of VB, C++, and J++. For more specific questions on web-enabled databases, contact either the Turner Fairbank Highway Research Center (TFHRC) web master, the FHWA web master, or the TFHRC LAN administrator. All web-enabled documents should be coded in HTML 3.2 to be viewed in all browser versions 3.0 or better. Design and function need to be pre-approved by the COTR and the TFHRC web master. Any scripting beyond HTML needs to pre-approved by the TFHRC web master. Documents shall be broken down into manageable files and graphics should either be jpeg or gif and as small as possible (50k). The usage of frames is permissible. External links shall be avoided. Commented code shall be used to support future revisions. Color codes shall be hexadecimal, not word codes. These tags should be used: <b> not <strong>, <i> not <em>, and <u> (underlining) shall not be used. End paragraph tags </p>are not necessary. Animated graphics shall not loop endlessly. 4. Deliverables may also consist of innovative equipment and other research products to serve as prototypes ready for implementation. D. CONTRACT PERIOD: A two year period of performance is anticipated. E. CONTRACT TYPE: A cost reimbursable contract is anticipated. F. SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS: This notice is the only solicitation for this project. Offerer's proposals shall be dated to arrive not later than 4:00 p.m. EST July 1, 1998 at the Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, 400 Seventh Street, SW, Rm 4410, HAM30, Washington, DC 20590. Attention: Elena de Leon. Please show the BAA number and the closing date on the forwarding envelope. Late proposals will be handled in accordance with FAR 15.412. Proposals shall be valid for a minimum period of 60 days. G. INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARATION OF PROPOSALS: Any resulting contract will contain Federal Acquisition Regulation and Transportation Acquisition Regulation supplemental clauses appropriate for the type of contract. Prior to award of the contract, the contractor will be required to submit "certifications and representations." Data and reporting requirements will be negotiated with the firm(s) selected for contract(s). In responding to this announcement, please submit your proposal in three separate parts as follows: 1) Technical -- The proposal should describe in detail how the offeror would proceed if awarded a contract. Detail the approach, methodology, techniques, equipment requirements, products, time for completion and plan for implementation of results. NOTE: the Government has not developed a detailed breakdown of this project into tasks; however, offerors must provide proposals which detail their proposed work in terms of specific tasks. 2) Staffing -- Provide the names of all personnel (including subcontractors and consultants) and the position they will occupy on the project team. The estimated project staffing should be provided in staff hours. Biographical information on each proposed member of the professional technical staff shall be included. NOTE: The proposed staffing must be broken out by individual task, and by technical discipline as applied to the proposed project approach. 3) Cost -- The cost proposal shall be specific, complete in every detail, and separate from your technical and staffing proposals. Cost figures must not be shown in the forwarding letter or in the technical or staffing proposals. Proposals shall be limited to 25 pages including technical, staffing, and cost sections. All sections may be delivered in the same packaging. Offerors may submit proposals on any or all portion(s)of this announcement. Cost sharing is not required; however, demonstrated commitment to the program through cost sharing is encouraged. H. EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS AND AWARD: Proposals will be evaluated to determine their technical merit based on the following criteria, listed in order of importance, with items 1 and 2 being equal: 1. Offeror's Responsiveness to the Requirement of the BAA. a. Demonstrated insight by development of a detailed work plan as requested in the BAA document for all the tasks. b. Incorporation of innovative ideas, technology from other fields and new approaches in the proposed work plan to meet study objective. 2.Offeror's Indication of Sufficient Resources to Complete the Contract Requirements Satisfactorily and on Schedule. a.Demonstrated successful experience of the research team in performing similar or related studies. b.Demonstrated ability to manage the proposed research team in complex, product-oriented assignments. c.Recognition of current highway technology, practice, procedures, and organization as they relate to this research topic. d.Adequacy of the proposed work plan, and its potential for putting research results into practice. 3.Offeror's Demonstration of Technical Competence to Conduct Proposed Research. a. Qualifications of the Principal Investigation and other members of the research team, and the time devoted to the proposed project by each member. b. The soundness of the proposed approach, the recognition of the potential problems, and the appropriateness of methods proposed to overcome them. The proposed research effort will be evaluated as a "stand alone effort," but its overall comprehensiveness, quality and value to FHWA will also contribute significantly in the selection criteria. The offeror's ability to identify a need and to design within budget are essential skills in the accomplishment of the contract objectives. Cost proposals will be evaluated for cost reasonableness and analyzed to assess realism and probable cost to the Government. The Government may make multiple awards and reserves the right to select or award any, all or part, or none of the proposals submitted. I. GOVERNMENT RIGHTS: The Government anticipates that a total of $1,000,000 will be dedicated to this program, subject to the availability of funds, and anticipates making multiple awards. The following is an indication of relative funding for each task: Task A = 25%, Task B = 10%, Task C = 35%, Task D = 20%, and Task E = 10%. Should additional funds for this program become available, the Government reserves the right to fund additional meritorious proposals within the stated proposal validity date. The Government reserves the right to incorporate ideas from successful offers into future contracts. The Broad Agency Agreement does not commit the Government to pay for response preparation costs. J. ELIGIBILITY: All responsible sources may submit a proposal which shall be considered by the FHWA. Consortium arrangements and industrial partnering agreements are encouraged. STATEMENT OF WORK Research Area A -- Optimization of Quality Assurance and Compliance Monitoring Inspection Current cost variations in bridge maintenance painting operations sometimes reach an order of magnitude between various job sites. While some of these costs are explainable and relate to structural specifics, and local cost differences, elements of the specifications and the actual manner of enforcement for compliance can often dictate significant variances in cost. It is in the best interest of the transportation community to shed light on the effect of specific policies and procedures on the resultant cost of bridge fabrication and repainting operations. Expanded use of quality assurance techniques and personnel has followed the large increase in costs for bridge maintenance painting operations in recent years. These practices have been shown as beneficial based on industry experience, and anecdotal information; however, no comprehensive study of the effectiveness of various levels of Q/A and of specific techniques has been undertaken. In addition, bridge owners are currently forced into third party contracting situations for painting quality assurance due to the lack of general expertise and guidelines in this area. This research area would result in specific guidance for the use of quality assurance in painting of new and existing steel as well as data regarding the effectiveness of innovative quality assurance tools and techniques. Specific examples include, but are not limited to the following: Appropriate level of environmental monitoring. Appropriate level, responsibility and frequency of quality assurance inspection during maintenance surface preparation and repainting operations. Need for training and certification of State specification writers, on-site inspectors, contractor supervisors and workers, and consultant compliance monitoring personnel. Research Area B -- Bridge Metalizing Details The contractor will design a focused study to optimize Metalizing practices for preservation of steel bridge infrastructure components. This study may address: Appropriate sealers for metalized coatings on bridge steel. Determination of critical surface preparation details for Metalizing. Production rates and actual costs of Metalizing in both the shop and field application environment may be studied. Research Area C -- Bridge Maintenance Cost Analysis The contractor shall analyze the separate line item costs for bridge maintenance painting at various locations and operations. Relative cost impacts of the various job components will be compared and contrasted. Specific recommendations for modification in State bid package assembly, distribution, and analysis will be required. These recommendations may take the most promising components of the various State and municipal specifications reviewed as part of the subject effort. Analysis will concentrate on the impact of various "newer" required components of bridge repainting jobs. These include, but are not limited to: Cost of containment design, construction and movement Cost of worker health & safety planning and implementation Cost of waste handling, treatment, and disposal Cost of surface preparation (labor & materials) Cost of paint application (labor & materials) Equipment rental or depreciation Cost of environmental monitoring (including consulting costs) Cost of quality assurance inspection Cost of traffic control Research Area D -Evaluation and Forensic Analysis of Existing Coatings Present methods of evaluating existing coatings include visual and crude mechanical assessment techniques such as adhesion. The condition of an existing coating system is often the determining factor when choosing acceptable maintenance methods. Enhanced evaluation techniques which are simple and sensitive enough to perform in the field, yet provide quantitative, reliable information would be of great benefit. In addition, surface preparation and cleanliness are judged on the basis of written and photographic visual standards. Methods to conveniently evaluate the true condition and cleanliness of a surface prior to paint application would increase the effectiveness of specifications and reduce the current ambiguity of most painting specifications. Research Area E -- Academic Based Research for Steel Bridge Coatings There is a significant amount of academic based and academic related research ongoing in the industrial protective coatings industry. To-date, however, only a small amount of this research has developed technology which directly benefits the highway and construction community. There is a need for academic based research in the areas of protective coating formulation, application, adhesion science, surface preparation, and accelerated testing. Proposals should focus on research areas which will provide a benefit to an academic research program as well as provide potential short term solutions to current steel bridge coating problems. These efforts may be proposed directly by an academic institution or group of in a teaming arrangement with academic and industry based groups. (0125)

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