National Archives and Records Administration, Acquisitions Services Division (NAA), 8601 Adelphi Road, Room 3360, College Park, MD 20740-6001

99 -- LADDER PULPIT, ALUMINUM, ROLLING, STEP TYPE SOL NAMA-98-N12-P-0024 DUE 072298 POC Marty Cruz 301-713-6755 x 238, Fax: 301-713-6910 This serves as a Sources Sought Notice to locate qualified sources for Ladder Pulpit, Aluminum, Rolling, Step Type. The following information is provided to do a Market Survey of industry to see if there are any potential contractor who have the skills and knowledge required to complete this effort. This announcement is NOT a formal solicitation and is NOT a request for proposal. Availability of any formal solicitation will be announced separately. This synopsis is for information and planning purposes only and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government. This description covers a special aluminum pulpit ladder intended for use on concrete floors in 30" wide aisles in shelving installations at Federal Records Centers. 1.1 MODEL: Ladder shall be 9 step model and shall conform in all respects to drawings (available by request), as specified in the procurement document. 2. DESIGN: A manufacturer's tolerance of plus or minus 1/8 of an inch shall be permitted for all ladder dimensions. 2.1 STEPS: With the exception of the top step, the steps shall be not less than 9 inches nor more than 10 inches deep by not more than 1 inch thick (including the tread). This provides at least 11 inches of clear vertical space between all steps. The top step shall be 14 inches deep by 1 inch thick. The width of the steps shall conform to the taper of the sides of the ladder. The thickness, depth, and spacing measurements for the steps are specified to meet critical operational requirements. 2.2 SHELF: The filing shelf shall be 12 inches deep by 15 inches wide by 1 inch thick. It shall be mounted permanently on the uppger guard rail and shall overlap the top step by not more than 3 inches. 2.3 SWIVEL CASTERS: Four (4) spring loaded, swivel casters are required. The casters shall be 3 inches in diameter and shall conform to Bassick caster model number WL13698MX282RP or equal. Casters shall have a bolt, rivet, or bushing axle and shall be secured to ladders, fully operational, in a manner which permits their replacement using simple hand tools (see section 7). The stem of each caster shall be equipped with a special self locking type nut to adjust the spring tension for smoother ladder operation. The stem of each caster shall be mounted so that when weight is applied to any step, the springs on all four casters shall compress. 2.4 GUIDE ROLLERS: Four (4) rigid guide rollers as shown in Figures One, Two, and Three are required. The guide rollers shall be mounted to a custom made, aluminum, angular bracket that will serve as its axle housing. The bracket shall be 3/8 of an inch thick, 2-1/2 inches wide at the ladder end, and with a 2-1/2 inch length from the base of the ladder to the furthermost point on the bracket. The aluminum brackets shall be tapered at the corners as shown, and shall provide housing for both ends of the axles of the guide rollers (available by request). The brackets shall be mounted (welded) to the ladder at the outer corners of the base at both the ladder end and the non-ladder end. The weld shall be 2-1/2 inches wide to match the width of the bracket and must be strong enough to withstand repetitive bumping against steel shelving installations. There shall be two guide roller assemblies (one at each corner) at the ladder end and two guide roller assemblies (one at each corner) at the non ladder end. It is imperative that the brackets be positioned so that no part of the guide roller assembly interferes with the rotation path of the swivel casters. The swivel casters must be able to rotate a full 360 degrees without interference. The guide rollers shall have 2 inch diameter wheels of all hard rubber composition. The wheel thickness shall be 5/8 of an inch, plus or minus 1/8 of an inch. With the ladder in the raised position (unloaded), the top most point of the oval head of the axle of the guide roller shall not be more than 2-3/4 inches above the floor. (The 2-3/4 inch maximum height measurement is a critical operational requirement.) Use an oval head bolt as an axle with a special self locking type nut installed on the down side of the lower portion of the customized axle housing bracket. (The 28 inch overall width for the guide rollers, as shown in the drawers, is specified to meet critical operational requirements.) The 28 inch overall width includes the 22 inch width (outside dimension) of the ladder at its base, plus 2-1/2 inches on each side of the ladder at its base for the guide roller brackets, and 1/2 inch on each side of the guide roller brackets for the guide roller wheels. 2.5 BASE BRACES: For strength and stability, three 20-1/4 inch long horizontal cross braces are required for each ladder. These braces shall be welded across the base of the ladder at the following locations: (1) one brace across the center of the ladder, (2) one brace recessed approximately 9-3/4 inches at the ladder end (attached at the front swivel casters) and (3) one brace recessed approximately 9-3/4 inches from the non ladder end (attached at the back swivel casters). The recessed requirement is specified to prevent kicking the ladder during rapid movement. 3. CONSTRUCTION: As a minimum, the ladder shall be capable of safely supporting two persons with a combined weight of 400 pounds plus a 50 percent overload factor. Each step shall be capable of safely supporting 200 pounds plus a 50 percent overload factor. The filing shelf shall be capable of safely supporting 60 pounds plus a 50 percent overload factor. 3.1 METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION: The ladder shall be all welded construction and shall be furnished fully assembled. 3.2 MATERIALS: 3.2.1 FRAME, RAILS, AND DIAGONALS: The frame, rails, and diagonals shall be 1/2 inch nominal pipe size, schedule 40 aluminum pipe (or 3/4 inch nominal pipe size at manufacturer's option). Aluminum shall be of alloys 6061 or 6063 of a T4, T5, or T6 temper at the manufacturer's option. 3.2.2 STEPS: All steps shall be fabricated entirely from aluminum, of 1/8 inch nominal thickness. The step treads shall be corrugated, ribbed, dimpled, embossed, knurled or other non-slip configuration. 3.2.3 SHELF:The filing shelf shall be fabricated from aluminum sheet, 1/8 inch nominal thickness, and shall have a flat, smooth top surface. 3.2.4 LEGS: All legs shall be rubber tipped. 3.2.5 FINISH: The aluminum finish shall be the manufacturer's standard mill finish and shall be free from burrs, sharp edges, and oily substances. 3.3 FRAME: 3.3.1 STEPS: Except for the bottom step, the distance between steps, from top surface to top surface, shall be 12 inches. The top surface of the bottom step shall be 15 inches from the floor when in the down position. (The special spacing (arrangement) of the steps is critical to meet operations requirements.) Step overlap shall be approximately four inches. 4. INSPECTION: New manufacturers are required to deliver a pre-production model to the National Archives and Records Administration, for the purpose of mandatory NARA inspection. Approval to proceed with full production must be granted by NARA. If the pre-production model meets all requirements, it will be accepted as one item against the total quantity ordered. Prior to payment, all ladders ordered must meet all requirements of this purchase description, with inspection to be performed at the specified NARA delivery address. 5. PACKAGING: Packaging shall be in a manner that prevents damage to the ladder(s) during shipment including damage to the guide rollers, casters, steps, filing shelf, legs, frame rails, diagonals, finish, etc. 6. DELIVERY: Delivery requirements shall be specified by the NARA contracting officer. 7. CASTER SPRING AND HOUSING: Bassick caster number WL13698MX282RP is without housing and spring. The spring should be designed so that when the ladder is unloaded, it has sufficient force to return it to the raised position. The spring shall have a fatigue life to withstand a minimum of one million cycles of deflections. The shaft housing for the spring loaded swivel casters may be fabricated from 1/2 inch diameter aluminum pipe. Each caster housing shall be reinforced with a 1/8" thick angular aluminum bracket weldedto the ladder frame as shown. The Government WILL NOT respond to any request for a solicitation package in response to this request for information. The Government will not pay for any materials provided to it in response to this synopsis and submittals will not be returned to the sender. Please forward all descriptive literature information and pricing to: National Archives and Records Administration, NAA, Room 3360, Attn: Marty Cruz, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001. Posted 07/09/98. (0190)

Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0450 19980713\99-0007.SOL)