25 -- BRADLEY ROADWHEEL

Notice Date

April 26, 2001

Contracting Office

U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command, Acquisition Center (AMSTA-AQ-DE), Warren, MI 48397-5000

ZIP Code

48397-5000

Solicitation Number

Polyurethane Roadwheel Test

Point of Contact

Karen Kulie (810) 574-4111/Mark Waynick (810) 574-8909

Description

This is being published under Sources Sought as well as Presolicitation category to increase circulation opportunities. This section was synopsized on April 4, 2001 under the presolicitation category. The U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) may test polyurethane roadwheels on the Bradley Fighting Vehicle System (BFVS) to extend roadwheel life in a cost effective manner. Currently, about 6,000 roadwheels are bought annually for Bradley requirements. The polyurethane roadwheel test will be conducted in two phases: first, a preliminary vibration test; and second, upon favorable results from the vibration test, an endurance test. Only contractors who have supplied roadwheels for military vehicles will be considered. All roadwheels submitted for the test must have a Shore A durometer not to exceed 93. Phase one: The Government will perform a vibration test at Waterways Experiment Station (WES), Vicksburg, MS, beginning September 2001. Not all roadwheels will undergo phase one testing. The Government will select roadwheels for phase one testing at its discretion based on the Shore A durometer values. Contractors selected for the vibration test will be notified by May 16, 2001 and will be provided with unvulcanized roadwheels by the Government. Notified contractors must provide polyurethane roadwheels to WES by August 1, 2001 in order to be considered for the test. The Government reserves the right to determine whether to proceed to phase two, and if phase two is to be conducted, the Government similarly reserves the right to determine which roadwheels will be tested based upon its evaluation of phase one testing results. Phase two: The Government will perform a 10,000 mile endurance (road) test at Yuma Proving Grounds (YPG), Yuma, Arizona to begin June 2002. Interested participants will be notified by February 1, 2002 of the Government's decision on whether to proceed with the endurance test. The test will be conducted in accordance with MIL-DTL-3100 and in conjunction with a test plan to be developed by TACOM. The endurance test will be conducted on a Bradley Fighting Vehicle that weighs approximately 67,000 pounds. Based on the number of candidates, the Government will provide 16 to 32 unvulcanized roadwheels to the participants. The participants will be required to submit their finished polyurethane roadwheels to YPG by May 1, 2002. Funding: Due to funding limitations, participants are limited to the submission of one compound for testing. The Government will conduct the vibration and endurance testing, provide unvulcanized wheels to participants, and pay for shipping of wheels to participants and test sites. All other manufacturing costs will be borne by the participants. Participants will be financially responsible for any other test support activities they deem necessary (i.e., travel, test site visits, etc.). Successful endurance test participants will be qualified as an approved source, once they create a licensing agreement with Red River Army Depot (RRAD). Approved sources must be compliant with the Buy American Trade Agreements Act to be considered for future procurements. All dates mentioned above are tentative and subject to change at the Government's discretion and the Government reserves the right to alter or withdraw from the test. POC: Contractors must contact Mr. Ken Pitko by May 4, 2001 at (810) 574-7693 or pitkok@tacom.army.mil to indicate interest in participation in the test and the Shore A durometer value of the sample that will be submitted for testing. The following section was synopsized on April 26, 2001 under the presolicitation category. This is a modification to this announcment that was previously advertised. For market research purposes, each contractor must provide an estimated projected unit cost for a quantity of 6,000 wheels. This is not a request for quote, offer, or bid but rather a request for market data. This data should be sent to Mark Waynick (Email Address: waynickm@tacom.army.mil/Fax No. (810) 574-5666) or Karen Kulie(Email Address: kuliek@tacom.army.mil/Fax Number (810) 574-7072) NLT May 4, 2001 either by fax or by email.

Record

Loren Data Corp. 20010430/25SOL003.HTM (W-116 SN50K443)