SOLICITATION NOTICE
A -- Innovations to Expand the Locatable Zone For Underground Utilities
- Notice Date
- 3/10/2009
- Notice Type
- Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
- NAICS
- 541712
— Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)
- Contracting Office
- The National Academies, Transportation Research Board, Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2), 500 Fifth Street NW, Washington, District of Columbia, 20001
- ZIP Code
- 20001
- Solicitation Number
- SHRP2_R01-C
- Archive Date
- 5/6/2009
- Point of Contact
- Chuck Taylor,, Phone: 202-334-2065, Linda Mason,, Phone: 202-334-3241
- E-Mail Address
-
ctaylor@nas.edu, lmason@nas.edu
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- SHRP 2 Request for Proposals Focus Area: Renewal Project Number: R01-C Project Title: Innovations to Expand the Locatable Zone For Underground Utilities Date Posted: March 10, 2009 SHRP 2 Background To address the challenges of moving people and goods efficiently and safely on the nation's highways, Congress has created the second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2). SHRP 2 is a targeted, short-term research program carried out through competitively awarded contracts to qualified researchers in the academic, private, and public sectors. SHRP 2 addresses four strategic focus areas: the role of human behavior in highway safety (Safety); rapid highway renewal (Renewal); congestion reduction through improved travel time reliability (Reliability); and transportation planning that better integrates community, economic, and environmental considerations into new highway capacity (Capacity). Under current legislative provisions, SHRP 2 will receive approximately $150 million with a total program duration of seven years. Renewal Focus Area The U.S. highway system is aging and must be rebuilt while we are driving on it and living next to it. Research in the SHRP 2 Renewal focus area therefore addresses the need to develop a consistent, systematic approach to completing highway projects quickly, with minimal disruption to the community, and producing facilities that are long-lasting. Identifying new technologies for locating underground utilities; developing procedures to speed the evaluation of designs and the inspection of construction; and applying new methods and materials for preserving, rehabilitating, and reconstructing roadways and bridges are among the goals for this focus area. Alternative strategies for contracting, financing and managing projects, and mitigating institutional barriers also are part of the emphasis on rapid renewal. The renewal scope applies to all classes of roads. Project Background Utilities that exist beyond the zone where surface-based methods can locate them present a particularly difficult problem. Utilities are increasingly placed deeper as the near-surface space becomes crowded, and utility construction techniques become more capable. Existing surface-based methods for utility detection become less effective as depths increase. The European Street Works Research Advisory Council (ESWRAC) identified surface-based and below-ground survey techniques as promising areas of innovation. The Mapping The Underworld (MTU) project in the United Kingdom is also evaluating innovative technologies. Project R01-C investigates innovations for locating utilities not detectable by methods being evaluated in project R01-B. Project Objectives The primary objective of this project is to improve the detection and accurate determination of the positions of buried utilities within an expanded locatable zone up to Quality Level B as defined by CI/ASCE 38-02, the Standard Guidelines for the Collection and Depiction of Existing Subsurface Utility Data, using any appropriate methods without duplicating the scope of project R01-B. This objective may be accomplished by combining existing methods or developing new technologies. This project will also develop guidance that transportation agencies may use to include the developed innovative methods into their "Utility Accommodation Manual" and also can assist utility owners by expanding the locatable zone and improving detectability of future utility installations. The innovations to be examined should include, but not be limited to, alternative or novel surface-based approaches, in-line survey or signal emitters deployed from inside an existing utility, and modifications to existing tools. Tasks Task descriptions are intended to provide a framework for conducting the research. SHRP 2 is seeking the insights of proposers on how best to achieve the research objectives. Proposers are expected to describe research plans that can realistically be accomplished within the constraints of available funds and contract time. Proposals must present the proposers' current thinking in sufficient detail to demonstrate their understanding of the issues and the soundness of their approach for meeting the research objectives. Phase I Task 1: Review of Current and Emerging Practices Conduct a review of the performance and limitations of current and emerging practices and technologies. This review shall include nondestructive methods used in other industries (both foreign and domestic). It will also include a quantitative assessment of the dimensional range of locatable zones, including trade-offs among distance, resolution, precision, and operational/equipment costs for various site and ground conditions, nearby utilities, and utility types, materials, and sizes. The review must include current and evolving utility tagging/tracing practices. The factors to be considered for utility tagging/tracing practices include: maximum burial depth of the device, proposed system for long-term use/replacement of device/tracer, energy provision for active devices, data storage and update capabilities, data security, anticipated cost of the tags/tracers in commercial production, environmental restrictions, and method of attachment/association with the pipe or utility. Examples of tagging/tracing practices are transponders, RFID, locatable plastic pipes, and trace wires. Task 2: Plan for Innovations to Improve Extent of Locatable Zone Synthesize the findings of Task 1 and identify and prioritize opportunities for improvement of existing and development of new technologies. Prepare a detailed plan of the proposed innovative device(s)/process(es)/method(s) containing the desired performance capabilities, testing procedures, field testing program (data acquisition, processing, and analysis), and development and evaluation milestones. The plan should document the rationale behind the ranking of the proposed innovation(s) and describe quantitatively the activities required to evaluate each innovation. Cycles of innovation refinement and testing should also be identified. This plan should include relevant information from other underground utility mapping research projects, and how this project will be coordinated with SHRP 2 projects R01-A and R01-B. Task 3: Phase I Report Prepare a Phase I report that documents the results of Task 1 Review and Task 2 Plan. The Phase I report shall also include a detailed test plan for the laboratory and field testing to be undertaken in Task 5. This report will be due within five (5) months of the contract award. Acceptance and approval of the Phase I report along with the selection of the innovation(s) to be further evaluated is a requirement before proceeding to Phase II. Phase II - Innovation Development and Field Evaluation Task 4: Innovation Prototype Develop a prototype suitable for proof-of-concept testing. This task will include development and controlled testing of the detection capabilities of the selected innovation(s). As part of the development and test process, the raw signals emitted from and received by the prototype must be recorded and provided in addition to the results after signal processing and interpretation. Depending on the type(s) of selected innovation(s), physical demonstration of the system capabilities may be appropriate. It is desirable for innovation(s) to share similar operating characteristics with common commercial system in terms of size and power of key components. Develop a users' manual for the prototype. Task 5: Testing Conduct proof-of-concept testing in the laboratory and field. This task will compile data on the detection effectiveness of the innovation(s), the time for deployment, associated equipment, operational and equipment costs, interpretation effort, etc. Precision and accuracy of the innovation(s) shall be quantified and compared to the desired performance capabilities defined in Task 2. Testing and refinement cycles of the innovation(s) are strongly encouraged. Update the users' manual as necessary. Task 6: Guidance for Transportation Agencies/Utility Owners Guidance shall be developed that is suitable for use by transportation agencies to incorporate the use of the developed innovative methods into their "Utility Accommodation Manual" and by utility owners for expanding the locatable zone and improving the detectability of future installations, including the marking of existing utilities when exposed. This guidance document shall be submitted as a succinct section of the final project report. It will be in a form suitable for future distribution as an independent standalone report. Task 7: Final report Prepare a Final report. The final report should include results from Tasks 1-6. Recommendations regarding further development/refinements of the innovation(s) will be included along with the updated prototype users' manual. Deliverables • Phase 1 Report documenting Tasks 1 and 2. • Final Report documenting Tasks 1 through 6. • Quarterly progress reports. • Two (2) interim meetings with SHRP 2 staff: One (1) in Washington, DC and one (1) at the contractor's facility or field test site. • One (1) meeting with the project Technical Expert Task Group (T-ETG) and SHRP 2 staff for Phase I Report Review and Innovation Selection. • Telephone conference calls, as needed. • One (1) interim meeting with the Technical Coordinating Committee in Washington DC; Irvine, CA; or Woods Hole, MA. Funds Available: Not to exceed $1.615 million for the entire project. Contract Period: Thirty (30) months for the entire project. Responsible Staff: Chuck Taylor, ctaylor@nas.edu, 202-334-2065. Authorization to Begin Work: September 2009, anticipated. Proposals (20 single-bound copies) are due not later than 4:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on April 21, 2009 This is a firm deadline, and extensions simply are not granted. In order to be considered, all 20 copies of the agency's proposal accompanied by the executed, unmodified Liability Statement must be in our offices not later than the deadline shown, or they will be rejected. Delivery Address PROPOSAL-SHRP 2 ATTN: Neil F. Hawks Director, Strategic Highway Research Program 2 Transportation Research Board 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 Phone: 202-334-1430 Liability Statement The signature of an authorized representative of the proposing agency is required on the unaltered statement in order for SHRP 2 to accept the agency's proposal for consideration. Proposals submitted without this executed and unaltered statement by the proposal deadline will be summarily rejected. An executed, unaltered statement indicates the agency's intent and ability to execute a contract that includes the provisions in the statement. Here is a printable version of the Liability Statement ( http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/shrp2/LiabilityStatement.pdf ). A free copy of the Adobe Acrobat PDF reader is available at http://www.adobe.com. The Liability Statement is included as Figure 1 in the Manual for Conducting Research and Preparing Proposals for SHRP 2 referred to in General Note 4. Special Note Special Note 1: This project is based, in part, on recommendations developed in a previous SHRP 2 Renewal project, R01 "Encouraging Innovation in Locating and Characterizing Underground Utilities." A PDF file containing the R01 contractor's draft final report is available on request. This project is one of three that build on Project R01 that address underground utility location and characterization. The others are R01-A, Technologies to Support Storage, Retrieval, and Utilization of 3-D Utility Location Data, and R01-B, Multisensor Platforms for Locating Underground Utilities. The research team for this project will be expected to coordinate regularly with the teams working on these other projects. General 1. Proposals will be evaluated by SHRP 2 staff and Expert Task Groups (ETGs) consisting of individuals collectively very knowledgeable in the problem area. Selection of an agency is made by the SHRP 2 Oversight Committee, based on the recommendation from SHRP 2 staff and the ETG. The following factors are considered: (1) the proposer's demonstrated understanding of the problem; (2) the merit of the proposed research approach and experimental design; (3) the experience, qualifications, and objectivity of the research team in the same or closely related problem area; (4) the proposer's plan for participation by disadvantaged business enterprises (DBEs)-small firms owned and controlled by minorities or women; and (5) the adequacy of facilities. TRB and the SHRP 2 Oversight Committee strongly encourage the significant participation of DBEs in SHRP 2 research contracts. Although no quota is specified nor is DBE participation mandated, the proposer's plan for involvement of DBEs is a factor in contractor selection, and the contractor's adherence to its DBE plan will be monitored during the contract period. Contractors are required to submit periodic reports comparing actual with proposed payments to DBEs. The Contractor Expression of Interest section of the SHRP 2 website is a resource for proposers interested in participating on research teams. This database is being enhanced and will be renamed the Research Team Builder. 2. Any clarifications regarding this RFP will be posted on the SHRP 2 Web site ( http://www.trb.org/shrp2/ ). Announcements of such clarifications will be posted on the front page and, when possible, will be noted in the TRB e-newsletter. Proposers are advised to check the Web site frequently until March 26, 2009, when no further comments will be posted. 3. According to the provisions of Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 21, which relates to nondiscrimination in federally assisted programs, all parties are hereby notified that the contract entered into pursuant to this announcement will be awarded without discrimination on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or disability. 4. The essential features required in a proposal for research are detailed in the Manual for Conducting Research and Preparing Proposals for SHRP 2 ( http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/shrp2/PreparingSHRP2Reports.pdf ). Proposals must be prepared according to this document, and attention is directed specifically to Section IV for mandatory requirements. Proposals that do not conform to these requirements will be rejected. 5. The total funds available are made known in the project statement, and line items of the budget are examined to determine the reasonableness of the allocation of funds to the various tasks. If the proposed total cost exceeds the funds available, the proposal is rejected. 6. All proposals become the property of the Transportation Research Board. Final disposition will be made according to the policies thereof, including the right to reject all proposals. IMPORTANT NOTICE Potential proposers should understand that the research project described herein is tentative. The final content of the program depends on the level of funding made available. Nevertheless, to be prepared to execute research contracts as soon as possible after sponsors' approvals, the Strategic Highway Research Program is assuming that the tentative program will become official in its entirety and is proceeding with requests for proposals and selections of research agencies.
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