Universal Railway Flatcar

This is a REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) only. It is not a solicitation nor does it guarantee a solicitation will be issued. This is an RFI for the purpose of conducting market research to determine the availability and adequacy of potential business sources prior to determining the method of acquisition. Submission of any information in response to this sources sought notice is COMPLETELY VOLUNTARY. The Government will not pay for any effort expended in responding to this notice. The Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center) is seeking information related to a Universal Railway Flatcar (URF) design inclusive of engineering, manufacturing of limited/prototype cars, and manufacturing of large car quantities. General characteristics of the URF include the following: 1. Built to the requirements of Association of American Railroads (AAR) Manual of Standards and Recommended Practices with the intent of AAR Certification. 2. New, 150-ton capacity, double platform articulated deck car with six axles (three 2-axle trucks) and capability of carrying two 75-ton tracked vehicles. 3. Individual deck lengths to be the maximum permitted by the 10 foot, 5 inch minimum normal width and cannot exceed AAR Plate-C requirements. 4. Deck height above rail at end sills and at articulated connection shall not exceed 48-inches nominal. 5. At least one of the two articulated car decks must be capable of securing three 20-foot International Organization for Standardization containers using holes in deck compatible with interbox connectors (IBC). It is preferred that both decks have this capability. 6. Provisions to reduce the gap distance at the articulation to permit the operation of circus type vehicle loading. This may include a fixed convex/concave deck plate at the articulation location or a sliding plate fixture for example. 7. Chain tie-down securement system (four rows of anchor holes per car) in conformance with AAR Open Top Loading Rules Manual, Rule 14 and its subparts. 8. Deck floor plates shall be minimum 0.375 inch thick steel welded to the underframe and in combination with the side-sills shall extend the full width of the car. 9. Below deck handholds and safety provisions as required by Federal Railroad Administration regulation. 10. Cars to be equipped with end-of-car cushioning units 11. Below deck hand brake (one per car). 12. AAR Type E or F bottom shelf design couplers with manganese steel coupler carrier wear plates, at least 0.5 inch thick. 13. Cars to be sandblast prepped, primed and painted with appropriate stencils per AAR and reporting marks. 1. Requested information to provide on URF design and engineering: a. A description of the capability to design and engineer cars in conformance with AAR Manual of Standards and Recommended Practices. b. A description of the capability to coordinate with teams/customers such as AAR Equipment Engineering Committee, US Government, etc. c. A description of the capability to provide a complete engineering package with sufficient detail to manufacture the cars; drawings, Bill of Materials, validated mathematical models used to confirm that the as-built cars are within the Limiting Values for all Criteria in Table 11.1 of AAR Specification M-1001, and other material required for the execution of the car design by the manufacturer/car builder. d. A brief description of anticipated costs involved with the development of the URF engineering package. 2. Requested information to provide on URF prototype manufacturing and delivery: a. A description of the capability to manufacture car prototypes in an AAR certified rail shop. b. A description of the capability to provide prototype cars utilizing a complete engineering package. c. A description of the capability to coordinate major build milestones, engineering, and design of alternatives with various customers. d. A description of the capability to rework/adjust prototypes after field trials. e. A description of the process and anticipated costs involved with the development and manufacture of URF prototypes. 3. Requested information to provide on full production of the URF: a. A description of the capabilities for the manufacture and delivery of up to 300 new universal articulated 150-ton AAR certified railway flatcars. b. A description of the capability to receive staggered payments after delivery at destination and the process of mainline interchange inspections, fees, and commercial warranty. c. A description of the anticipated manufacturing timeframes involved for the production and delivery of the following URF quantities: i. 1 to 50 cars ii. 1 to 100 cars iii. 1 to 150 cars iv. 1 to 200 cars v. 1 to 250 cars vi. 1 to 300 cars Interested vendors must submit a capabilities package demonstrating their product(s). Included in the package shall be any literature, specifications, calculations, drawings, etc. related to each product of interest. Additionally, the Volpe Center is interested in a rough order of magnitude for each product of interest. All information sought should be conveyed in no more than ten (10) pages. Each response should reference this RFI's title. Interested parties are requested to respond to this announcement in writing by 3 October 2014. Telephone requests will not be honored. All responses should be sent via e-mail to [email protected]. The information provided herein is subject to change and in no way binds the Government to solicit for or award a competitive acquisition. The Government will not pay for any materials provided in response to this notice and submittals will not be returned to the sender. For information about the Volpe Center, please refer to the Volpe Center website at http://www.volpe.dot.gov.