Notice of Intent - Shaker Table

This is not a solicitation for bids or proposals. Any responses received as a result of this Notice of Intent shall be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. Responses will not be considered as proposals, bids, or quotes. The proposed contract action is for products or services for which the University intends to negotiate and award with only one source, as permitted under the authority of the Utah Procurement Code (U.S.C. § 63G-6a-802, as amended). Product and/or service to be purchased: APS 113 ELECTRO-SEIS Shaker Proposed Sole Source Supplier: APS Dynamics Sole Source Justification: For our ME Vibrations Lab, we require sufficient force capacity and large-displacement, a broad excitation range to effectively demonstrate forced vibrations, resonance, structural dynamics, and seismic-range response in an instructional setting. The APS ELECTRO-SEIS shaker provides up to 6 inches of stroke and is designed to drive larger structural loads, which is critical for meaningful low-frequency and resonance demonstrations. The other systems either cannot meet the required force, stroke, and load capacity combination or exceed our budget when configured to approach similar performance. APS Dynamics provides a long-stroke electrodynamic vibration system with capabilities not available from other manufacturers known to us. The APS 113 ELECTRO-SEIS shaker uniquely enables large-displacement, low-frequency excitation required for vibration education and research, including the study of forced vibrations, resonance, structural dynamics, and seismic-range response. This equipment is well suited for our vibration laboratory and supports both instructional use and vibration-focused research through accurate, repeatable testing. APS Dynamics shakers have been used by universities, government agencies, and commercial laboratories around the world since 1971, and to the best of our knowledge, APS Dynamics is the only vendor that offers a vibration shaker that meets the full technical and instructional requirements of our vibration laboratory. There are relatively few manufacturers that offer electrodynamic shakers within our available budget range. We reviewed systems from other vendors with similar rated specifications. However, the alternatives we found provide less force and/or significantly shorter maximum stroke lengths, and many do not have sufficient capability to handle the larger loads required for our laboratory experiments. Given the limited number of manufacturers and the required long-stroke and load capabilities for instructional purposes, APS is the only vendor known to us that meets the full technical and academic needs of our vibration laboratory. To contest this sole source, click "Intend to Bid" and respond to the question listed in the Questions section by the due date. Responses will be considered only if they include clear and convincing documentation that demonstrates the capability of meeting or exceeding the requirements stated herein. All responses received by the due date will be reviewed by the University. A determination not to complete this proposed action based on the responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of Utah Valley University Procurement Services.