R--SPECIAL NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE - UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

ERDC Contracting Office intends to solicit ON A SOLE SOURCE BASIS - under the authority of FAR 13.5. This procurement is being conducted under Simplified Acquisition Procedures --- only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. . Interested organizations may submit their capabilities and qualifications to perform the effort in writing to the identified point of contact not later than Wednesday, 7 April 2010 - 11:00 A.M., CDST. Oral communications are not acceptable in response to this notice. Interested parties may submit quotes for consideration by the Government to contact@example.gov. Please use solicitation number referenced in the subject line. The Structural Mechanics Branch, Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory, USACE/ERDC is currently investigating experimental techniques to aid in the development of multi-scale modeling efforts. This experimental eeffort will provide the necessary data to assist in the development of numerical tools to analyze concrete materials subjected to both low and high strain-rate loadings. X-ray tomography is an experimental technique by which the internal structure of a material may be determined from maps of its x-ray absorption. Reconstructed maps give informative physical description of the meso-structure of concrete specimens. This data is input into numerical tools to better define the internal structure of concrete, which should lead to more accurate numerical simulations. The University of Florida in Gainesville, Fl, recently installed a computed tomography x-ray system developed by North Star Imaging, Inc., (NSI). The integrated MTS capability adds a unique advantage of this system over others currently in use. This capability will enable specimens to be scanned while under stress, assuming the appropriate fixtures are available. In order to gain the valuable data to improve the understanding of concrete meso-scale behavior, such as that described previously, it is imperative that the facility at the University of Florida be utilized. Point of Contact for this project is Dr. Reynaldo Roque, Department of Civil and Coastal Engineering. For ERDC Technical questions, please call Bradley Foust, +1 (555) 000-0000.