Residential Flashover Prevention System Study - Phase 2

This special notice is a Synopsis of a Proposed Contract Action in accordance with the requirements of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 5.2 as the circumstances of the contract action deem only one source reasonably available. Accordingly, the Government intends to solicit from a single source for a commercial service purchase not estimated to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold (SAT) in accordance with the authority at FAR 13.106-1(b)(1). The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) / Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) / Preparedness Section on behalf of the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), located at the National Emergency Training Center (NETC), intends to contract on a sole source basis with the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) / UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute (ULFSRI) located at 6200 Old Dobbin Lane, Suite 150, Columbia, MD 21045. DHS / FEMA intends shortly after the expiration of this special notice to issue a non-competitive award with a period of performance that is estimated to be twelve (12) months from the date of award. USFA was established by Public Law 93-498, the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974, which called for the establishment of a National Fire Academy (NFA) to advance the professional development of fire service personnel and other people engaged in fire prevention and control activities; a technology program for the development, testing and evaluation of equipment for use by the nation's fire, rescue and civil defense services; the operation of a National Fire Data Center (NFDC) for the selection, analysis, publication and dissemination of information related to the prevention, occurrence, control and results of fires of all types; and to take all necessary steps to educate the public and overcome public indifference to fire and fire prevention. USFA is taking a phased project approach to the potential development of a fire control system that prevents flashover during a fire in a typical residence and can be inexpensively and easily retrofitted into existing homes using existing residential water supplies. The research conducted for this project may be the foundation to development of new technology and equipment that will save both occupant and firefighter lives where flashover conditions exist during residential fires. The specific and ultimate objectives of this project are as follows: 1) Develop and demonstrate a prototype system that will prevent flashover during a fire in a typical residence. 2) Provide a technical report that will support the future adoption of the concepts developed into national codes and standards. 3) Performance Objectives for the System Technology: a. Prevent flashover in the room of fire origin for not less than 15 minutes following system activation. Temperature of the hot upper layer in the room of fire origin should not exceed 600'C. b. The escape routes in the home remain tenable for occupant egress for not less than 10 minutes following system activation. 4) Design Fire Scenarios: The stated performance objectives should be obtainable in the event of probable design fires in a variety of home configurations. 5) The system will operate from the water supply system serving the home without the need for a water tank or pump. 6) The installation criteria should permit the system to be installed as a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) project by a handy homeowner with only at most a minor need to open walls and/or ceilings to run pipe. The first phase of this project concerned an initial concept research and report and was recently and successfully performed by ULFSRI to the extent that a second phase is merited. The purpose of the contemplated award is to fund this second phase in which ULFSRI will build off results of the first phase to further refine results in accordance with USFA dictated requirements, performance measures, assumptions, and constraints. The key deliverable of this phase is a technical report for the USFA that will be used for future decisions regarding ongoing development of improved technology via a life-saving flashover control system. Amongst other items, this technical report will document and summarize this phase as well as cumulative results of this entire project, and it will be published as a USFA technical report that will support the future adoption of the concepts developed into national codes and standards. Market research has demonstrated that UL is the only source reasonably available as UL is uniquely qualified to undertake this type of fire science project due to their possession of the knowledge, experience, personnel, and facilities required to perform this work. The UL is a non-profit organization that has been deeply committed to improving fire safety since its formation in 1894. For over a century, UL has developed over 150 fire safety standards, conducted fire safety testing, granted product certification, and performed research programs. Their technical expertise, testing capabilities, and portfolio of product certifications together with their global reach enables UL to be uniquely qualified. The scientists at the ULFSRI are uniquely qualified to conduct research into the characteristics and nature of fires in residences. While several other researchers have worked on the characteristics of home fires, no one else has the extensive body of knowledge and understanding that the scientists at ULFSRI collectively possess. They have performed well over a hundred full-scale fire tests in residences and have developed an unparalleled understanding of the physics involved. Additionally, ULFSRI has extensive experience in fine water spray systems development and application, a critical component of the research required. Furthermore, their key research staff possesses extensive experience performing related firefighter operational safety research for the USFA and are supported by a team of pioneering experts and access to UL's extensive and proprietary informational and technical infrastructure. The findings of all phases of the project performed by UL will be included on the Underwriter Laboratories Firefighter Safety web site located at https://ulfirefightersafety.org/, which will allow further outreach to and accessibility for the targeted main i.e. fire service audience. This website is specifically designed to support and provide information on fire science to the fire service, and no other organization currently provides the depth and scale of information in the area of fire science specifically targeted at this group of professionals. This special notice is NOT a request for competitive quotes or proposals, and no solicitation document yet exists for this requirement. All parties interested in receiving the subsequent solicitation, which will not be made available through the Government wide point of entry (GPE), shall respond to this notice and: Submit technical data sufficient to demonstrate possession of the potential capabilities and recent and relevant experience necessary to provide the services required including but not limited to: ? -A thorough understanding of the physics of fire growth and spread (i.e. fire dynamics) in residential occupancies. ?- Extensive experience conducting full-scale testing of fires in residences as evidenced by publications in peer-reviewed or similar journals. ? -Evidence of extensive experience with water mist fire suppression systems, and related fire control hardware is required. ?- An understanding of past residential construction methods and techniques. ? -Experience developing fire safety standards, conducting fire safety testing, ability to grant product certifications, and performing research programs. Responses to this special notice i.e. capability statements must be made in writing and submitted via email using PDF, MS Word, and/or Excel attachments to Gregory Keller, Contract Specialist, at Gregory.Keller@fema.dhs.gov. Responses must be received no later than the response date and time specified in this notice, and any late responses will not be considered. All responses received by the closing date of this special notice will be considered by the Government. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. A determination by the Government to not conduct a competitive procurement based on responses to this special notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. All Contractors doing business with the Federal Government must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) database. Registration is free and can be found online at https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/.