Structural Tests of Slab-Column and Slab-Beam-Column Connections for the Champlain Towers South

Amendment 001: The purpose of this amendment is to revise the notice to provide additional figures, clarify key task areas, and extend the response deadline to August 3, 2022 at 11:00 AM. Please see revised attachments to this effect. All other terms and conditions remain unchanged. ____________ INTRODUCTION This is a Small Business Sources Sought notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding the availability and capability of qualified small business sources. This notice is strictly for market research and information purposes only. Your responses will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible. NIST is seeking responses from all responsible small business concerns. Small businesses are defined under the associated NAICS code for this effort, 541715 (Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences - Except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology), as those domestic sources having no more than 1,000 employees. Background: On June 24, 2021, the Champlain Towers South (CTS) Condominium in Surfside, Florida, collapsed after nearly 40 years of service. Ninety-eight people died in the collapse and several others were injured. NIST sent a preliminary reconnaissance team to collect information and data related to the collapse. Based on the recommendations of the preliminary reconnaissance team and evaluation of the criteria listed in the regulations implementing the Act, specifically in 15 CFR - 270.102, on June 30, 2021, the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), United States Department of Commerce, established a Team to study the collapse of the CTS Condominium in Surfside, FL. The NIST Investigation includes the Structural Engineering project whose focus is to determine (1) the technical conditions that led to the collapse of the Champlain Towers South and (2) the factors that might have contributed to the collapse including building design, construction, maintenance, and materials based on sophisticated structural models that make use of (a) evidence collected from the collapse site, (b) results of the other Investigation projects, and (c) structural engineering and reinforced concrete design and mechanics knowledge. Scope of Requirement: NIST requires support services to conduct laboratory testing on full-scale reinforced concrete components representative of collapsed portions of the CTS building. This shall include construction, instrumentation, testing, and preparation of reports on strength, deformability, and failure modes of slab-column connections with and without the slab drops and specific beam types. Specifically, the objectives of the required services are to: Determine the strength, deformability, and failure modes of eight plus one optional representative slab-column connections from the plaza level south of grid line 9.1, some with uncorroded reinforcement and others with corroded reinforcement, and obtain data that can be used to support numerical simulations of the behavior of the building. Determine the strength, deformability, and failure modes of two representative slab-column connections along grid line 9.1, including effects of slab drops, a specific beam type, column offset bent reinforcement, and prior failure of the plaza slab south of and adjacent to grid line 9.1, with uncorroded reinforcement, and obtain data that can be used to support numerical simulations of the behavior of the building. Key Requirement Tasks: The required work includes the following key task areas: Tests to Investigate Strength, Deformability, and Post-failure Behavior of Slab-Column Connections: This task area will require conducting a laboratory structural test project to construct, instrument, test, and prepare reports on the strength, deformability, and failure modes of eight (plus one optional) specimens representative of reinforced concrete slab-column connections. Slab dimensions shall be about 11 ft x 11 ft with a thickness of 9.5 in; supported on a column of cross section 12 in x 16 in and with a length ranging from 32 in to 106 in, see Figure 1. The slabs shall be tested with uncorroded reinforcement and others with corroded reinforcement (accelerated corrosion protocol will be supplied by NIST). While the structural testing of the specimens shall emphasize behavior under vertical shear without moment, at least two tests shall include a test apparatus capable of imparting both vertical shear and moment transfer between the slab and the column. Please see Figure 1 in the supplemental document attached for details. Tests to Investigate Strength, Deformability, and Post-failure Behavior of Slab-Beam-Column Connections: This task area will require conducting a laboratory structural test project to construct, instrument, test, and prepare reports on the strength, deformability, and failure modes of two specimens representative of reinforced concrete slab-beam-column connections including a drop slab as shown in Figure 2. The loading shall consist of (1) an axial force P of about 750 kips shall be applied to the column. This axial load shall be sustained for a period of at least 12 weeks. (2) With the axial force P still acting on the column, shear force V shall be applied until failure of the plaza side beam occurs. (3) After removal of the plaza side beam, the axial force P = 750 kips shall be maintained on the column for at least an additional hour. (4) If the column continues to support the axial force P, then additional column axial force ?P shall be added until failure of the column. Please see Figure 2 in the supplemental document attached for details. Required Expertise and Test Facilities: The tasks associated with this potential procurement require specific key personnel credentials due to the nature of the effort and its public impact. The contractor shall be able to provide one principal investigator as minimum key personnel. The principal investigator must hold a doctorate degree in civil or structural engineering or a related field from an accredited college or university. Additionally, key personnel will be required to meet the qualifications identified below. For the purposes of this sources sought notice, respondents are NOT required to identify proposed individuals or to provide resumes. However, the contractor shall provide information about its ability to make appropriate personnel available. Hold at least a Master's degree in civil or structural engineering or a related field from an accredited college or university; At least ten (10) years of experience in conducting structural testing on reinforced concrete structures up to failure; At least ten (10) years of demonstrated experience in design and execution of complex experimental testing programs including test setup, loading and boundary conditions, instrumentation, data acquisition and analysis, and reporting of results; and At least ten (10) years of experience with concrete design provisions in ACI-318 and concrete construction specifications in ACI-301. At least one of the key personnel shall have at least three (3) years of experience with corrosion testing of reinforced concrete structures and with non-destructive testing (NDT) techniques for reinforced concrete structures. Additionally, the contractor shall demonstrate the ability to provide appropriate testing laboratory services and test equipment to meet the requirements outlined in this notice, including laboratory space, loading apparatus, reinforced concrete construction, instrumentation, and data acquisition. QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS NOTICE Questions regarding this sources sought notice may be submitted via email to Ms. Lauren Roller, Contract Specialist, at contact@example.gov. Questions are due by or before 11:00 AM ET on July 25, 2022. Questions will be anonymized and answered via sources sought notice amendment following the question submission deadline. RESPONSE INSTRUCTIONS All responsible small business sources able to provide the services described above are asked to email a response to Ms. Lauren Roller, Contract Specialist, at contact@example.gov and Mr. Keith Bubar, Contracting Officer, at contact@example.gov by or before 11:00 AM ET on July 29, 2022. Please include the following information in the response: Name of company authorized to provide services, along with their address and a point of contact for the company (name, phone number, and email address). The company's primary NAICS, size classification, and socio-economic status (i.e., Small Business, Woman Owned Small Business, Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business, etc.). Brief description of capabilities in relation to the three key task areas identified in this sources sought notice. Information on any GSA Federal Supply Schedules (FSS) or other Government-wide contracts through which the company offers these services, if applicable. Any other relevant information that is not listed above which the Government should consider. Responses are limited to a maximum total of eight (8) pages in MS Word or searchable PDF format. IMPORTANT NOTES This notice is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. Responses will not be considered as proposals or quotes. No award will be made as a result of this notice. The Government will not be responsible for any costs incurred by the respondents to this notice. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response; however, NIST will recognize as restricted or proprietary data which is clearly marked such.