Pursuant to 13.106-1(b), the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Turner Fairbank Highway Research Center (TFHRC) intends to negotiate a sole source purchase order with Forney LLP to purchase one new 500,000 lbf Machine with VFD Integrated Package and Pore Fluid Expression Forney Part No. FHS-500-VFD-M).

The Concrete Laboratories at TFHRC will be collaborating with Oregon University on a national experiment related to the use of the formation factor (F-factor) in assessing durability issues in concrete.  To accomplish the testing requirements of this initiative the pore solution extraction of hardened cement paste and mortars, in a controlled manner, is required.  The test method is described in the attached paper by R. S. Barneyback , Jr. and  Sidney Diamond, EXPRESSION AND ANALYSIS  OF PORE FLUIDS FROM HARDENED  CEMENT PASTES AND MORTARS, from CEMENT and CONCRETE RESEARCH,  Vol. 11, pp. 279-285, 1981.  The pore solution extraction die is not part of this procurement since it has already been built at TFHRC. The testing apparatus utilizing TFHRC's pore solution extraction die is a new 500,000 lbf Machine with VFD Integrated Package and Pore Fluid Expression (Forney Part No. FHS-500-VFD-M).

The equipment shall be custom programmed by FORNEY LP for the testing mentioned above. The only supplier of this equipment is FORNEY LP. A purchase order, issued under FAR Part 13, is anticipated and the total estimated value is not to exceed $24,900.

The intent of this notice is not to request competitive proposals, and any information received from interested parties will only be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether a competitive procurement should be conducted. However, interested parties may submit a description of their firm's capabilities for satisfying this requirement, which demonstrates they possess the ability to successfully perform this effort. All questions concerning this matter should be addressed directly to Kevin Hardy at [email protected].