This is a REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) only. It is not a solicitation nor does it guarantee a solicitation will be issued. This is an RFI for the purpose of conducting market research to determine the availability and adequacy of potential business sources prior to determining the method of acquisition. Submission of any information in response to this sources sought notice is COMPLETELY VOLUNTARY. The Government will not pay for any effort expended in reponding to this notice.

The Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center) is seeking information related to new Association of American Railroads (AAR) certified general purpose railway flatcars. These railway flatcars must have the following minimum salient characteristics: 110/120 ton capacity; forty (40) foot deck length; maximum allowable deck width per AAR Plate-B envelope; forty-four (44) inch deck height (from top of rail); two (2) feet ten and one-half (10.5) inch coupler height; forty-five (45) foot overall length over couplers; ability for a gross rail load of 286,000 pounds (or 71,500 pounds per axle); standard North American rail wheel gauge fifty-six and one-half (56.5) inches; and the ability to negotiate seventy-eight (78) foot horizontal curves. Railway flatcars must conform to AAR and American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) specifications and be AAR mechanical designation FM and car type F223 (or equal). Flatcars shall have a securement system that follows rules in the AAR Open Top Loading Rules Manual, Rule 14 and its subparts. Each flatcar shall have the ability to be mounted on two (2) four (4) wheeled trucks with centers of twenty-nine (29) feet and four (4) inches.

Interested vendors having a product meeting the above description must submit a capabilities package demonstrating their product. Included in the package shall be any literature, specifications, pictures, etc. related to the product. Additionally, the Volpe Center is interested in estimated product delivery time and a general idea of a price for such product. All information sought should be conveyed in no more than six (6) pages. Each response should reference this RFI's title. Interested parties must respond to this announcement in writing within fifteen (15) calendar days of publication, or by 28 March 2014. Telephone requests will not be honored. All responses should be sent via e-mail to [email protected].

The information provided herein is subject to change and in no way binds the Government to solicit for or award a competitive acquisition. The Government will not pay for any materials provided in response to this notice and submittals will not be returned to the sender. For information about the Volpe Center, please refer to the Volpe Center website at http://www.volpe.dot.gov.

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