Sources Sought-Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) testing- Steel-Backed Timber Roadway Barrier

Potential Sources Sought. This is NOT a solicitation for quotes/submissions/proposals.  Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is conducting market research to identify potential sources for an anticipated requirement. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information, for planning purposes, regarding (1) the availability and capability of qualified sources to perform all or some of the work described below; and (2) the size classification of the available and capable sources relative to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for the proposed acquisition.

This notice does not solicit quotations/proposals. Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Additionally, the FHWA will not provide reimbursement for any information that may be submitted in response to this RFI/SS notice.  Companies/Firms/Respondents are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI/SS notice. Responding to this RFI/SS notice will neither increase nor decrease the likelihood of being awarded any contract in the future by FHWA for the requisite services.

Pursuant to 48 C.F.R., Part 10, the Government is conducting market research to:

• Determine what sources exist that can satisfy the Government’s requirements listed below,
• Determine the capabilities of potential sources,
• Determine the size and status of potential sources, and
• Determine the level of competition (i.e. 8(a), set-aside, or full and open).

The results of this RFI/SS notice will assist in identifying potential quoters having an interest in, and the resources to accomplish the work and contribute to determining the method of procurement.

The FHWA is seeking a qualified Contractor that demonstrates the capabilities, experience, and resources required to perform crash testing on safety hardware devices. FHWA is transitioning to the latest crash test criteria for road safety hardware. This means transitioning from the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 350 Recommended Procedures for the Safety Performance Evaluation of Highway Features to the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) methods. The goal of this effort is to make off- National Highway System (NHS) roads and highways as safe as possible, in part by accelerating the move to newer crash test criteria for Steel-Backed Timber roadway safety hardware devices.

This project proposes to follow AASHTO 2016 MASH to crash test and document a Steel-Backed Timber roadway barrier, transition, and terminal common to the off- NHS system. This MASH testing will provide additional crashworthy alternative systems for local, federal, and tribal agencies and decrease occupant risk if they impact a device that meets current crash test standards. Upon completion of successful crash testing of the three safety hardware devices the FHWA will share the MASH test results and the standard details with the transportation community.

NOTE: Please review attached detailed RFI/SS notice which in­cludes instructions on how to submit questions and ca­pability statements and each respective deadline. 

PLEASE do not post, upload, or submit questions or ca­pability statements in response to this notice on 
SAM.gov. Questions and responses posted or submitted via SAM.gov may not be answered or considered.