Procuring Level Test Articles from Portable Tanks Made with Fiber-Reinforced Plastic Materials

The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT)/Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) issues this Request for Information (RFI) for a contractor to assist in several performance tests that will need to be conducted to fully address concerns raised in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) HM-215 Q which addressed concerns with adopting that use of FRP Portable Tanks in the US.

PHMSA is seeking information from FRP Portable Tank manufacturers, domestic and international to inform the testing study. PHMSA will also evaluate the manufacturer's willingness and ability to provide articles for testing. PHMSA is looking to obtain from each manufacturer up to two (2) FRP Portable Tanks manufactured in accordance with the United Nations Model Regulations (UNMR), as well as material samples that are representative of the full-scale Portable Tanks being tested.

At this point, PHMSA is seeking industry input only regarding the feasibility and willingness to provide PHMSA with test articles, preferably donated, or at some point. The Department of Transportation (DOT)/Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) seeks information from interested parties concerning the attached Statement of Purpose. DOT/PHMSA would like to identify capable vendors that have the ability to complete the requested tasks and deliverables. Please refer to the "Scope" section of the Statement of Purpose and provide your responses to all the bullet points listed.