SOURCES SOUGHT
A -- An Adjustable roof Bracket and Safety Rail Assembly
- Notice Date
- 12/22/2005
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 332999
— All Other Miscellaneous Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing
- Contracting Office
- Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Acquisition and Assistance Field Branch (Morgantown), 1095 Willowdale Road, Morgantown, WV, 26505
- ZIP Code
- 26505
- Solicitation Number
- Reference-Number-RFI-2006-001
- Response Due
- 1/25/2006
- Archive Date
- 2/9/2006
- Description
- The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is interested in partnering with a manufacturer of roofing products to evaluate the current version of a NIOSH-designed, patent-pending ?adjustable roof bracket and safety rail assembly.? Additionally, NIOSH requests that the cooperating roof-products manufacturer conduct a marketability analysis related to the current version of the bracket-rail assembly. The goal of this collaboration will be to enhance the design of the current prototype bracket-rail assembly to enable the wide-spread usage of this safety product throughout the residential and commercial-industrial construction industries. This announcement is a business opportunity in that the partner selected will share expertise with NIOSH researchers toward making the bracket-rail assembly a profitable, widely used safety product. Currently, there are no commercially available roofing products that demonstrate the versatility of the NIOSH-designed bracket-safety rail assembly. This assembly has been designed to protect construction and maintenance workers at a variety of residential, industrial, or commercial construction work sites. The assembly is a guardrail system that can be installed around any type of hole in the floor or roof of a building during construction, on the surface of or along the edge of a wide range of roof pitches, and along other unprotected edges, such as balconies, decks, or stairwell openings. Laboratory testing, which used a simulated roof work site, was conducted by the NIOSH research team and successfully demonstrated that the bracket-rail assembly met the requirements of the OSHA regulations related to worker fall protection (Subpart M). Specifically, subsection 1926.502(b)(3) states that ?Guardrail systems shall be capable of withstanding, without failure, a force of at least 200 pounds (890 N) applied within 2 inches (5.1 cm) of the top edge, in any outward or downward direction, any point along the top edge ?? Laboratory results have assisted the research team in developing improvements to the initial design. Tests of the fourth generation of adjustable bracket-safety rail assembly have indicated that the system supported, without failure, a downward and outward force that far exceeds the requirement specified by the OSHA regulation cited above. These results indicate that this assembly is a viable product that can be effective in potentially preventing hundreds of fatalities and thousands of severe injuries that result when workers fall from sloped roofs, through unguarded holes, or from unprotected edges. Candidate companies, which appear to provide the most promise of meeting the requirements listed below, may be evaluated by their capability to complete the research and development needed to bring the adjustable bracket-safety rail assembly into commercial production. NIOSH does not promise to sign a partnership agreement with any presented company. While neither party promises to enter into a purchasing or testing agreement, the right is reserved to establish a partnership based on engineering analysis/evaluation capabilities found under this announcement or other searches, if determined to be in the best interest of the Government. Adjustable roof bracket-safety rail assembly Commercialization Capability Parameters: (Companies should try to meet as many of these requirements as possible, but highly innovative solutions without testing are not discouraged from presentation or response.) (A) Provide significant intellectual, engineering, and technical expertise in manufacturing the bracket-rail assembly. This would include defining the cost and usability needs of a target residential or commercial-industrial construction industry. Also, assistance will be provided to NIOSH for setting realistic product cost objectives and suggestions will be provided on how the bracket-rail assembly can achieve the product cost goals ? Required; (B) Fabricate prototypes for usability testing and evaluation during actual construction activities ? Required; (C) Provide expertise to NIOSH in designing and conducting workplace evaluations involving residential and commercial-industrial construction workers ? Required; (D) Review test results and recommend design modifications ? Required; (E) Review testing methods and recommend appropriate, substitute testing criteria ? Required; (F) Work with a client of the manufacturer to evaluate the following factors during actual construction activities ? (1) ease or difficulty of user installation; (2) product durability throughout an entire construction season; (3) worker/management acceptance ? Required. NIOSH is seeking an innovative partner to address these major areas. A company that is qualified and currently producing roofing products for use in both residential and commercial-industrial construction industries is highly desirable. However, past testing and design of roof safety products is not required. If prior testing has been performed, the testing information and results should be provided. Interested parties responding to this request should provide detailed information regarding their manufacturing capabilities, test set-up and results, and information related to estimated costs to manufacture this product. Presentation materials may consist of literature, electronic presentation, and/or video. (Samples, information, and data provided to the Government as part of this solicitation will not be returned to vendors following the completion of this project.) Vendors may be offered the opportunity to meet with the project team following a review of all submitted information. Data, information, and product samples must be delivered to NIOSH within two weeks (10 business days) of the closing of this announcement. Although every effort will be made to consider all information received, the Government will not be obligated to evaluate information received after the two-week period. Vendors should note any proprietary data as such. If any data is to be excluded from exchange with any of the project participants, a statement of that fact shall be included with the ?statement of propriety.? Presentations from interested vendors are optional but encouraged. The Government has identified March 7, 8 & 9, 2006 for these presentations to be conducted. The Government reserves the right to identify an alternate meeting date if those specified are not viable for one or more interested vendors. Please send literature to and coordinate presentations directly with: Thomas G. Bobick, Project Officer, CDC/NIOSH, Mailstop H-G800, 1095 Willowdale Road, Morgantown, WV 26505; phone 304-285-5986; fax 304-285-6047; e-mail txb4@cdc.gov. Please include 3 copies of all documents submitted.
- Record
- SN00956778-W 20051224/051222211842 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
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