Inactive

The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Engineering Research and Development Center-Construction Engineering Research Laboratory’s (ERDC-CERL’s) Automated Construction Expeditionary Structur... The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Engineering Research and Development Center-Construction Engineering Research Laboratory’s (ERDC-CERL’s) Automated Construction Expeditionary Structures (ACES) team has a requirement to procure a full scale deployable, ruggedized, lightweight, containerized concrete 3D printing system, capable of printing a full-scale 500sf B-hut, for use in operational demonstrations. The system shall include a storage container and all required tools/equipment separate from the materials flow system. ERDC-CERL intends to sole source this acquisition in accordance with FAR 13.106-1(b)(2) and FAR 13.501(a) to Caterpillar Inc. The ACES research team has been utilizing an ACES Lite gantry system for the past 4 years and has iterated design along the way to suit military needs. This System was built by Caterpillar Inc, and it has become the primary 3D concrete printer in the Additive Construction groups inventory for printing large scale. The new system must be compatible with not only the process and materials flow system that has been established under the Additive construction program, it must be fully able to integrate with our old control system as well as the hose management system that was supplied by CAT with the original printer. Also, some key parts of the old and new printers must be interchangeable in the event that a field repair is necessary. It is imperative that the new system be built by the same manufacturer to allow for seamless integration into the program, and ease training and demonstration requirements. In addition, Caterpillar’s ACES Lite system is the only gantry system that meets the following requirements regarding deploy ability, ruggedization, and weight: Capable of being shipped in one 20’ shipping container. Their compact design enables the government to not only fit the on-site existing 3D printer into a Conex container, but with some simple modifications to the container we already have, both printer versions can be shipped anywhere in the world. Capable of outdoor setup and operation in wide range of weather conditions without cover Assembly time of no more than 30 minutes for a 6-8 person crew No less than 80% of the components meeting 2 man lift requirements, no greater than 20% of components meeting 4-man lift requirements (as per MIL-STD-1472G). Finally, Caterpillar is capable of delivering a system that meets the requirements stated above by then end of May 2021, which is required in order for the ACES team to coordinate with external parties as part of Operational Demos for this effort. Market research has found Caterpillar Inc to be the only company with extensive technology development in the field of 3D printing that could meet these requirements. This is not a request for proposal and in no way obligates the Government to award any contract. The associated North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 333249 which has a size standard of 500 Employees. This is not a small business set aside. Any interested party that believes they can fulfill this requirement should submit a capability statement to be reviewed. All submissions will be considered, however there is no guarantee that submissions in response to this notice will in any way alter the Government’s acquisition strategy. Please provide responses to this notice no later than March 4, 2021 at 12:00pm, Central Standard Time (CST), to: CERL-CT-QUOTES@usace.army.mil Telephone responses will not be accepted. Responses to this notice will not be considered as a response to any solicitation, a request to be added to a prospective offerors list, or to receive a copy of any solicitation. A determination by the Government not to compete the contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement.