SOURCES SOUGHT
B -- Cross Slope Research
- Notice Date
- 5/1/2007
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541710
— Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences
- Contracting Office
- Department of the Treasury, Bureau of the Public Debt (BPD), Division of Procurement, Avery 5F 200 Third Street, Parkersburg, WV, 26106-5312, UNITED STATES
- ZIP Code
- 00000
- Solicitation Number
- RFI-ABA-07-0013R
- Response Due
- 5/10/2007
- Archive Date
- 5/1/2008
- Description
- This is a sources sought notice and not a request for quotations. The purpose of this announcement is to determine the number of potential qualified Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses, HubZone Businesses, or other Small Businesses who can furnish the service listed below. The Bureau of Public Debt on behalf of Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board) seeks a contractor for synthesis and recommendations on measures of work efficiency and related issues in manual wheel chair use on cross slopes on outdoor pedestrian surfaces. BACKGROUND The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board) is an independent federal agency concerned with accessibility for people with disabilities. The Board is responsible for developing and maintaining accessibility guidelines to ensure that newly constructed and altered buildings and facilities covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Architectural Barriers Act are accessible to and usable by people with disabilities. In June 2002, the Board published draft guidelines for pedestrian facilities in the public right-of-way that included provisions that set maximum cross slope of an accessible outdoor pedestrian route at 2%, consistent with standards first developed in 1980 for routes in buildings and on sites. Several research projects on human factors in manual wheelchair use have identified cross slope as a key factor in usability. However, there is no consensus on method or measurement protocols for assessing the effects of cross slope on the mobility and safety of people who use manual wheelchairs outdoors. Some highway industry research has employed methods that purport to show that cross slopes that exceed 2% do not exacerbate the difficulty of manual wheelchair travel, perhaps because only one arm is used in forward motion, the other being used for braking. The physics of cross slope, on the other hand, show that a 5% cross slope requires resistance to a downturning force more than double that at 2%. The US Access Board believes that standard human factors measures developed for ambulatory persons may not reflect considerations significant to manual wheelchair users. OBJECTIVE The Board seeks a consultant to look at the research record on manual wheelchair users and nondisabled subjects, including athletes in both categories, and extract information needed to produce a compare-and-contrast analysis (method-to-method and between populations) of : --the various measures of energy use, effort, efficiency, and work utilized in human factors research today (SmartWheel, oxygen uptake; carbon dioxide expulsion; heart rate, user perceptions, etc.); and --the physiological parameters of human performance (lactic acid threshold, resting/maximum heart rate, MET values, maximum power produced, etc). In addition to these comparisons/analyses, develop factors that address the related effects of cross slope on manual wheelchair users, including: --surface moisture that may lead to slipping; --the stability and tipping points of wheelchairs; --caster flutter effects; --one-armed propulsion effects (e.g., loss of momentum); --arm and shoulder fatigue; and --repetitive stress injuries that over time can affect independence and overall mobility in both travel and transfer. From these data and comparisons, characterize the ?accuracy? of various methodologies in assessing manual wheelchair mobility and recommend and support a methodology of choice. In addition, make recommendations about future research directions and data needs that might further refine mobility measures. PROJECT DESCRIPTION In consultation with the Board, human factors researchers, and experts on wheelchair mobility, the consultant shall identify and review completed and current research in this subject area and develop a plan to gather, compare, and present the data needed for this study. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE The Contractor shall meet with the CO within 30 days of project award. The final report shall be submitted for review and approval within 240 days of project award. Alternate formats shall be submitted within 15 days of approval of the final draft. A presentation to the Board will be scheduled at a time of mutual convenience. Responses to this announcement shall be sent to: Gina Hanna, Contract Specialist, Phone 304-480-7181, Fax (304) 480-7204, Email psb3@bpd.treas.gov by 2:00 p.m., Eastern time April 23, 2007. Responses shall include Company Name, DUNS #, Size Standard, address, telephone number, point of contact, email address and brief capabilities statement . Point of Contact Gina Hanna, Contract Specialist, Phone 304-480-7181, Fax (304) 480-7204, Email psb3@bpd.treas.gov Jane Oney, Contracting Officer, Phone 304-480-7111, Fax (304) 480-7204, Email psb3@bpd.treas.gov Interested offerors may register at http://www.fedbizopps.gov to receive notification when the solicitation and any amendments are issued and available for downloading. Please note that the General Services Administration provides the notification service as a convenience and does not guarantee that notifications will be received by all persons on the mailing list. Therefore, we recommend that you monitor the FedBizOpps site for all information relevant to desired acquisitions. If the Internet option is not available to you, you may receive a hard copy of the solicitation and any amendments (via U.S. Mail) by faxing your request to (304) 480-7204 or e-mailing your request to psb3@bpd.treas.gov.
- Place of Performance
- Address: Washington, DC
- Zip Code: 20004
- Country: UNITED STATES
- Zip Code: 20004
- Record
- SN01285161-W 20070503/070501233717 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
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