Notice of Intent to Sole Source - Hydrodynamic Modeling of Hydraulic Steel Structures

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), Cold Regions Research Laboratory (CRREL) has a requirement for hydrodynamic modeling of hydraulic steel structures and intends to award a contract on a sole source basis Colorado State University upon the basis of the authority provided at FAR Part 6.302-3(a)(2)(ii).

ERDC-CRREL requires a Contractor with expertise in probabilistic distributions of hydrodynamic load effects in order to properly provide design guidance of Hydraulic Steel Structures (HSS). The Contractor shall create, execute, and validate finite element analysis (FEA) 13 based models of Hydraulic Steel Structures subject to hydrodynamic loads.

Specifications: The ERDC-CRREL has identified a requirement for technical and professional services support for this project to result in validated load and resistance factors for LRFD methodology applicable to hydraulic steel structures and their load and environmental conditions. The validated factors will provide an accurate reliability for the one-hundred-year life design as well as methods to analyze the complex loading and environmental conditions experienced by hydraulic steel structures.

The Contractor shall provide:

Modeling/Instrumentation of Archetypical Structures. The Contractor shall create, execute, and validate finite element analysis (FEA) based models of Hydraulic Steel Structures (HSS) subject to hydrodynamic loads, ice loads (expansion and crushing), debris loads (impact and buildup).

o Deliver results from the validated models. Models should be made which represent all 13 HSS types and each set of dimensions furnished at the kickoff meeting. The results should include stress, strain, loading distribution, and the probabilistic distribution of the load magnitude.

Determine Load Distribution. The Contractor shall deliver a report with a list of load distributions per HSS and load and boundary conditions.

o Determine reasons the load distribution functions already established for other structural types may not hold for hydraulic steel structures, if any.

o Determine other sources of load distribution functions that are more appropriate, such as those used in design of marine drilling platforms.

o Determine the appropriate load factors for hydraulic steel structures by applying other factors or creating them.

Calibrate and Validate Load Factors. The Contractor shall deliver a report demonstrating calibration and validation of each FEA model's loading conditions and subsequent load factors for each of the13 structure types and validated for all dimensions specified.

Determine Maps for Guidance on Nominal Loads. The Contractor shall deliver a report on the nominal ice and debris loads for HSS based on the region of the United States a structure is in.

o Determine nominal loads for ice expansion, ice crushing in different parts of the United States.

o Determine nominal loads as a function of upstream conditions for debris buildup and impact loads.
Final Report. The contractor shall provide a final summary report of modeling work, results, recommendations, and design aids.
Colorado State University (CSU) has been identified as the only reasonable source capable of offering necessary expertise in evaluating, inspecting, and managing deteriorated infrastructures to fulfill the Government's requirement. CSU has had an extensive history with the USACE in the research of water and steel infrastructure work and is knowledgeable with the intricacies of the HSS' current conditions. CSU provides the only expertise services that, if procured, would avoid the excessive cost associated with familiarizing a new contractor with CRREL's ongoing research which would then create substantial duplication of cost to the Government and cause unacceptable delays in fulfilling the agency requirements. CSU's Structural Laboratory department is one of the world's leading research institutes in the area of deteriorated Hydraulic Steel Structures (HSS) and has extensively worked with ERDC laboratories since FY15 on numerous projects which has provided CSU unparalleled experience with numerical, large-scale experimental, and monitoring knowledge of the unique load and boundary conditions experienced by HSS. As such, CSU fully understands what types of data needed and where to begin pulling that data. Due to the unique nature of the requested specialized services required for CRREL to continue to meet their on-going research needs, Colorado State University is deemed the only provider reasonably capable of fulfilling the Government's requirements.

This Notice of Intent is not a request for competitive quotations. However, interested parties may identify their interest and capability to respond to this requirement. 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.

Responses to this notice shall be submitted NLT 12:00 PM CDT, 26 April 2026 to: Kim.D.Roberson@usace.army.mil and ERDC-CRREL-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.

Note: In order to be eligible for award of a Government contract, vendors must be actively registered in the System for Award Management (SAM), have no active exclusions, and complete the FAR and DFARS representations and certifications.