Health Monitoring of Roller Bearings Using Resonant Ultrasound Spectroscopy(RUS)

THIS IS A NOTICE OF INTENT (NOI) TO AWARD A SOLE SOURCE CONTRACT AND IS NOT A REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) intends to award a sole-source contract to BlueHalo Labs LLC to advance a Resonant Ultrasound Spectroscopy (RUS)–based roller bearing inspection system as a follow-on requirement to continue work previously performed by BlueHalo under Contract No. (693JJ624C000042) during the base performance period.

Railcar roller bearing failures represent a persistent safety and operational risk to the U.S. rail network. Under prior FRA sponsorship (Phase 1, Contract No. 693JJ624C000042), the Contractor demonstrated the technical feasibility of Resonant Ultrasound Spectroscopy (RUS) combined with machine-learning–based anomaly detection for identifying internal roller bearing defects prior to catastrophic failure. Phase-1 activities established the Roller Bearing Damage Detector (RBDD) concept, validated laboratory performance, and demonstrated sensitivity to early-stage bearing damage using resonant-vibration spectral peak identification and alignment techniques, and unsupervised anomaly detection models.

AUTHORITY

This sole source action is conducted under the authority of FAR 6.302‑1, implemented by 41 U.S.C. § 3304(a)(1), Only One Responsible Source.” No solicitation or request for quote is available.

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

May 4, 2026 - November 3, 2027

RESPONSE INSTRUCTIONS

This Notice of Intent is not a request for competitive proposals; however, interested parties may submit a capability statement that clearly demonstrates the ability to perform the RUS continuation effort without disruption, duplication of cost, or loss of program continuity. Capability statements must be received no later than 15 calendar days from the date of posting, by 2:00 PM Eastern Time. Oral communication will not be accepted.

DISCLAIMER

This Notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for information provided in response. No solicitation document exists.