Road Repair Work Tool Attachments Capability Assessment

Overview

ERDCWERX is announcing a Road Repair Work Tool Attachments Capability Assessment in collaboration with the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC).

Project Objective

Identify technologies for use in removing destructive roadway, preparing the repair area, and placing materials for rapidly hardening in-place soils or unbound pavement material, thereby providing increased structural capacity and expediting vehicle maneuver across degraded/ underdesigned infrastructure. Specifically, the objective requires that the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) evaluate work tools that attach to compact track loaders (CTLs), backhoe loaders, or front-end loaders for handling the removal and placement of roadway materials. Standalone equipment will be considered.

Importance & Relevance

Army engineer units provide construction assets to repair and upgrade infrastructure to support maneuver. However, current units lack traditional road construction capabilities. To meet Army objectives in future combat operations, engineers must possess the ability to rapidly identify and repair any degraded infrastructure. 

Requirements

Candidate equipment (attachments or standalone) should be capable of removing damaged roadway materials, pulverizing the roadway materials, placing stabilized materials of all types, or compacting the stabilized soil. Proposed solutions may do one or more of the tasks mentioned but do not have to do all of them. The technology must be scalable to a repair size ranging from 500 ft2 to 5,000 ft2. Submissions should contain equipment specifications including dimensions and weight. Any documentation regarding previous test results or practices using the candidate technology in relevant environments should be provided.

Expected Result

The Army seeks to identify commercial off-the-shelf equipment solutions for use in rapid roadway strength improvements. Select technologies will undergo a series of full-scale field tests during the fourth quarter of FY21 where power, durability, maneuverability, and efficiency will be evaluated.

Evaluation Criteria

Submissions will be evaluated based on their suitability and compatibility with ERDC requirements including the following:

1. Degree to which the purpose of the candidate technology meets ERDC’s requirements
2. Capability of the technology to handle soils, aggregates, asphalt, concrete, and/or other pavement materials
3. Proposed attachment’s compatibility with existing Army equipment platforms including but not limited to those listed under Project Objective
4. Technology’s utility in varying repair area size (500 ft2 to 5,000 ft2)
5. Comparative lightweight and compactness of equipment – attachment or stand alone
6. Comparative cost of the technology
7. Effectiveness of supplied data to validate performance claims

Project Milestones & Anticipated Schedule

Submitting parties may be asked to participate in a virtual pitch if determined necessary by the ERDC project team. The anticipated project steps and schedule are subject to change based on the needs of the research team. They are currently planned to be undertaken as follows:

01 March: Project announcement; submissions welcome
23 March: Question period closes
15 April: Extended submission deadline
30 April: ERDC team completes evaluation of submissions; ERDCWERX notifies submitting parties of ERDC evaluation results and next steps
18-20 May: Virtual pitch (if needed)
May-September: ERDC team completes downselect; ERDCWERX notifies submitting parties of ERDC feedback; ERDC contacts select vendors to arrange for access and test of select work tool attachments