Mobile Railcar Inspection Portal (m-RIP) system
Overview
Buyer
Place of Performance
NAICS
PSC
Set Aside
Original Source
Timeline
Qualification Details
Fit reasons
- NAICS alignment with historical contract wins in similar service areas.
- Scope strongly matches core technical capabilities and delivery model.
Risks
- Past performance thresholds may require one additional teaming partner.
- Potential clarification needed on staffing minimums before bid/no-bid.
Next steps
Validate eligibility requirements, assign capture owner, and schedule partner outreach to confirm teaming strategy before submission planning.
Quick Summary
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) intends to award a single source contract to Duos Technologies, Inc. for a Mobile Railcar Inspection Portal (m-RIP) system and associated commercial services. This acquisition supports the FRA Safety Test Pilot Program to evaluate the m-RIP technology's effectiveness in identifying potential mechanical defects on rolling stock. This is a Total Small Business Set-Aside notice of intent, not a request for competitive proposals. Challenges to this sole source justification are due by May 5, 2026.
Scope of Work
The requirement is to establish a Solution-as-a-Service (SaaS) Test Pilot Program to validate the m-RIP system's ability to identify 'Areas of Interest' (AOIs) correlating to potential mechanical defects on moving railcars in a live operational railroad environment. The goal is to enhance national rail safety through automated inspection technology.
Contract & Timeline
- Type: Notice of Intent to Award a Single Source Contract (Special Notice)
- Set-Aside: Total Small Business (FAR 19.5)
- Anticipated Award Date: June 1, 2026
- Challenge Due: May 5, 2026, 16:00 Eastern Time
- Published: April 20, 2026
- Product/Service Code: AS11 (Transportation R&D Services; Surface Transportation, Public Transit, And Rail; Basic Research)
- Place of Performance: FL, United States
Sole Source Justification & Challenge
FRA intends to award to Duos Technologies, Inc. under FAR 6.302-1, citing 'Only one responsible source.' Duos Technologies is identified as the sole manufacturer and provider of the proprietary m-RIP system, which is an integrated hardware-and-software platform capable of capturing high-resolution imagery of moving railcars and applying automated analytics. A previous Sources Sought confirmed no other vendors offer a mobile portal meeting FRA's portable, high-speed, high-resolution requirements.
Vendors challenging this basis must submit a capability statement with convincing evidence demonstrating their ability to provide this system and services. Submissions that only ask questions will not be considered an affirmative response. Information received will be used solely to determine if a competitive procurement is feasible. The Government will not be responsible for any costs incurred in preparing responses.
Submission Details
Capability statements must be submitted via email ONLY as an Adobe PDF attachment to Akwasi.kankam@dot.gov or paul.szymanski@dot.gov.