UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO - NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD A SINGLE SOURCE CONTRACT: #20-057
Commercial autonomous mobile robot platform
The University of Waterloo (UW) intends to award a single source contract to Fetch Robotics, Inc., of San Jose, California, for the purchase of a commercial autonomous mobile robot platform. The budget for this entire package is approximately $100,000 USD, not including taxes/HST.
This is an Advanced Notice indicating to the supplier community that UW intends to award a contract for this equipment to a pre-identified supplier. If no other supplier submits, on or before the closing date of this notice, a statement of specifications that satisfies the stated requirements set out in this Notice, the competitive requirements of the University are considered to have been met. Following notification to any suppliers not successful in demonstrating that their statement of specifications meets the requirements set out in this Notice, the contract may then be awarded to the pre-identified supplier.
If other potential suppliers submit statements of specifications during the fifteen day calendar day posting period, and meet the requirements set out in this Notice, UW will proceed to a Request for Proposal process, in order to award the contract.
Process - Suppliers who can provide equivalent equipment with proven functionality required for the research, within budget, are encouraged to submit a statement of specifications, in writing, to the contact person identified in this Notice on or before the closing date of this Notice. The statement of specifications must unequivocally demonstrate how the supplier meets these advertised requirements within budget.
SPECIFICATIONS –
The Fetch autonomous mobile robot package includes hardware, software, a maintenance package, and freight costs, and offers a commercial-grade mobile manipulator with a 25-m range laser that can lift 6kg of payload.
Some key capabilities of the Fetch & Freight Research Platform include:
- Manipulation space suitable for normal human work environments; an arm designed specifically to be able to reach items on the ground, enabling recovery if an item is dropped during manipulation.
- A sensor suite suitable for the perception of objects, navigation, and manipulation in dynamic environments;
- Sufficient battery power to work an 8-hour day. This requirement affects both the battery selection as well as other power-related trade-offs such as choice of computer processor or communication buses;
- Mobility to traverse ADA-compliant buildings (ability to adapt to the door threshold, elevator gap, and ramp requirements.
The following are unique features of the Fetch & Freight Research Platforms:
●Autonomous charge docking capability.
●Auto-calibration LEDs built into the gripper.
●Telescoping torso of 0.4m.
●7 DOF arm with 3 continuous joints.
●Ability to reach objects on the ground up to 0.25m from the base.
●Pan-tilt head that can see the ground around the base of the robot.
●Extended battery runtime of more than 10 hours.
●Ability to lift 6kg at full arm extension of 1.0m.
●Ability to drive at a top speed of 2.0m/s.
●25-meter range navigation and obstacle avoidance laser from SICK.
●2D laser scanner for self-localization.
●Emergency start/stop button to lock the device at any time.
●Modular, swappable gripper.
SOLE SOURCE JUSTIFICATION
This specific robot platform offered by Fetch Robotics is required for the research project. The Fetch Mobile Manipulator and Freight Base are being used to create innovative applications in research by other Universities and industry partners, allowing for collaboration between interested agencies.
The University is unaware of any other supplier/manufacturer that can provide this robotic equipment with the same functionality, or within budget.
Date of issue: October 19, 2020
Closing Date: November 4, 2020, at 2:30 p.m. EST
Contact:
Christine Wagner, CPPB, CSCP – Procurement Specialist, Research
Procurement and Contract Services
University of Waterloo
Ph: 519-888-4567 ext. 32074
Email – cpwagner@uwaterloo.ca, or, procure@uwaterloo.ca
