CanadaBuys #26-58196

NRC procurement of wheel force transducers and an autonomous tracked research UGV

The National Research Council of Canada is procuring specialized wheel-force measurement equipment and a research-ready tracked autonomous vehicle for Arctic mobility and off-road robotics research. - Government buyer: National Research Council of Canada (NRC/CNRC); no sub-agency or office is identified. - Named OEM: Clearpath — the UGV must be a Clearpath Warthog or equivalent tracked platform and include Clearpath OutdoorNav autonomy software. - Named proposed supplier: MSS LTD. The wheel force transducer manufacturer is not specified. - Products requested: - Four six-axis wheel force transducers (WFTs), with acquisition modules, telemetry/encoder rings, user-interface electronics, cables, manuals, accessories, and four rugged water-resistant storage and shipping cases. No part numbers are provided. - One complete electrically powered tracked UGV, with lithium battery upgrade, onboard computing and autonomy, navigation and localization systems, forward- and rear-facing perception sensors, communications, and required hardware and software. No part number is provided. - WFT requirements: Measure three forces and three moments; support radial loads up to 130 kN, lateral loads up to 60 kN, and torque up to 30 kNm in all axes; fit rims of at least 16 inches; and operate from -20°C to 40°C. The system must support rotating-wheel data transfer, CAN FD, CAN 2.0, or Ethernet, and PTPv2 synchronization. Specified measurement accuracy, resolution, sensitivity, and static-load requirements also apply. - UGV requirements: At least 270 kg payload, 250 mm ground clearance, 18 km/h speed, and 35° gradeability. Include a minimum 20-core computer, 32 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD, GPU with at least 8 GB VRAM, Ubuntu Linux, and ROS 2 Jazzy or later. The autonomous system must support navigation, obstacle handling, remote teleoperation without continuous cloud access, dual-antenna multi-frequency RTK GNSS with complementary localization, front and rear 3D LiDAR and colour/depth cameras, Wi-Fi 6 or newer, and LTE or newer cellular connectivity. - Integration and delivery: Integrate NRC-supplied sensors mechanically and electrically, configure their ROS 2 interfaces, and verify sensor data access. Provide a tested, operational platform with safety features, documentation, licences, warranty, and support. - Other notable requirement: The procurement is set aside for eligible Indigenous businesses under the Procurement Strategy for Indigenous Business.

Description

The National Research Council of Canada requires four wheel force transducers, acquisition modules, and accompanying hardware for Arctic terrain-sensing and vehicle-mobility research, and one unmanned ground vehicle for offroad robotics research. The UGV must be a complete, operational, research-ready tracked platform with autonomous navigation, computing, localization, perception sensors, communications, and integration of NRC-supplied sensors. The procurement is set aside under the federal Procurement Strategy for Indigenous Business (PSIB), and only qualifying Indigenous businesses may submit a statement of capabilities. The notice identifies MSS LTD as the pre-identified supplier; statements of capabilities are due November 9, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. EST.

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