Tender Application for Wales Inc.

Contracting Company: Sonic Six

Members: Cameron Petkov, Daven Quintana, Nabeel Sheikh

Designing Company: Wales Inc.

Members: Wayne Zaccheus, Alini Freitas Valentini, Angus Lawrie, Lindsay Li

Client: Eggalitarian Opportunities Pty Ltd

Project: Mousetrap Car

Date: 20th September 2015 | Cameron Petkov – 18340037 | EF Principles & Communications

Executive Summary

This tender application has been written by Sonic Six to apply for the construction of the

mousetrap car, designed by Wales Incorporated acting on the client’s behalf, Eggalitarian

Opportunities Pty Ltd. The application contained within this report will demonstrate our

understanding of the design and the reason why we should be chosen to tender the project.

The reason we should be considered above other tenderers is our in-depth understanding of

Wales Inc.’s design, our accurate addressment of the tender evaluation criteria, and our

commitment to safety.

While the mousetrap design provided is simple and works well, through our understanding

of the existing design, and experience in other construction projects, we have suggested some

improvements. These improvements include a change to the lever-mousetrap system, a

repositioning of the centre of mass, extra padding to the frontal area of the vehicle, and lubricating

moving parts.

The first issue is due to the variable lever length and the introduction of inefficiency by

having the angle to the axle not being perpendicular. Any horizontal component of force to the axle

is wasted and should be eliminated. Sonic Six suggests having the mousetrap attachment to the

chassis being temporary at first, using glue-tac or similar, testing the device and repositioning the

mousetrap so the lever is perpendicular to the axle, then using the hot glue to fix it permanently in

place. This will eliminate inefficiencies in the design.

The second improvement is a repositioning of the centre of mass, through shifting of existing

components or added weight. With the current design, the centre of mass is located towards one

side of the vehicle, causing it to have a tendency to rotate slightly that way during propagation. This

is inefficient and makes the design less predictable in testing. Therefore, Sonic Six recommends

shifting the mousetrap and egg enclosure slightly to shift the centre of mass more to the centre. If

this is unsuccessful or undesired, a weight will have to instead be placed opposite the egg enclosure,

forcing the centre of mass to the middle of the vehicle. This will make the vehicle travel straight and

predictably.

The third and fourth improvements are less important, but add to advance the design.

Padding to the front of the car is advised to be considered, increasing impact time and reducing the

maximum force exerted on the egg. This padding could be in the form of bubble wrap or foamy

solid. The last improvement is the use of lubricant on any moving parts, such as the axle and wheels,

to remove frictional forces that create inefficiencies. Lubricating these components will lead to more

of the mousetrap energy being used to move the mousetrap vehicle.

Sonic Six also possesses the technical knowhow and communication skills needed to make

the project a success. With knowledge in woodworking, construction, problem-solving, and

accessibility to a large array of tools and materials, Sonic Six is able to construct the vehicle as

expected of us. Through our demonstrated communication platforms, we are able to update the

designer and client in real time as to what is happening with the design. Sonic Six also ensures the

safety of the designing process, having safety equipment that complies with relevant Australian

standards, and ensuring we comply with the provided safety plan.

It should be evident through this tender application that Sonic Six fits the criteria perfectly and has

the technical knowledge in order to make the project a success. Sonic Six should be chosen to tender

the mousetrap vehicle design for Wales Incorporated.

Contents 1.0 Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1

2.0 Design Package Review ............................................................................................................... 1

2.1 Understanding of Design ........................................................................................................ 1

2.2 Compliance with Client Brief................................................................................................... 2

2.2.1 Dimensional .................................................................................................................... 2

2.2.2 Materials of Construction ............................................................................................... 3

2.2.3 Distance ........................................................................................................................... 3

2.2.4 Energy Source ................................................................................................................. 3

2.2.5 Construction Method ...................................................................................................... 4

2.2.6 Ease of Use ...................................................................................................................... 4

2.2.7 Construction and Maintenance ...................................................................................... 5

2.2.8 Cost of Materials ............................................................................................................. 5

2.2.9 Egg Support ..................................................................................................................... 5

2.3 Improvements to Design ......................................................................................................... 6

3.0 Tender Evaluation Criteria Address ............................................................................................ 7

3.1 Communication ....................................................................................................................... 7

3.2 Cost Effectiveness and Ingenuity ............................................................................................ 8

3.3 Experience ............................................................................................................................... 9

3.4 Time Management & Punctuality ......................................................................................... 10

3.5 Teamwork ............................................................................................................................. 11

4.0 References................................................................................................................................ 12

Appendix A: Communication ............................................................................................................. 14

Appendix A.1: Agenda #1 ............................................................................................................. 14

Appendix A.2: Minutes of Meeting #1 .......................................................................................... 15

Appendix A.3: Agenda #2 ............................................................................................................. 17

Appendix A.4: Minutes of Meeting #2 .......................................................................................... 18

Appendix A.5: Facebook Group Chat ............................................................................................ 21

Appendix A.6: Email Communication ........................................................................................... 22

Appendix B: Equipment ..................................................................................................................... 24

Appendix B.1: Equipment List 1.................................................................................................... 24

Appendix B.2: Equipment List 2.................................................................................................... 24

Appendix B.3: Safety Boots .......................................................................................................... 25

Appendix C: Experience ..................................................................................................................... 26

Appendix C.1: Tournament of Minds ........................................................................................... 26

Appendix C.2: Computer Construction & Maintenance ............................................................... 27

Appendix C.3: Woodworking ........................................................................................................ 28

Appendix C.4: House Construction ............................................................................................... 29

Appendix D: Punctuality .................................................................................................................... 30

Appendix D.1: EFPC Stage 1 Submission Receipt.......................................................................... 30

Appendix D.2: Construction Schedule .......................................................................................... 30

Appendix D.3: Construction Location ........................................................................................... 31

Appendix E: Teamwork ..................................................................................................................... 32

Appendix E.1: Group Facebook Chat ............................................................................................ 32

Appendix E.2: Group Facebook Page ........................................................................................... 33

Appendix E.3: Group Mark for Design Package ........................................................................... 33

Appendix F: Wales Inc.’s Design Package ......................................................................................... 34

List of Tables & Figures

Table 1: Compliance of Design ................................................................................................................ 2

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1.0 Introduction This document contains Sonic Six’s tender application submission for the manufacturing

process of the mousetrap vehicle for the client, Eggalitarian Opportunities Pty Ltd. The document

has been written to address the proposed design, and evaluation criteria presented by the designer,

Wales Inc.

2.0 Design Package Review A review of the design, including a synopsis of the design, its compliance with Eggalitarian

Opportunities’ client brief and recommended design improvements, has been conducted to allow

Sonic Six to understand the design as best as possible.

2.1 Understanding of Design Wales Inc.’s design follows the standard design of most mousetrap vehicles, with small

improvements to ensure integrity of vehicle and the passenger, the egg. The premise of the

mousetrap vehicle is to have the mousetrap fire, causing a connected string or wire to turn the axle

and thus spin the wheels forward. The vehicle must have sufficient power to travel the distance

required but have the occupant, the egg, remain intact. Thus there is a delicate balance between too

much power and too little power, which is dependent on how much impact can be absorbed by the

vehicle instead of the egg.

The chassis of the vehicle is built using a rectangular 400 x 120 mm cut of corflute, with the

shorter side having a centralised 60 x 40 mm cut-out to provide access to the rear axle.

The axle system consists of the CD wheels, pen containers and wooden skewers. Pen

containers (pens without their refill, spring, end cap and nib) are used for both axle shafts, and are

glued to the base of the corflute chassis. The rear axle shaft is split into two 40 mm lengths, and

placed so the middle section of the rear will have access to the axle. Wooden skewers, acting as

axles, are inserted within the axle shafts, connecting the wheels in pairs and allowing wheel

movement.

The initiation of the vehicle involves the use of the mousetrap, connected to a lever which is

connected to the rear axle. A hanger rod lever is adjoined to the left side bar of the mousetrap and

connected by cable ties and hot glue. Cable ties are then used to connect the string to the rear axle.

Cable ties are used as markers and possible attachment points for the string. This allows the vehicle

to be semi-modular in that the length of the lever can be modified to change the force given to the

axles. Therefore to decrease the force of the vehicle, tie the string to the furthest cable tie, which

will increase the lever length (and string needed) and thus decrease total pulling force (Balmer,

2012). Increasing the lever length also acts to decrease the instantaneous force on the vehicle,

acting to distribute the force at a slower, steadier rate (wikiHow, 2015). With this knowledge in

mind, and the variable lever length being part of Wales Inc.’s design, testing of the final product can

be repeated to provide suitable instantaneous and total force amount.

The wheels use CDs, with circular corflute cut-outs to help secure the axles and CD. The CD’s

are fitted with balloon skin along the circumference to provide extra traction. The skewer axle is

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then set between the pen shafts and through the corflute cut-outs, and glue is applied between the

corflute cut-outs and the skewers.

For the egg’s protection, sponge is used to absorb the impact force. Layers of cleaning sponge

are used, with the centre cut out to fit the egg for all but the bottom sponge. Six skewers are then

poked vertically through the stack and corflute chassis (only 1st layer), evenly spaced around the egg,

keeping the sponges together. The bottom layer of sponge is glued to the corflute chassis.

The actual operation of the vehicle is similar to that of any other mousetrap. The mousetrap is

positioned as desired (front edge). The dental floss is looped around a cable tie on the lever a few

times, and then on the cable tie on the rear axle. If there is little tension in the string, it can be

wrapped around the lever a few more times (close to initial cable tie point). The string is then spun

around the rear axle by pulling back the mousetrap arm while spinning the rear axle back. Care must

be taken to maintain tension in the string. The mousetrap is then armed, set into position, and fired

via skewer or long object triggering the trap.

2.2 Compliance with Client Brief The client, Eggalitarian Opportunities Pty Ltd, has a set of requirements that must be met by

any design. These include: dimensional, material, distance, energy source, construction method,

ease of use, construction & maintenance, cost, and egg support constraints. In this section, the

requirements from the “Eggalitarian Vehicle Brief” document (Eggalitarian Opportunities Pty Ltd,

2015) will be stated word-for-word in italics, then the following response will be shown below in

normal text for Wales Inc.’s design.

Table 1 provides a quick indication of the compliance of the design:

Table 1: Compliance of Design

Section Compliance [Green = Compliant, Yellow = Warning,

Red = Breaching]

Dimensional

Materials of Construction

Distance

Energy Source

Construction Method N/A

Ease of Use

Construction and Maintenance

Cost of Materials

Egg Support

2.2.1 Dimensional

No restrictions for the base.

The "base" of the car shall be defined as the distance from the leading edge of the front wheel to the trailing edge of the back wheel.

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Any forward extension for safety purposes MUST be between the front wheels and may extend the base (as defined above) by a maximum of 20mm.

The front wheels extend 60 mm (radius) from the axle. The axle’s position is 60 mm from the front of the chassis. Therefore the chassis extends out as far out as the wheels do, making the design compliant with dimensional requirements.

2.2.2 Materials of Construction

There are no specific materials requirements, however, Eggalitarian Opportunities prefers the use of recycled materials as this will minimise waste and reduce costs.

There is a large amount of recycled components used in Wales Inc.’s design providing cost

savings and minimising of waste products.

2.2.3 Distance

It is essential that all candidate prototype designs:

• Reliably travel 3 metres before colliding with a wall.

• Be entirely self-guided and able to travel in a straight line.

• Carry a 60 g (–0, +9 g) hen’s egg.

• The measurement of distance will be the perpendicular displacement from the starting line, not the total distance travelled if the vehicle follows a curved path.

Testing has not been conducted yet. Wales Inc. expects that the design will be able to

comply with this standard.

2.2.4 Energy Source

Efficient energy utilisation is a requirement of Eggalitarian’s engines and full-size vehicles. It is essential that candidate designs uphold this company vision. The requirements are:

• The vehicle must be powered by a single proprietary Eggalitarian engine (a mousetrap) that will be provided by Curtin University, however, this may be insufficient to reach the wall so a secondary power source may be added. The additional power source may be elastic bands or other approved method. Proposals will need to be submitted to the client. The critical parameter here is that safety is the primary concern.

• The standard mousetrap must be attached to the chassis.

• Hardware may be added to the mousetrap.

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• The original mousetrap hardware and mounting block may ONLY be altered to attach it to the vehicle or to reduce weight without compromising the mousetrap integrity.

• Vehicles must be activated by a trip mechanism which may be that provided by the mousetrap. They may not receive a push to start them.

• Vehicles must be self-directing during travel. They may not receive a push from any direction once they have been started.

The primary, and only, power source of Wales Inc.’s design is the supplied Eggalitarian engine

(mousetrap). This engine will be connected to the chassis as per Wales Inc.’s design package

drawings and method of construction. This mousetrap is slightly modified in that a coat hanger is

adjoined to increase lever length of the trap. Beyond this, the mousetrap has not been modified in

any way. The vehicle’s starting mechanism is the trip mechanism of the mousetrap, using a spare

skewer or other long object to trigger the mousetrap and activate the vehicle. The vehicle is self-

directed and testers are expected to not have any external influence on the vehicle after it starts

movement. The design is compliant in this section.

2.2.5 Construction Method

An optional part of the construction may be the creation of parts using a 3D printer.

This section is not applicable to Wales Inc.’s design as 3D printed components are not

utilised.

2.2.6 Ease of Use

Ease of use is a key element of Eggalitarian’s marketing campaign. The vehicle must be:

• Easy to recharge

• Capable of being stored in the charged state.

• Easy to load with the driver just prior to testing.

The vehicle rearms itself as expected, following the same protocol as arming it for the first

time. Simply pull the mousetrap arm back and simultaneously turn the rear axle, spooling the line on

the axle. While charged the mousetrap is not armed, and may be armed after charging, allowing

storage of the device in the charged state. The loading of the driver should be relatively easy as the

seating component of the design is separate from the initiation components of the design. Therefore

the driver could be loaded into a charged and armed system just as easily as a discharged and

unarmed system, as long as care is made not to trigger the trap. Thus the design retains client

standards for ease of use.

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2.2.7 Construction and Maintenance

Affordability, ease of manufacture, ease of maintenance, low weight, energy efficiency and the use of readily available components are critical to the success of the vehicle in the marketplace.

The construction period is tight. It is essential that all materials can be sourced locally. Specialist or expensive parts and materials are to be provided by the designer at the beginning of the construction period.

Materials are mostly recyclable goods or able to be found nearby, at Bunnings or similar. With recycled components, the cost is lowered quite substantially. Manufacturing and maintenance seems fairly standard for a mousetrap car. Additionally, the design looks to be low weight and efficient in energy usage.

2.2.8 Cost of Materials

All materials have a cost associated with them and should be included in the design and testing plan. All designs will be judged using a performance/cost ratio.

A total material cost of:

• $20 or less is desired, though designs costing more will be accepted. Sourcing of the materials will be the responsibility of the constructing company.

• More than $20 – in this case the excess cost will be borne by the designing company.

Cost estimates should be the full cost of materials obtained at retail price – example: if you are using a pencil and you need to buy a pack of 10, the cost should be for the pack.

If recycle materials are used, the price is calculated as for the comparable new materials, divided by two.

The cost of the optional 3D printed parts will not need to be included here.

Costing of materials seems to fit within the client’s requirements. The design is less than $20 if Sonic Six and Wales Inc. can source recyclable materials well, and if not, Wales Inc. indicated they would be able to provide some recyclable goods as well as provide over budget funding.

2.2.9 Egg Support

• The driver (egg) must be able to see clearly through the front of the vehicle. A minimum vision width for the egg is 4cm.

• No part of the egg may be glued to any part of the car or safety device.

• No part of the safety device can extend beyond the specified dimensional constraints (3.1).

The condition of the egg must be easily determined after the crash.

As driver protection during a collision is the prime aim of the test no braking system should be included.

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The egg is housed in a sponge enclosure, blocking the bottom 40 mm of vision in a 360 degree

vision around it. The egg just rests in the enclosure, not being connected through adhesive or

such. The egg can easily be taken out after the test and checked for any damage. Additionally,

there is no braking system on Wales Inc.’s design that would mask any potential collision

damage. As per 2.2.1, there is no protruding element to the design at the front of the vehicle.

Depending on the size of the egg (in particular the height), the egg may not have

unobstructed vision at the front of the vehicle. Taking an average egg length from the smallest

egg size obtainable (HowStuffWorks.com, 2008), 57 mm is a good baseline for the length of an

egg. Given that 40 mm of vision is obstructed, around 17 mm is assumed to be unobstructed

view around the egg. Realistically this 17mm cannot see in 360 degrees because the sponge

obstructs some forward vision even though it is not directly in the way of the egg. It can be

assumed that the egg can see in a 4 cm width around it, with the top 1.7 cm being able to see a

large portion of the surroundings. Care might need to be taken when choosing an egg, however

Sonic Six believes Wales Inc.’s design should be compliant with the client brief. If it turns out that

the egg is quite small, then the design can be altered slightly so that there is a layer or two less

sponge, resulting in more visibility.

2.3 Improvements to Design There are a few places of concern for Sonic Six in Wales Inc.’s design. Firstly, with the variable

lever arm, changing the length of the lever arm will result in the angle to the axle being changed. To

ensure maximum efficiency, the mousetrap lever should end vertically above the axle. If the angle

from the mousetrap lever to the axle is not vertical (90 degrees) then there is energy loss as a result

of the angle creating a horizontal force that does not act to create a torque. The issue in the design

comes in the fact that the mousetrap is fixed to the chassis while the lever changes, resulting in the

angle to the axle changing and introducing losses in energy. If the design incorporates a changing

lever arm, it should also accommodate a changing mousetrap position through some form of

adjustable anchor system (Balmer, 2012). A potential solution to this is to use a less permanent

attachment device, at least initially in the testing phase, perhaps blue-tac or sticky tape. Once a lever

length and mousetrap position is agreed upon, the less permanent attachment device can be

swapped out with the hot glue application originally used.

A second issue found is that the design is not symmetrical along the length of the vehicle. As it

seems the mousetrap is somewhat central, and the egg and egg housing is towards the far left of the

vehicle (observing it from the back), the C.O.M. is expected to be towards the left as well. This may

result in the vehicle having a slight tendency to rotate to left as a result. This slight tendency could

result in a massive deflection over longer distances, from the straight line path it would be expected

to follow. This is both inefficient and makes the vehicle unpredictable after initialising the trap. This

could be accounted somewhat by aiming the vehicle towards the right of where it is meant to end,

but this would require trial and error and still shows an inefficiency in the vehicle and extra

unpredictability. Instead, Sonic Six advises the design be modified that the mousetrap and/or egg

housing be slightly relocated right of where it is currently. If this is not possible, or does not counter

the turning tendency as much as desired, Sonic Six advises use of extra weighting on the right side to

try centralise the C.O.M. to the middle of the vehicle (width-way).

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Another potential improvement to the design is an addition of extra padding for the safety of

the vehicle and passenger. As Wales Inc.’s design does not utilise any front-end safety equipment

and the client brief allows a maximum of 20 mm of material in front of the wheels, there is some

untapped potential for the design in this area. Sonic Six recommends placing at least 10 mm of a

chosen material to help slow the total impact time of the vehicle. While the total force of the impact

is the same, the force is spread over a longer impact time, decreasing the impulse, which is the force

at a specific time. Thus by adding padding, the impact time is increased, the impulse is decreased,

and thus the egg is less likely to fracture. This follows a similar logic of safety features of cars and

other vehicles and the way they crumple to increase the total time of the collision. Sonic Six

recommends a soft, cushioning material to be placed at the front, such as bubble wrap, solid foams,

or something with a lot of air trapped inside the material (the air acts to take the impact somewhat).

These could further be researched and tested as required, then adhered along the front edge of the

chassis.

A separate, but important note is that all joining or moving components should be lubricated

(WD-40 used or similar) to ensure friction does not act to slow down the vehicle undesirably. It may

be thought that it is desired to have this friction to slow the vehicle down, but it is quite an

inefficient method of slowing down the vehicle. Hence, try to lubricate any moving parts (wheels

connection with axle, axle with the string, axle inside shaft, etc.) and capture any gained but

unwanted driving force, then compensating for it by increasing lever length (decreases total pull

force but makes it smoother).

3.0 Tender Evaluation Criteria Address The designer’s, Wales Inc., tender evaluation criteria is addressed in this section. The format

follows a “question-answer” format with the designer’s criteria and criteria summary shown first in

italics (Wales Inc., 2015), then Sonic Six’s response below it in a standard font. The full tender

evaluation criteria can be seen in Wales Inc.’s design package, in appendix F (pg. 34).

3.1 Communication It is vital that the contracting company is prepared and willing to communicate with Wales Inc.

as it is their project and they are responsible for the overall quality of it. Therefore, they must know what stage of construction of the mousetrap car is at and how the contractors are working. More importantly, if any problems or setbacks are encountered during the manufacturing, Wales Inc. require the contracting company to notify them as soon as possible, so that they can collaborate and decide on a solution. Tenders should put forth an effective technique that can be used to communicate between the two companies, and the contractors should discuss any feasible improvements with Wales Incorporated. Frequent meetings must be held with all meeting minutes recorded and submitted afterwards, and should Wales Inc. have any queries a response must be made within a sensible time frame, with all key points being addressed in detail.

Here at Sonic Six we take communication very seriously. We believe communication is the

make-or-break of a company. If a company cannot communicate with each other, or with other

companies, we believe it is destined for failure. That being said, we built Sonic Six to fit seamlessly

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around existing communication platforms, maintaining a high level of communication while still

remaining professional.

Our current communication platforms, which have already been laid out to Wales Inc., is

email, Facebook, and phone. Some members have chosen not to provide their phone number for

obvious reasons; but at least one contractor and one designer has a phone number provided on

Sonic Six’s wiki, for any emergency. Both a company email, as well as individual Curtin emails, are

used by Sonic Six to communicate to any relevant parties. For the majority of the communication

between Wales Inc. and Sonic Six, email has been used in conjunction with the social networking

platform, Facebook to provide both an instantaneous and formal avenue for information sharing.

A Facebook chat has been created by Sonic Six (see Appendix A.5, pg. 21) in order to

facilitate the requirement for effective, accessible and easy to use communication between all

members of Sonic Six and Wales Inc. This allows less formal and more instant communication

between the teams, resulting in an increased time working on the design rather than focussing on

following standard communication procedure so carefully. Email communication is a common way

of providing more formal documents to Wales Inc. with various emails throughout stage two being

sent between the groups. Referring to Appendix A.6 (pg. 22), you can see a few examples of the

email communication between Sonic Six and Wales Inc., showing clearly how Sonic Six professionally

and in a timely fashion, responds to Wales Inc.

Provided in the aforementioned emails, are the official documents relating to the meetings,

including agendas and minutes of meetings. Email was also used initially to establish contact, and for

any formal queries we were not comfortable asking on Facebook. Copies of these documents can be

seen in Appendices A.1 through to A.4 inclusive (pg. 11-18) and show the quality of communication

during the meetings, and the ability to convey information through text. The minutes of meetings

can be used by Wales Inc. to evaluate the second part of the criteria for communication; score

decided by if they believe the minutes are accurate and were submitted timely enough.

Past evidence of good communication skills being required of by members of Sonic Six can

be seen throughout the appendices. For example, Cameron Petkov was involved in a program called

Tournament of Minds (TOM) in a team that required all members to contribute ideas and resources

in order to succeed. His team made it into past the regionals and into the states (although did not

place) earning him honours and proving a high level of communication was used between him and

his team members in order to be successful. This can be seen evidenced in Appendix C.1 (pg. 26),

with the award being seen in the left photo and his team in the right photo. Another member that

has showed a high level of communication is Dave Rebello, who did volunteering work for Global

Village Domestic in 2012, helping build and renovate housing. During volunteering he built up and

used communication skills between the people he was helping, the people helping alongside him,

and the organisations involved in the project. A certification of appreciation was awarded to him for

his assistance, which can be found in Appendix C.4 (pg. 29).

3.2 Cost Effectiveness and Ingenuity As the budget is a critical aspect of the project, the contractors need as few as possible

instances where the budget will be impacted negatively. This would occur if the contractors do not have access to tools or do not source materials to the designer’s original specifications in a way that increases the total cost. Marks will be allocated based on the percentage of materials and tools which the contractors have access to, based on those listed in the design package.

For a more accurate judgement the tools have been weighted as follows:

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Hot glue gun 30%

Craft knife 15%

Hacksaw/Handsaw 10%

Grip pliers 5%

Rulers/Pencils/Markers etc. 5%

Compass 5%

Scissors 20%

Binder paperclips 10%

Sonic Six is all about saving money, and as a result of Wales Inc.’s design being quite simple

and built out of household materials, Sonic Six is able to ensure the budget remains on target.

Provided in Appendix B.1 and B.2 (pg. 24) is a list of equipment Sonic Six currently has on hand. This

list includes the above tools, as well as many more in case the design changes and the need arises to

use other tools. Sonic Six also takes safety as their number one priority, so we ensured we had all

relevant safety gear. Appendix B.3 (pg. 25) shows that Sonic Six has access to safety boots (compliant

with AS/NZS 2210 standards) and safety glasses can be seen in Appendix B.1 (pg. 24).

Obtaining materials used for the design of the vehicle will be straightforward, as there are

only a few materials that need to be specifically sourced. These few materials include the corflute

(for chassis), dental floss and cleaning sponges and can be sourced from various stores (Bunnings,

Red Dot, etc.). Given we are chosen to tender for Wales Inc.’s design, Sonic Six has no doubt that

they will be able to obtain the entire set of materials required for construction, and that the budget

will be in surplus as a result of the abundance of materials within our homes.

3.3 Experience It is highly unlikely that any of the contractors have had experience in manufacturing

mousetrap cars, so Wales Inc. are instead looking for experience in areas similar to this which would have taught them important hands on skills. Areas that would indicate an abundance of such skills and will award marks are:

Woodwork/Metalwork at school (5)

Trade experience (5)

Hobbies which relate to mousetrap cars such as model making (5) Also, being able to interpret our design is crucial in order to construct it, companies will be given a small quiz on the design to assess if they have studied the design, and to what extent.

Sonic Six, although a new team, combines the experience of an old one. From a diverse

range of backgrounds, Sonic Six has the experience of many backgrounds in the one team. Cameron

Petkov was involved in a program called Tournament of Minds in 2010, which is a team-based

problem solving competition for primary and secondary students.

From the TOM website (Tournament of Minds Inc., n.d.) :

“TOM aims to enhance the potential of our youth by developing diverse skills, enterprise, time

management, and the discipline to work collaboratively within a competitive environment.”

The program involves participants being given a problem, and in a given timeframe, having to

create a solution and create a working model using pre-defined resources. Cameron was able to

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reach State participation with his Kinross College team, earning himself Honours. Appendix C.1 (pg.

26) shows a photograph of the awarded Honours (left), and the team he participated with (right).

The program gave him the experience of working under timed conditions, creating a solution for a

problem based on a set of criteria, requirements and limited tools/resources. This experience honed

Cameron’s skills in construction and problem solving, greatly aiding him in future projects.

Likewise, another member, Dave Rebello, was involved in a volunteering program for Global

Village Domestic in India, where he had to construct and renovate on houses. Having limited tools

and resources in a third world country, the skills developed by his experience in the program will

greatly help in the construction of future projects. A certificate of appreciation given to him by the

director of Habitat Resource Centre and Host Co-ordinator Volunteer Program can be found in

Appendix C.4 (pg. 29)

Nabeel Sheikh is experienced in the skill of woodworking, learning it in Year 8 at school. These

skills will greatly help in the use of many tools (box cutter knife, hot glue gun, etc.) and procedures

that would be used in the construction of the project. Proof of his learning can be found in the form

of a report card extract, in appendix C.3 (pg. 28).

Less importantly, but still to be benefit of the team, Cameron Petkov also has experience in

the construction of computers. While this may not seem relevant, the construction of a computer

follows a set of steps, uses various tools, and requires high precision in order to be built successfully.

He has built a computer in his computer science class in year 12, and currently maintains and

troubleshoots his current computer. This requires taking apart the computer every so often in order

to clean or test components. His current computer can be seen in Appendix C.2 (pg. 27).

Sonic Six, as a result of the team’s relatively young age, mostly consists of students that came

straight from high school, and thus no members have any trade experience.

The quiz result specified in the experience criteria has been undertaken by Cameron Petkov

and Nabeel Sheikh, but results have not been released by Wales Inc.

3.4 Time Management & Punctuality Rather than having just one deadline for the finished product, Wales Inc. will set multiple

deadlines for certain parts of the project along the way. This should eliminate the possibility of having the design constructed at the last possible minute, as that would result in a poorer quality finish and there wouldn’t be sufficient time to solve any problems potentially encountered. The contracting company is required to be able to meet these deadlines while still maintaining a high quality of work, and any indication of an ability to fulfil this will go a long way in securing the rights to this project. Good time management skills also include the ability to report back to Wales Inc. quickly and sufficiently when needed, having all members arrive to meetings on time, as well as being able to alter the construction schedule if such is the need.

We feel that sticking to deadlines is an important part of any project, and that breaking the

task into smaller, more manageable deadlines will help the overall project. This includes any

meetings and communication deadlines that are set for us. Sonic Six has thus made it a habit to

attend to all meetings on time, evident from the agenda and minutes of meetings provided in

Appendix A.1 through to A.4 inclusive (pg. 14-20). The only delay we have experienced in regards to

attending scheduled meetings on time was the second meeting; which was disclosed in the minutes

of meeting and determined that the fault of the meeting starting late was both teams failing to find

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a free venue to hold the meeting. Excluding this, Sonic Six attended all meetings on time, and with

all contracting members if possible.

Communication between Wales Inc. and Sonic Six was quite standard, with any

communications being responded back in a reasonable timeframe as seen from the email

communication in Appendix A.6 (pg. 22). Replies were professional, to the point, and contained the

relevant attachments.

To prevent any delays in the construction phase (stage three), a brief but important

construction schedule document (see Appendix D.2 (pg. 30)) has been created for Wales Inc. and

Sonic Six. If chosen for tendering, the construction schedule will be the guide for the vehicle

construction timeline, with additional and more specific deadlines added as more information is

provided in the coming weeks. While this is a planned document, the document itself does not

guarantee any future performance, only that this is an approved Sonic Six planned timeline. A total

of ten hours (plus weekends if required) has been allocated as of writing this document, which Sonic

Six assumes to be more than ample time to construct the project.

Sonic Six has provided the submission receipt for the stage one design package report

viewable in Appendix D.1 (pg. 30) to ensure confidence in Sonic Six’s ability to submit work by the

deadlines given. Additionally, Sonic Six as a team has scouted out potential locations for construction

and plans to utilise the Engineering Pavilion (Building 215) 1st floor, as it seems to have adequate

working room, good ventilation, power points, and other features deemed required by Sonic Six. The

planned construction location can be seen in Appendix D.3 (pg. 31) or alternatively seen in person at

Curtin University.

3.5 Teamwork Since the contractors are going to be working in together in close proximity to each other, it is

crucial that they can display certain interpersonal skills that will allow them to work together as one unit. Such interpersonal skills will be assessed during meetings with the Wales Inc. and the tendering Company during the tender evaluation stage. They are required to have a positive attitude at all times, and to be able to communicate and divide tasks between one another, while also being prepared to assist each other if need be. Evidence should be provided that shows they have the capability to work well with others in a team environment.

Sonic Six is a team of individuals acting to improve one another. With a diverse background,

each member has a different opinion on the same topic, which adds value to the project. As

mentioned in both the communication (3.1) and experience (3.3) criteria, some members of Sonic

Six has undertaken extracurricular activities that have led to a development in their teamwork skills.

Cameron Petkov has been part of a Tournament of Minds team, which made it to States;

requiring efficient teamwork and smart thinking from all members. The team helped Cameron

develop in a stressful environment and ensured he and other team members in that group did not

delegate blame to other members and bring everyone down. A certificate of Honours has been

provided in Appendix C.1 (pg. 26) on the left, with the team he cooperated and assisted with on the

right.

Another Sonic Six member, Dave Rebello, was part of a volunteering program in India,

centred on building and renovating houses. There is no doubt that the teamwork between him and

his fellow volunteers would have had to be positive and beneficial to all members to achieve a

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common goal. With everyone working towards the same thing, Dave learned how to deal with other

team members and ensure the working environment was a positive, productive one. A certificate

acknowledging his contributions to the community can be found in Appendix C.4 (pg. 29).

In addition to these experiences and skills learned by members of Sonic Six, the design

report mark has also been supplied in Appendix E.3 (pg. 33) to show the capabilities of the team

working in unison. This mark of 63% represents the effort put in by the group for the first design

package submission (stage one).

A few examples of team communication and communication platforms is also provided to

enforce the confidence of Wales Inc. in the communication between Sonic Six internally. Sonic Six

utilises a Facebook group chat in order to share ideas, thoughts, concerns, and the like. This group

chat forms the basis of many agendas and meeting topics, and allows a sort of bonding between

group members. An extract of this group chat can be found in Appendix E.1 (pg. 32) which shows the

sort of conversation that goes on “behind the scenes”. Additionally, complementing the group chat

is a group page, set only visible to Sonic Six members. This group page contains important

information that may need to be referred to consistently or may be missed in chat, and thus shown

as a post in the page. Appendix E.2 (pg. 33) is a screenshot of part of the group page, including a

sticky-post of the meeting times for both contractors and designers, as well as regular team meeting

times. We hope providing this insight into the most inner-working of the company will be beneficial

for evaluation purposes.

As per the last part of the teamwork criteria, members of the contracting company were

mostly present to each meeting, with few exceptions. The first meeting with Wales Inc. had Nabeel

Sheikh absent, with group member Dave Rebello taking his place for that meeting, as Nabeel had

family over at the time. This was alluded to in the first minutes of meeting, seen in Appendix A.2 (pg.

15) although no proof could be provided as the reason was hard to prove. Daven Quintana was

unavailable to attend the second meeting with Wales Inc. as per the minutes of meeting seen in

Appendix A.4 (pg. 18). Daven was tendering another company at the time and evidence of this was

provided, and given in the minutes of meetings appendix.

4.0 References Balmer, A. J. (2012, January 20). Mousetrap Cars | Instructions | Construction Tip | Pulling Force.

Retrieved from Doc Fizzix: http://www.docfizzix.com/topics/construction-tips/Mouse-Trap-

Cars/adjusting-pulling-force.shtml

Eggalitarian Opportunities Pty Ltd. (2015). Eggalitarian Vehicle Brief Final.

HowStuffWorks.com. (2008, April 22). Egg. Retrieved from

http://animals.howstuffworks.com/animal-facts/egg-info.htm

Tournament of Minds Inc. (n.d.). TOM - Home. Retrieved from http://www.tom.edu.au/

Wales Inc. (2015). Wales Inc Design Package. Perth.

wikiHow. (2015). 3 Easy Ways to Adapt a Moisetrap Car for Distance. Retrieved from wikiHow:

http://www.wikihow.com/Adapt-a-Mousetrap-Car-for-Distance

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Appendices Note: Original documents and proof can

be provided in hard-copy/physical format

as required.

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Appendix A: Communication

Appendix A.1: Agenda #1

A copy of the first agenda provided to Wales Inc.

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Appendix A.2: Minutes of Meeting #1

A copy of the Minutes of Meeting, created based on agenda #1.

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Appendix A.3: Agenda #2

A copy of the second meeting agenda.

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Appendix A.4: Minutes of Meeting #2

A copy of the minutes of meeting created following the second meeting.

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Appendix A.5: Facebook Group Chat

A screenshot of the group chat established on Facebook between the two companies, Wales Inc. and

Sonic Six.

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Appendix A.6: Email Communication

Screenshots of various emails send to Wales Inc. over the course of the past few weeks.

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Appendix B: Equipment

Appendix B.1: Equipment List 1

From left to right: Drills (1mm and 5 mm), saw, handsaw, try square, pliers, safety glasses, and

hammer.

Appendix B.2: Equipment List 2

From left to right: Glue gun, rulers, compass, scissors, marker + pencils, box cutter knife, binder

paperclip, grip pliers, and protractor.

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Appendix B.3: Safety Boots

Sonic Six member, Cameron Petkov, showing possession of safety boots.

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Appendix C: Experience

Appendix C.1: Tournament of Minds

Tournament of Minds Honours (2010) awarded to Sonic Six member Cameron Petkov (left). Photo

with his Tournament of Minds Team (right).

Cameron Petkov can be seen at the top right of

the photograph.

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Appendix C.2: Computer Construction & Maintenance

Picture of Sonic Six member, Cameron Petkov’s computer, which he maintains and troubleshoots.

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Appendix C.3: Woodworking

Report of Sonic Six member, Nabeel Sheikh, showing experience in materials and technology process

(woodworking).

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Appendix C.4: House Construction

Certificate awarded to Sonic Six team member Dave Rebello, for contribution to the community

through the building and renovating of homes with Global Village Domestic (2012).

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Appendix D: Punctuality

Appendix D.1: EFPC Stage 1 Submission Receipt

Submission receipt for Sonic Six’s design package for stage one.

Appendix D.2: Construction Schedule

Planned construction schedule timeline, with 10 hours’ worth of working time.

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Appendix D.3: Construction Location

Planned construction location, at the Engineering Pavilion.

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Appendix E: Teamwork

Appendix E.1: Group Facebook Chat

Extract of some of the messages within Sonic Six’s group chat on Facebook.

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Appendix E.2: Group Facebook Page

A screenshot of the Sonic Six’s group page, where meeting dates and important information are

discussed.

Appendix E.3: Group Mark for Design Package

The group mark awarded to Sonic Six’s design package, for stage one.

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Appendix F: Wales Inc.’s Design Package

The designers’ (Wales Inc.) latest stage one design package.

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