R --Developement of Guidelines and Evaluation of In-Cab Fatigue Management Technologies

NA The Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center) plans to issue a sole source Simplified Acquisition to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Cambridge, MA, to develop a set of guidelines to aid manufacturers when they are designing new devices for the locomotive cab environment. The Volpe Center will test these guidelines by applying and testing them with regard to a new fatigue management technology for the locomotive. The contractor will be required to support the Volpe Center in packaging and testing their system against quantified locomotive cab environment criteria and in evaluating the reliability and validity of device output. The contractor will prepare a letter report detailing the locomotive cab environment an d a separate report containing both the evaluation of these criteria for the Drive Fatigue Monitor and the evaluation of the reliability of the feedback provided by this device. This procurement will be conducted under Simplified Acquisition procedures in accordance with FAR Part 13. Small business firms classified under NAICS Code 541990, Business Size Standard $6M, that are interested in proposing on this requirement must respond in writing no later than 15 days from the date of this publication that they have a detailed and comprehensive knowledge of the protocol developed for use in quantifying the locomotive cab environment. The contractor must possess the rights to the fatigue management device previously developed by MIT. This proposed action is for services for which the Govern ment intends to solicit and negotiate with only one source under authority in FAR Part 6.302. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive quotes. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed purchase order based upon responses received to this notice would normally be considered, solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. The RFQ issuance will be on or about November 10, 2004. Small business firms will be required to submit a maximum of three but not less than two pages of documentation in support of the above for evaluation prior to receiving a solicitation. No telephone requests will be accepted – only written requests for this solicitation will be accepted, however, we will accept requests via facsimile at (617) 49 4-3024, ATTN: Karen Marino, DTS-853.