DescriptionThe U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center), Cambridge, MA, is conducting a sources sought notice to locate business concerns for conducting safety analyses of prospective changes to air tour operating environments , initially over the Grand Canyon, and subsequently over various other U.S. National Parks for the U.S. Department of Transportation. Task 1. Develop Metrics Definition and Data Collection Plan: A Metrics Definition and Data Collection Plan (Plan) will be developed to ensure that there is agreement on the detail and depth of analysis and on the metrics and measurement methodologies to be used. Task 2. Baseline data collection and analysis - Existing Operations This task includes the evaluation of the existing air tour operating environment and developing a reference baseline, which will be used as a basis for comparison of the proposed changes from existing conditions. The analysis must include both off-season and peak season periods. This task includes the following sub tasks: Data Collection: The reference baseline will consist of data collected during the fall and the spring/summer periods and in accordance with the approved Data Collection Plan developed in Task 1. Airspace Analysis: Conduct an overview of the Special Flight Rules Area (SFRA) operations and the adjacent area operational components (below FL180) of Arizona, Nevada, and Utah. The contractor shall conduct simulation and analyses of sector traffic volumes using TAAM and/or SIMMOD simulation tools, and an interface analysis of all itinerant traffic. Additionally, analysis of traffic, airports, Class D airspace interface, ingress and egress routes and points, and transitional route segments including airspace close to the SFRA boundary will also be conducted, as well as other tasks identified for establishing necessary baseline airspace metrics. Evaluation and Analysis of Human Factors: Conduct an initial scoping evaluation of human factors in SFRA operations, pilot workload analysis, task saturation analysis, route complexity analysis, terrain feature and weather pattern analysis. Of prime importance will be the integration of the Human Factors and Analysis Classification System (HFACS) tool into the analytical protocol for understanding the potential risks specific to air tour operations. Cognitive Analysis: Flight Route Task-Load and Workload: Conduct a detailed cognitive analysis of the flight route task-load and workload to generate a full cognitive workload description for each task. The cognitive analysis will then be linked to the airspace simulation model of the aircraft routes to provide a mapping of the cognitive workload. Task 3. Analysis of Proposed AlternativeAnalyze the components of the proposed air tour routes and operations, which differ from those in the baseline condition. To the extent possible, given that no operational data will be available, the same metrics determined in Task 2 will be re-evaluated for the new operational environment to the extent needed to execute a valid comparative analysis. The methodology for determining values for metrics for the proposed alternative should include modeling and simulation such as TAAM and/or SIMMOD, or other analytical methods. Human factors metrics comparable with those developed in Task 2 will also be evaluated. Task 4. Comparative Analysis A comparative analysis of the results of Task 2 and Task 3 shall be performed to evaluate current conditions vs. proposed conditions and assembled into a report. All capability information shall include: Contract number; Customer (DOD agency, other Government agency, private industry); Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR) name, telephone and fax numbers; contract value and type of contract; period of performance; and description of product/services. Information provided should be detailed in the area(s) above so the Government can assess the ability of the company to provide the described services. All of the information sought should be conveyed in no more than 10 pages. Page size is set at 8? X 11 and text should be doubled spaced. Each response must reference the sources sought title. The NAICS Code for this acquisition is 541690 and the small business size standard is $7.0 million. Interested parties must respond to this announcement in writing within 15 days of publication. Telephonic requests will not be honored. All responses must be sent to Elizabeth A. Segal, Contracting Officer, RTV-6D1, United States Department of Transportation, Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, 55 Broadway, Cambridge, MA 02142. E-mail responses are also acceptable. Please e-mail Elizabeth Segal at
[email protected]. All data received in response to this announcement marked or designated as corporate or proprietary information will be protected from release outside the Government in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act provisions. Availability of any formal solicitation will be announced separately. THIS NOTICE IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. This notice is for informational and planning purposes only, and is a market research tool to determine the availability and adequacy of potential business sources prior to determining the method of acquisition and possible issuance of a Request for Proposal including the use of any non-profit organization or small business programs. The Government is not obligated to and will not pay for any information received from potential sources as a result of response to this Special Notice. This notice does not constitute a solicitation for bids and proposals, and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government. The information provided herein is subject to change and in no way binds the Government to solicit for or award a competitive contract. Unless otherwise stated herein, no solicitation regarding this announcement is available. Requests for the same will be disregarded. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized in the FedBizOpps. Please be aware that all information submitted in response to this request, whether written, oral, electronic, graphic, or any other medium, is considered public information under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552. The Government will not pay for any materials provided in response to this synopsis and submittals will not be returned to the sender. For information about the Volpe Center refer to the Volpe Center website at http://www.volpe.dot.gov