SOURCES SOUGHT
A -- R&D, Mail Collection Containers
- Notice Date
- 2/1/2002
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- Contracting Office
- United States Postal Service, Supplies and Services Purchasing, Automation Purchasing (HQ), 8403 Lee Highway Dewey Bldg, Merrifield, VA, 22082-8150
- ZIP Code
- 22082-8150
- Solicitation Number
- 040941
- Response Due
- 3/1/2002
- Archive Date
- 3/16/2002
- Point of Contact
- Fallon Tom, Purchasing Specialist, Phone (703) 280-7934, Fax (703) 280-8412,
- E-Mail Address
-
tfallon@email.usps.gov
- Description
- The Need The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is seeking innovative solutions to contain chemical/biological agents in mail collection boxes and in retail lobby drop slots in post offices and other facilities. The mail collection process includes emptying the collection box, placing an empty container back in the box, and transporting the mail to a centralized point for either transportation consolidation or processing. Our objective is to ensure the safety of our employees during the mail collection process and protect the public while they are placing mail into a box that may have hazardous substances inside. The ideal solution would be one that maximizes risk reduction and minimizes cost and impact on the collections process. Listed below are some approaches that have been discussed and identified: 1. A containment system modification to existing collection boxes and mail slots, 2. Disposable bags with easy replacement (e.g., rolls of bags with perforations for easy tear-off), with minor modifications if necessary to delivery vehicles to store and access replacement bags. 3. Use of bio-hazard ?test strips? incorporated into the collection boxes, bags or tubs to alert employees to the contamination. 4. Use of substances to provide sanitization or decontamination of mail in containers. 5. Minor modifications to collection boxes or drop slots that limit the dimensions of mail that can be deposited. 6. A method to prevent or handle overflow of any containment system inside of the collection box. The Process Step 1: We are seeking summary-level prototype designs to be submitted by interested suppliers. These designs will be used as a technical basis for pre-qualification of suppliers. Step 2: The pre-qualified suppliers will receive a request for proposal and, if appropriate, awarded a contract for the design, prototyping, and laboratory testing of the collection box and containers. Technical Data Packages (TDPs) for the various collection box types will be provided at this point. Samples of each equipment model will also be provided to suppliers for the prototype phase. A technical and price competition will be the basis for selection of a final supplier or suppliers for production units. More than one design may be implemented. Step 3: A supplier(s) for production units will be awarded contracts. Constraints  Innovative but low-cost solutions. The current cost to manufacture a collections box is about $320. They require relatively little in maintenance and have been engineered for security.  Intellectual Property Ownership. The Postal Service must obtain title to and/or unlimited rights (at least as broad as that term is used in the USPS Purchasing Manual) in all intellectual property rights in the technical data package and all systems or equipment described therein. The supplier must deliver under the final design contract a production quality technical data package, and the source code for software used by the system or equipment described therein.  Process Efficiency. We prefer solutions that add very little time to the collections process. The collections process occurs throughout the day, but is most intense between 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. Carriers engaged in collections have limited time to empty a box, set up the box with an empty container, get the mail into their vehicles and move on.  Esthetics. The current appearance of the collection box must stay generally the same (curvature on top, logo on side, blue color). This is a corporate identity issue.  Effectiveness. The effectiveness of the solutions is critical. Data on the degree of containment offered by the solution for chemical or bio-hazardous substances should be provided. If bio-hazard test strips or decontamination methods are proposed, both the false positive and false negative rates should be low.  Collection Box Types. Solutions must deal with all collection box types: Types include: Model Description Number in Service 1170-K Standard collection box 312,000 1170-T Dual container collection boxes 1170-Q, S, V, W Jumbo boxes 40,000 1577 Drop slots in post office retail facilities 30,000 Note: Many of the collection boxes have 2 insertion points: the motorist mail chutes (also called ?snorkels?) and the pull-down access door. Some of the jumbo boxes have snorkels on both sides (no pull-down access door).  Environment/Locations. Most collection boxes are located outdoors, on streets and are subject to all environmental conditions (temperature, humidity, vandalism, etc.). Drop slots are generally located inside a postal facility. (Note: there are many drop slots in non-postal facilities, both residential and office buildings. At this time, we are not specifically requesting technology for these slots. However, if adaptable to this environment, a drop slot solution may be expanded to cover this area as well.) Proposal Submissions To reach the second step, offerors must provide practical, innovative, and low cost solutions. Describe the solution(s) fully, using drawings and/or flow charts where helpful. Include Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) cost estimates and time schedules. Oral presentations of selected designs will be requested. Address the following questions in your proposal (at a minimum): 1. How does the proposal design meet the requirement? 2. What potential hazards are addressed by the proposal? 3. Provide data to support effectiveness of the solution. 4. What data, certifications, etc. are available to prove the solution is safe? 5. Describe the state of the technology -- experimental, conceptual or existing technology. 6. Does the solution use commercial off the shelf or specially designed hardware/software? 7. Are there any constraints for production in quantity? 8. Describe timeline for production in quantity. 9. How will Postal furnished security-sensitive TDPs and equipment be controlled?
- Record
- SN20020203/00021692-020202085218 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps.gov Link to This Notice
(will not be valid after Archive Date)
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