SOLICITATION NOTICE
R -- NG9-1-1 System: A National Framework and Deployment Plan
- Notice Date
- 4/24/2006
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- NAICS
- 541690
— Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Office of Acquisition Management, HAAM, Room 4410 400 7th Street, S.W., Washington, DC, 20590
- ZIP Code
- 20590
- Solicitation Number
- DTFH61-06-R-00030
- Response Due
- 6/20/2006
- Archive Date
- 5/31/2007
- Description
- THE GOVERNMENT WILL NOT ACCEPT TELEPHONED, E-MAILED, LETTER-WRITTEN, OR FAXED REQUESTS FOR THE SOLICITATION (RFP) FOR THIS PROCUREMENT. Instead, all prospective offerors (bidders) MUST obtain the Solicitation from the FedBizOpps website, whose address is: http://www.fedbizopps.gov . The Pre-Solicitation Notice (Synopsis) that you are now reading is NOT the Solicitation; the Solicitation will be published HEREAFTER in this SAME FedBizOpps website. The procurement announced in this Pre-Solicitation Notice is FULL-AND-OPEN-COMPETITIVE, and it will be a FOLLOW-ON project. In performing this follow-on project, the contractor will create an open systems design for transmitting E9-1-1 calls from most types of communications devices, will demonstrate a working proof of concept showing coordinated performance among the system?s components, and will prepare a plan for transitioning from disparate 9-1-1 systems to an IP environment in a national next generation system (or ?system of systems?). For this follow-on project, the FHWA plans to award one and only one cost-plus-fixed-fee contract, which will have a two-year Period of Performance and NO task orders. The INCUMBENT contractor is the National Emergency Number Association (NENA), located at Suite 750, 4350 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, Virginia 22203-1695. Under that incumbent contract, numbered DTFH61-02-C-00015 and entitled ?Facilitating the Implementation of Emergency Wireless Communications?, NENA, since October of 2001, has been working toward a goal of developing the necessary tools, technical guidance, and training and outreach materials to facilitate implementation of wireless E9-1-1 services throughout the 50 states. However, the follow-on project synopsized here is MORE than just a simple CONTINUATION of the work done by NENA and should be considered separate and distinct form the work completed by NENA. For example, the key operational capabilities of the NG9-1-1 system that will be developed under this FOLLOW-ON project will enable E9-1-1 calls from any networked communication device, as well as geographic-independent call access, transfer, and backup among Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) and between PSAPs and other authorized emergency organizations. The systems architecture specifications that will be developed in this FOLLOW-ON project will require the 9-1-1 system to transition from analog to digital and from landline to Internet-based Protocols. In short, in this FOLLOW-ON project a fundamental reexamination of the technological approach to 9-1-1 is required for the public safety emergency network adaptations to accommodate the challenges of wireless communications. NENA IS eligible to COMPETE for the follow-on project announced in this Pre-Solicitation Notice. NENA?s point of contact is Mr. Robert Cobb, who can be reached at the following e-mail address: bcobb@nena.org. Although telephone numbers for NENA and for Mr. Cobb are obtainable on the Internet, prospective offerors for this follow-on project who wish to contact NENA are asked to use Mr. Cobb?s e-mail address rather than calling him. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for copies of NENA?s INCUMBENT contract document are unlikely to be fruitful for organizations wishing to compete for this FOLLOW-ON project, for the following reasons: (a) the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) routinely REDACTS, from contract documents furnished to FOIA requesters, all pricing data and all staffing data; (b) the Statement of Work that will be published hereafter in the Solicitation (RFP) for this FOLLOW-ON project will be self-contained and will stand alone and will DIFFER in many crucial respects from the Statement of Work set forth in NENA?s INCUMBENT contract document; (c) any attempt, by an offeror submitting a proposal for this follow-on project, to respond to the INCUMBENT contract?s Statement of Work would almost certainly call into serious question the offeror?s grasp of, and commitment to attaining, the technical objectives of this follow-on project; and (d) given the time-consuming procedure governing the FHWA?s processing of FOIA requests, it is unlikely that even an extensively redacted and probably useless copy of NENA?s INCUMBENT contract document could be made available to any FOIA requester before the due date for submitting PROPOSALS under this follow-on procurement. The contractor performing this follow-on project will develop technical specifications and a transition plan for implementing a nationwide NG9-1-1 system. Using a systems engineering approach, the contractor for this follow-on project will develop and validate requirements for the NG9-1-1 system, will define a system architecture, and will demonstrate a proof-of-concept prototype. The contractor for this follow-on project will evaluate the system to determine how it supports emergency call initiation, routing, and processing that will ultimately fulfill public safety emergency response information needs. In parallel to the engineering and test phases, the contractor for this follow-on project will develop an operationally and institutionally feasible transition plan for migrating today?s 9-1-1 system to a nationwide internetwork capable of managing emergency calls from most types of communications devices. Production system deployment is NOT expected within this follow-on project. It is estimated that the performance of this two-year follow-on project will require a total of 837 labor-hours to be worked by ONE Program Manager, who must be NAMED in each offeror?s INITIALLY-submitted written proposal for this follow-on project. The Program Manager SHALL possess a technical degree and at least 15 years of experience in the research, development and application of emergency communications technologies, and shall possess at least five years of experience in managing a group of engineers in this field; but that five years of managerial experience could overlap with, or be contained within, the 15 years of research and development experience. The Program Manager SHALL possess skills and knowledge that include systems engineering and integration, state/local 9-1-1 operations, emergency response operations, traditional 9-1-1 network technology and services, IP-network technology and operations, traditional telecommunications services, other IT / telecommunication application services, and IP-network access infrastructure and services. It is further estimated that this follow-on project will require a total of 1,988 labor-hours to be worked by ONE Project Leader, who must be NAMED in an offeror?s INITIALLY-submitted written proposal for this follow-on project. The Project Leader must have a degree, but a non-technical degree (e.g., a J. D. or a B. A. or a B. S. or an MBA) could substitute for a technical degree. The Project Leader?s background shall be similar to that of the Program Manager, except that the Project Leader must possess a minimum of only seven years of experience in the research, development and application of emergency communications technologies, and the Project Leader must possess a minimum of only two years of experience in managing a group of engineers in this field. It is also estimated that this follow-on project will require an aggregate total of 6,030 labor-hours to be worked by MORE than one individual serving in Senior Level Staff positions. Each particular Senior Level Staff person must be NAMED in an offeror?s INITIALLY-submitted written proposal for this follow-on project. Each particular Senior Level Staff person shall possess five or more years of experience in systems engineering and integration, state / local 9-1-1 operations, emergency response operations, traditional 9-1-1 network technology and services, IP-network technology and operations, traditional telecommunications services, other IT / telecommunication application services, and IP-network access infrastructure and services, and shall have a technical degree, preferably related to one of the following disciplines: systems engineering; electrical engineering; computer science; management information systems; or economics. Additionally, it is estimated that this follow-on project will require an aggregate total of 9,460 labor-hours to be worked by MORE than one individual serving in Mid-Level Staff positions. Each particular Mid-Level staff person SHALL possess two or more years of experience in technical areas related to NG9-1-1, and SHOULD have a related technical degree. Also, it is estimated that this follow-on project will require an aggregate total of 8,430 labor-hours to be worked by MORE than one individual serving in Junior Level Staff positions. Each particular Junior Level Staff person SHALL possess a degree relevant to transportation management or ITS and shall be capable of performing analyses, research, and the evaluation of technical products. Finally, it is estimated that this follow-on project will require an aggregate total of 1,155 labor-hours for Administrative Support persons. Each individual proposed as an Administrative Support Staff person shall have skills in word processing, graphical illustration, desktop publishing and mailing list software, and shall have the ability to turn products of technical staff into documents and presentations of specified formats and of high quality, including camera-ready copy for publications, and the ability to distribute such materials promptly to mailing lists of reviewers and participants. Each proposed Administrative Support Staff member shall possess at least one year of work experience in rendering general office support, but such experience need not necessarily be in a transportation-related field. Each proposed Administrative Support Staff member shall, at a minimum, possess an associate?s degree in any field, whether related to this 9-1-1 project or not. THE DUE DATE FOR THE FHWA?S RECEIPT OF PROPOSALS, AS PUBLISHED IN THIS PRE-S0LICITATION NOTICE, IS ONLY AN ESTIMATED DUE DATE. THE ACTUAL DUE DATE FOR THE FHWA?S RECEIPT OF PROPOSALS WILL BE STATED ON THE FRONT PAGE OF THE SOLICITATION (RFP) HEREAFTER PUBLISHED IN THIS SAME FedBizOpps WEBSITE. The FHWA?s best current ESTIMATE is that the Solicitation MIGHT be published in this FedBizOpps website on or about May 19, 2006.
- Record
- SN01033811-W 20060426/060424220514 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
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