The Library of Congress, Contracts & Logistics Service, 1701 Brightseat Road, Landover, MD 20785

D -- COMPREHENSIVE MAILING LIST SYSTEM SOL RFP96-11 DUE 061796 POC Katherine M. Phillips, Contracting Officer, 202-707-0400. The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS/BPH) of the Library of Congress has a requirement for the maintenance of its Comprehensive Mailing List System (CMLS) used in the direct distribution of magazines, catalogs, bibliographies, and other materials produced under contract for NLS/BPH. The system currently covers approximately 530,000 names and addresses and 800,000 subscriptions. The CMLS is not merely a subscription fulfillment system and involves more than simply maintaining mailing lists and producing labels. It also serves as a management information system and a patron database. The system is continuously evolving as new programs and applications are developed by the contractor to meet the needs of NLS/BPH and its network of libraries. NLS/BPH provides reading materials in recorded and braille formats to U.S. residents and U.S. citizens living abroad, who are unable to use conventional print materials because of physical impairments. Reading material (books and magazines) are produced for NLS/BPH by contractors and are distributed to more than 500,000 patrons through a national network of approximately 143 regional and subregional libraries for blind and physically handicapped. NLS/BPH contracts for the production of magazines (approximately 45 in recorded form and 34 in braille) which are distributed to patrons using labels, tapes, or diskettes generated by the Comprehensive Mailing List System on weekly or monthly schedules. In addition, related catalogs, bibliographies, and newsletters are distributed on an annual, quarterly, or bimonthly schedule using labels generated by CMLS. The contractor must also be capable of printing (or subcontracting for) and mailing letters (including large print letters), reports and surveys; of producing (or subcontracting for) and mailing microfiche (48X ANSI); and to provide other system support on an ongoing basis for the CMLS. The contractor must have knowledge of and experience with U.S. Postal Regulations, comply with the regulations and guidelines in the U.S. Domestic Mail Manual, and have a thorough understanding of the complex regulations concerning materials mailed as Free Matter for the Blind or Handicapped. The current system is supported on two IBM 3090 mainframe computer systems running under MVS/XA (Multiple Virtual Storage/Extended Architecture). Application programs are written in American National Standard (ANSI) OS/VS COBOL. The CMLS masterfiles, programs, JCL, dedicated work storage, and related files contain approximately 530,000 records, each record containing more than 200 data elements with a total record length of 920 bytes. Solicitations will be available on or about May 17, 1996. Submit written requests on firm's letterhead. Telephone requests will not be honored. (0115)

Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0020 19960425\D-0003.SOL)