U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration, Office of Acquisition and Grants Services, RAD-30, 400 7th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20590

B -- PROCESSING OF CARLOAD WAYBILL SAMPLE FOR WAYBILL PROCESSING CYCLES IN CALENDAR YEARS 1997 THROUGH 2001 SOL DTFR53-97-C-00001 DUE 121096 POC Contracting Officer, Thomas L. Riddle, 202/632-3391 The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) in partnership with its sister agency, the Surface Transportation Board (STB), intends to negotiate a sole source contract with the Association of American Railroads (AAR) for the collection and processing of Carload Waybill Sample (Waybill Sample) (for terminated shipments by rail carriers) for Waybill Processing Cycles in Calendar Years 1997 through 2001. This is a follow-on contract to the incumbent contractor, the AAR. Market research was conducted in the form of a sources sought notice published in the CBD in February 1996, and the results of this research support the agency's determination to solicit and negotiate with only one firm, the incumbent, AAR. No responsible sources capable of satisfying the agency requirements for this highly specialized service, other than the incumbent contractor, were determined to exist. This determination is based largely upon-- (1) The successful past performance by the AAR, and its subcontracting team member, ALK Associates, Inc., of Princeton, New Jersey, for the past 12 years under predecessor contracts with the Government for the same services and the unique conversance with the data base, techniques and procedures they have developed during these periods that has helped to ensure a high level of processed data integrity; (2) The AAR's unique position as a trade association of the railroad industry representing the preponderance of the route mileages, employees and revenue of the approximately 530 freight railroads operating in the U.S., its transportation industry knowledge base and sponsorship of over 100 railroad committees, task forces, and technical advisory groups which formulate and implement industry policies, standards, and projects, its role as a clearinghouse for data provisions among railroads and between railroads and their shippers, and the data processing expertise concentrated in its information technology department--RAILINC, to include operation of one of the world's largest value-added networks (VANS) whose central applications include major systems such as the TeleRail Automated Information Network (TRAIN II)--a system which maintains the location and status of rolling stock, and the Universal Machine Language Equipment Register (UMLER)--a North American-wide inventory of freight cars, containers and trailers used in interchange service; and (3) AAR's and/or ALK's proprietary ownership and/or copyrights to all or most of the computer software products, rail network model, miling algorithms, and industry file references, currently used to edit and process the Waybill Samples. The agency has determined it is likely that substantial cost to the Government (that are not expected to be recovered through competition) would be incurred and unacceptable delays would ensue in fulfilling the agency's requirements, were it to conduct a competitive solicitation in a procurement environment in which it has already determined that only one responsible source is capable of satisfying the Government's needs. The applicable authority for this announced intention is that under 41 U.S.C. 253 (c)(1) as implemented by FAR 6.302-1, ''Only One Responsible Source.'' This is not a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) and a competitive solicitation is not available. See Note 22. (0304)

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