Commandant (G-ACS), U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, 2100 Second Street SW., Washington, DC 20593-0001

D -- MARITIME VHF VOICE AND AIS DATA COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES SOL DTCG23-98-R-AVT025 POC Contracting Officer: Brenda Peterson, Ph: (202) 267-2048 The Coast Guard has a requirement for the lease of dedicated Very High Frequency (VHF) voice and dedicated Automated Identification System (AIS) data communication services in the maritime band for up to five years for the Ports and Waterways Safety System (PAWSS) project Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) in the lower Mississippi River Vessel Traffic Service Area (VTSA), including the navigable waters of the Mississippi River from 20 miles seaward of the mouth of the river to 20 miles above Baton Rouge, LA between the river levees. The contractor must be capable of providing all communication services to meet the Coast Guard requirements by contract award, anticipated to be in March 1998. The VTS system will be installed under separate contract by a System Integration Contractor (SIC). The VTS system will be implemented and tested by the U.S. Coast Guard in two phases, beginning in June 1998, before becoming operational. In Phase 1, a VTS baseline system will be installed at the Gretna Light Facility for Limited Developmental Test and Evaluation (DT&E) testing. In Phase 2, the system will be transitioned to a Vessel Traffic Center (VTC) in New Orleans for complete VTS system end-to-end DT&E followed by U.S. Coast Guard Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E). The contractor shall provide both dedicated VHF voice and AIS data communications services to support all tests and operational deployment of the VTS system. Service support shall be provided via a completely integrated VHF/AIS communications network, including all facilities, equipment and network integration necessary to control the services from the VTC. Communications services shall provide seamless, uninterrupted voice and AIS data coverage of the VTSA and shall include training, interface and operational manuals, maintenance to meet availability requirements, and on-call consultant services. The contractor shall be responsible for selection and provision of voice and AIS working frequencies and shall obtain all FCC and other licenses and/or required approvals of frequencies. The contractor shall provide two dedicated duplex AIS working frequencies. Both 25 kHz and 12 kHz channels are acceptable for the VHF/AIS data frequencies. The contractor shall provide voice grade communications services between remote sites and the VTC for maintenance and performance monitoring purposes. The contractor shall use standardized interfaces for connections in accordance with NEMA 0183, version 2.20, and/or IEC 1162. The contractor shall control the AIS data communications system to be compatible with Document 8/1015-E, Draft Revision of Recommendation ITU-R M.825-1 (to be formally published as ITU-R M.825.2). The contractor shall provide data and control capabilities which are compatible with the "System Specification for the Vessel Traffic Services System" requirements to be procured under a separate contract. (For additional information on the VTS project visit the web site at: http://www.dot.gov/dotinfo/uscg/hq/g-a/pawss/home.htm.) The contractor shall provide at the VTC, a means of checking and monitoring the status of the communications services. These services must be capable of surviving the environmental conditions of the lower Mississippi River area with a high degree of reliability. The communications system and VTS shall operate 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with an availability of 99.75 percent. The contractor shall provide training, including live demonstration of the communications services, and training materials. The contractor shall provide technical and operational manuals, including network diagrams, for the communications services. The contractor shall provide on-call consultant services to assist in the installation, test and evaluation of the SIC VTS system at Gretna Light and at the subsequent VTC. All communications services provided to fulfill this requirement must be Year 2000 compliant. All interested parties must submit a Technical Capabilities Statement that describes in detail their qualifications, capabilities, and previous experience relevant to fulfilling the above requirement. In particular, the Technical Capability Statement must include the interested parties' commercially available charts that detail existing coverage, including site locations and links to remote sites, and evidence of the compatibility of the communications services and associated equipment with Document 8/1015-E, Draft Revision of Recommendation ITU-R M.825-1. This notice is not a solicitation nor is a formal Request for Proposal available. In the absence of responses from firms that believe they have the capability to perform this requirement, the U.S. Coast Guard intends to negotiate with Maritel Corporation, Gulfport, MS, for the services described pursuant to FAR 6.302-1(a)(2)(iii)(B). No other notice will be published until award is made. All correspondence should be addressed to: Commandant (G-ACS-4/BP), 2100 Second Street SW, Washington, DC 20593-0001. Numbered Note 22 applies. The Department of Transportation (DOT) Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization has programs to assist minority, women-owned and disadvantaged business enterprises to acquire short-term working capital and bonding assistance for transportation-related contracts. Loans are available under the DOT Short Term Lending Program (STLP) at prime rates up to $500,000 per contract to provide accounts receivable financing. The DOT Bonding Assistance Program enables firms to apply for bid, performance and payment bonds up to $500,000 per contract. DOT provides an 80 percent guaranty on the bond amount to a surety against losses. For further information and applicable forms concerning the STLP and Bonding Assistance Program, please call (800) 532-1169. However, small business sources should submit information listed in numbered Note 25.***** (0008)

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