Contact: Della Glenn, USTDA, 1621 N. Kent Street, Suite 300, Arlington, VA 22209-2131, Tel: (703) 875-4357, Fax: (703) 875-4009

R -- SOLICITATION NUMBER TDA 98-Q-048 ALBANIA TRANSPORTATION COMMUNICATIONS TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE POC Della Glenn, USTDA, 1621 N. Kent Street, Suite 300, Arlington, VA 22209-2131, Tel: (703) 875-4357, Fax: (703) 875-4009 The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (TDA) wishes to announce an opportunity for small business to bid on a Competitive Total Set-Aside for the design of a radio communications system and the creation of equipment specifications for improvements for Albanian Railways under the South Balkan Development Initiative (SBDI). SBDI is a four year, $30 million Presidential Initiative to improve and link the transportation infrastructure in the three South Balkan countries -- Albania, FYR Macedonia and Bulgaria. Under SBDI, TDA is providing a grant to Albania for equipment procurement of approximately $1.6 million for radio communications to improve the safety and efficiency of Albanian Railways (AR) along the East-West corridor (Trans-European Corridor No. 8) from Tirana-Durres-Elbasan-Kafesan and from Vlore-Elbasan. This technical assistance will allow for the SBDI Procurement Advisor to procure and deliver the equipment to AR. This will be a firm fixed price ontract. The work is expected to be completed within two months of ratification of the contract. The contractor must be qualified to design a radio communications system for AR and to create specifications for the procurement of equipment by the SBDI Procurement Advisor. TDA, located in the Washington, D.C. area, is an export promotion U.S. Government foreign assistance agency that helps U.S. companies pursue overseas business opportunities. Through the funding of feasibility studies, orientation visits, training grants, and various forms of technical assistance, TDA enables American businesses to become involved in the planning stage of infrastructure and industrial projects in middle-income and developing countries. The Small Business Act, at 15 U.S.C. 644, authorizes procuring agencies to set aside procurements or portions of procurements for the exclusive participation of Small Business Concerns. The SIC Code for this procurement is 3669 -- Communications Equipment, N.E.C. For the purposes of this procurement, a firm is considered small under SIC Code 3669 if it meets the standard of no more than 750 employees. All participating organizations involved with supplying professional services must be incorporated or chartered in the United States. Consultants planning teaming arrangements must be U.S. citizens or resident aliens. In accordance with FAR 19.301, offerors will be required to submit self certification relating to business size. The competitive proposals method of solicitation as set forth in Part 15 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) (48 CFR Chapter 1) shall be utilized for this procurement. This solicitation in no way obligates TDA to award a contract, nor does it commit TDA to pay any cost incurred in the preparation and submission of the proposal. Any explanation desired by an offeror regarding the meaning or interpretation of this solicitation must be requested in writing and with sufficient time allowed for reply to reach the offerors before submission of their offerors. All oral explanations or instruction, given before award ofthis contract will not be binding. Any information given to a prospective offeror concerning the solicitation will be furnished promptly to all prospective offerors as an amendment of the solicitation, if such information is necessary to offerors submitting proposals or if lack of such information would be prejudicial to uninformed offerors. The Request for Proposal (RFP) will be issued on/about (15) fifteen days after the publication date of this synopsis. Because of the urgency of this request, the closing date for receipt of proposals will be twenty-one (21) days thereafter. Only written requests for the RFP that indicate the company's size will be honored. U.S. eligible small businesses interested in receiving the RFP should send a fax requesting it to Della Glenn at (703)875-4009 or a letter by U.S. mail or couier to Ms. Glenn at U.S. Trade and Development Agency (TDA), Contracts Unit, 1621 N. Kent Street, Suite 300, Arlington, VA 22209-2131. (0125)

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