U.S. Postal Service, Automation Purchasing, 8403 Lee Highway, Merrifield, VA 22082-8150

59 -- RADIO FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION (RFID) TAGS DUE 081498 POC Eva Weems, FAX (703) 280-8412; Herbert Jackson, (703) 280-7239. The U.S. Postal Service is seeking information from industry in order to evaluate any currently available low cost, disposable radio frequency identification (RFID) transponders (tags) that can be embedded in substrates suitable for postal barcode labels. As a minimum, the tags and their respective readers should support collision avoidance of at least 50 co-located tags traveling at a speed of 5 miles per hour, have a read range of at least 1 meter, and support unique IDs (i.e., license plates) of at least 64 bits long. The current unit cost of the tags should be no more than 50 cents for a quantity of one million. If technologies meeting the minimum requirements stated herein are identified, the USPS may consider funding development efforts to further reduce the unit cost of the tags and to enhance their capabilities, if such technologies are amenable to such improvements. Interested firms whose tags and readers meet the above stated criteria should provide the USPS with literature and detailed specifications of their proposed RFID technology; in-house or independent evaluation results (if available); and corporate qualifications. Additionally, they must be prepared, upon request, to provide the USPS, free of charge, an evaluation package of the proposed RFID technology for a period of no more than three months. The USPS will conduct its own independent evaluation on packages received, and will return them at the end of the USPS evaluation. The firms must further agree and be prepared to provide the USPS with technical assistance to facilitate the evaluation efforts, if necessary. The USPS will consider reimbursing firms for any direct expenses incurred in connection with technical assistance provided at USPS request. The information must be submitted to Mr. Herbert Jackson, USPS Engineering, 8403 Lee Highway, Merrifield, VA 22082-8101, no later than August 14, 1998. Posted 07/17/98 (M-SN225051). (0198)

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