Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Federal Transit Administration HQ, 400 7th Street, SW, Room 9101, Washington, DC, 20590

A -- TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR FTA'S RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM SOL FTA-TRI POC Sanford Cook, Contract Specialist, Phone (202) 366-4980, Fax (202) 366-3808, Email sanford.cook@fta.dot.gov WEB: Visit this URL for the latest information about this, http://www.eps.gov/cgi-bin/WebObjects/EPS?ACode=R&;ProjID=FTA-TRI&LocID =145. E-MAIL: Sanford Cook, sanford.cook@fta.dot.gov. The Federal Transit Adinistration is conducting market research to seek qualified sources besides Mitrektek Systems, Inc. capable of providing technical and programmatic support for technical analysis, assessment, program planning, and integration of the FTA Research and Technology Program. This program, as set forth in FTA's Five-Year Research and Technology Plan, provides for an integrated program of research, assessment and deployment strategies to improve the safety and efficiency of the public transportation system. These strategies include the implementation of emerging sensor, communications and information processing technologies that will require close coordination with users and industry groups. To achieve these goals FTA requires assistance from an educational or other non-profit organization with the technical expertise and analytical skills in these technological areas. The Organization will develop program plans and supporting documentation; review R&D activities; assess and revise program planning documents; and coordinate and assess program results with other agency activities. Support will also include refinement and updating of individual program elements, and the integration of these elements into a comprehensive plan. Coordination and review of these plans with other activities and DOT programs is also essential. The selected organization will also provide support for the broad technical overview of the FTA research and technology program. Mitretek will conduct technical analyses of ongoing and proposed FTA R&D projects to ensure that the appropriate technology is being applied. This may require that the selected organization conduct specific analytical studies, and develop and exercise simulation and other types of models. This includes development of program plans and supporting documentation; review of R&D activities; assessment and revision to program planning documents; and coordination and assessment of program results with other agency activities. Support will also include refinement and updating of individual program elements, and the integration of these elements into a comprehensive plan. Coordination and review of these plans with other activities and DOT programs is also essential. The organization will provide support to the technical oversight of the FTA field operational tests. Focus will be placed on the Fleet Operations programs, including Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), Transit Capacity and Quality of Service (TCQS), Advanced Public Transit Systems (APTS), Mixed Rail Corridor Operations, and Intermodal Connectivity. Other program elements may be addressed as required. The selected organization will also conduct assessments of policy and regulatory issues associated with program deployments, and support the integration of program elements with planning and operations management systems. The selected organization must be, by institutional form and operating practices, able to exercise a privileged and confidential relationship with the FTA and all its various partners including other contractors, grantees, transit operators, transit equipment suppliers, and transit industry groups. The work entails a high degree of involvement in the government's R&D acquisition process, encompassing a wide range of procurement activities. The nature of these tasks clearly demands a contractor that does not engage in any business activities which could give rise to either perceived or real conflicts of interest. Elements of this contract will also involve close relationships with the private sector where proprietary property rights must be carefully protected, both "for cause" and also to ensure a credible pragmatic basis for effective public/private partnerships. Support for development of an issues-based national transit research and deployment agenda, and potentially national and international specifications and standards will be involved. Regulatory and commercial applications issues will also be addressed. Therefore, it is imperative that the contractor be able to provide objective, independent technical support free from bias, and to be completely free from any competitive threat to any FTA program partners. An equally important characteristic at this stage of maturity of the program relates to the technical capabilities of the contractor. Specifically this includes their knowledge and experience in current and past public and private transportation systems program activities; and the surveillance, communications, software, and control technology applications being developed and tested in the FTA R and T program. Experience in the transportation industry and with similar government support contracts are also considered important. Mitretek is the only known source, other interested parties are invited to submit a letter of interest plus a package detailing their capabilities to meet our requirements to FTA, Office of Procurement, TAD-40, 400 Seventh St., SW, Room 9101, Washington D.C. 20590, within 15 days of Publication of this synopsis. The statutory authority under which this assistance will be provided is in accordance with FAR 6.303-2. Posted 03/30/99 (D-SN314466). (0089)

Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0011 19990402\A-0011.SOL)