USTDA, 1621 N. Kent Street, Suite 200, Arlington, VA 22209-2131

A -- COMMUTER LANE BARRIER/QUICKCHANGE MOVEABLE BARRIERS (QMB'S) PROJECT IN BUENOS AIRES DUE 020700 POC POC Evangela Kunene, USTDA, Tel: (703) 875-4357, Fax: (703) 875-4009 The Grantee invites submission of qualifications and proposal data (collectively referred to as the "Proposal") from interested U.S. firms which are qualified on the basis of experience and capability to develop a feasibility study to evaluate the deployment of commuter lane barriers, Quickchange Moveable Barrier (QMB) system technology, along the major toll highways 25 de Mayo and Perito Moreno in Buenos Aires, Argentina and if deemed feasible and the appropriate technology to develop an implementation plan for procurement of QMB's and associated equipment and services. The problems with traffic and congestion on the highways and roads in and around Buenos Aires has been well documented and experienced by every visitor to the city. There are daily bottlenecks caused by accidents, aggressive driving and overuse of major thoroughfares during rush hour. Most of these problems are the result of too many vehicles and not enough lanes. For this particular traffic related project in Buenos Aires, the key component and objective of the study is to address the congestion that exists along the major toll roads within the city, 25 de Mayo and Perito Moreno, without paving new thoroughfares. Traffic studies have estimated that approximately 250,000 vehicles use these two major roadways every day. AUSA, or Autopistas Urbanas, SA, envisions that commuter lane barrier technology will serve to alleviate, at least partially, much of the congestion caused on the highways during rush hour. Moveable barriers are a very innovative yet simple technology. Essentially, the concept is to take a million pound concrete safety barrier and move it from one side of a highway to another, thereby manipulating the lane structure and managing the number of lanes based upon demand, need or other factors. Most importantly, this technology addresses the need to "add" or "subtract" lanes depending on the flow of rush hour. This technology makes sense for the problems commuters are experiencing in Buenos Aires during rush hour. The flexibility to add a lane or two in the morning and then reverse the lane structure for the afternoon rush hour would greatly benefit motorists in Buenos Aires. AUSA is the quasi-public entity that operates and maintains the 25 de Mayo and Perito Moreno toll highways, two of Buenos Aires' largest toll highways. The Secretary of Transportation of Buenos Aires serves as the President of AUSA. As two of the older toll highways in Buenos Aires, the toll roads 25 de Mayo and Perito Moreno are completely repaid. Current tolls that are collected are used to maintain and make improvements on the highways. The feasibility study will include data collection, traffic forecasting, evaluation of solutions for existing bottlenecks, development of alternatives, analysis of alternatives, preliminary design, and a detailed implementation plan. The U.S. firm selected will be paid in U.S. dollars from a $120,000 grant to the Grantee from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (TDA). The total cost of the Feasibility Study is estimatedat U.S. $150,000. The Contractor and/or its subcontractors must cover the remaining costs, or U.S. $30,000, to complete the full Terms of Reference for the Feasibility Study. A detailed Request for Proposals (RFP), which includes requirements for the Proposal, the Terms of Reference, and a background desk study report are available from TDA, at 1621 N. Kent Street, Suite 200, Arlington, VA 22209-2131. Requests for the RFP should be faxed to the IRC, TDA at 703-875-4009. In the fax, please include your firm's name, contact person, address, and telephone number. Some firms have found that RFP materials sent by U.S. mail do not reach them in time for preparation of an adequate response. Firms that want TDA to use an overnight delivery service should include the name of the delivery service and your firm's account number in the request for the RFP. Firms that want to send a courier to TDA to retrieve the RFP should allow one hour after faxing the request to TDA before scheduling a pick-up. Please note that no telephone requests for the RFP will be honored. Please check your internal fax verification receipt. Because of the large number of RFP requests, TDA cannot respond to requests for fax verification. Requests for RFPs received before 4:00 PM will be mailed the same day. Requests received after 4:00 PM will be mailed the following day. Please check with your courier and/or mail room before calling TDA. Only U.S. firms and individuals may bid on this TDA financed activity. Interested firms, their subcontractors and employees of all participants must qualify under TDA's nationality requirements as of the due date for submission of qualifications and proposals and, if selected to carry out the TDA-financed activity, must continue to meet such requirements throughout the duration of the TDA-financed activity. All goods and services to be provided by the selected firm shall have their nationality, source and origin in the U.S. or host country. The U.S. firm may use subcontractors from the host country for up to 20 percent of the TDA grant amount. Details of TDA's nationality requirements and mandatory contract clauses are also included in the RFP. Interested U.S. firms should submit their Proposal in Spanish and English directly to the Grantee by 5:00 p.m., February 7, 2000 at the above address. Evaluation criteria for the Proposal are included in the RFP. Price will not be a factor in contractor selection, and therefore, cost proposals should NOT be submitted. The Grantee reserves the right to reject any and/or all Proposals. The Grantee also reserves the right to contract with the selected firm for subsequent work related to the project. The Grantee is not bound to pay for any costs associated with the preparation and submission of Proposals. Posted 01/04/00 (W-SN412953). (0004)

Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0007 20000106\A-0007.SOL)