SMART COLLECTION BOX SYSTEM (SCBS) PART: U.S. GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENTS SUBPART: SUPPLIES, EQUIPMENT & MATERIAL CLASSCOD: A-Research and Development OFFADD: U.S. Postal Service, Automation Purchasing, 8403 Lee Highway, Dewey-G Bldg., Merrifield, VA 22082-8150 SUBJECT: A-SMART COLLECTION BOX SYSTEM (SCBS) SOL N/A DUE 052600 POC: Mr. Ted Howard, Telephone (703) 280-7513 thoward2@email.usps.gov Mr. Mark Guilfoil, Contracting Officer DESC: The United States Postal Service (USPS), Office of Purchasing and Materials, Automation Purchasing Group located in Merrifield, Virginia, is seeking sources to provide up to two prototype Smart Collection Box Systems (SCBS) with an option for a limited number of additional units to include pilot site implementation. A single noncompetitive proof of concept award is anticipated, and will be made in accordance with USPS Purchasing Manual (PM) Section 3.5.5.d.2(6) due to the nature of this requirement and available funding. Upon implementation, should the proof of concept award provide that there is a technical requirement for SCBS within USPS operations, the next acquisition phase in any SCBS Program would be made on a competitive basis. Interested parties are invited to request a copy of the Statement of Work for this requirement at the address provided herein. As technical information, some of the USPS objectives for a SCBS are to: 1) Detect, send alerts, and report overflowing and jammed collection boxes for quick response by the carriers (collectors), 2) Improve carrier adherence to collection schedules, 3) Collect and analyze data for collection route and schedule optimization, 4) Maximize arrival and cancellation of mail in the Processing and Distribution Centers before 4:00 PM, 5) Provide advance notice of incoming mail volumes to Processing and Distribution Centers to enable as-needed staffing and resource adjustments, 6) Measure, report, and analyze customer collection box utilization patterns to optimize the management of box relocation and the carrier collection process, 7) Enable improvement in External First Class (EXFC) performance ratings, 8) Reduce or eliminate "zero bundles", i.e., when none of the test letters dropped in a collection box arrived at their destinations within the committed time, and 9) Enhance the competitive effectiveness of USPS boxes co-located, or located near, similar competitors' collection boxes to enable clearly superior USPS performance. It is anticipated that any pilot testing will be done with USPS-provided and renewed mail collection boxes retrofitted with the contractor's instrumentation. In summary, the objective of this proof of concept project is the integrated operation of a system of instrumented collection boxes at a selected small city site, each interlinked by communications. Interested parties are invited to provide a Technical Approach Plan based on the Statement of Work (SOW) to be provided together with a brief Corporate Capability Statement. The Technical Approach Plan and Corporate Capability Statement should be limited to 100 pages in total, inclusive for both documents which should be unbound and one-sided. No cost or pricing information should be submitted within the Technical Approach Plan. Price negotiations will be held with the selected proof of concept firm only. Interested parties are to submit a total of three copies (original and two duplicate copies) of the TAP and CCS to the address provided above. Overly elaborate responses are neither expected nor required. Brochures or company promotional handouts are permissible but not required. Responses are due on or before c.o.b. May 26, 2000. Requests for a copy of the SOW may be made at any time prior to that date. Electronic requests are encouraged. If requested, the SOW will be returned by email using MS Word 6.0/95 format. Send email to: thoward2@email.usps.gov E-MAIL: Click here to contact Purchasing Specialist via email, thoward2@email.usps.gov. Posted 05/04/00 (W-SN451716).

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