Department of Transportation, Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA), Research and Special Programs Administration HQ, 400 7th Street, SW, Room 7108, Washington, DC, 20590

A -- ADVANCED INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES TO IMPROVE VEHICLE OPERATORS SAFETY, KNOWLEDGE, AND SKILLS SOL DTRS56-00-BAA-0006 DUE 092900 POC Cynthia Barzey, Contract Specialist, Phone 202-366-6986, Fax 202-366-7974, Email cynthia.barzey@rspa.dot.gov -- Tom Scott, Contracting Officer, Phone (202) 366-4538, Fax (202) 366-7974, Email WEB: Visit this URL for the latest information about this, http://www.eps.gov/cgi-bin/WebObjects/EPS?ACode=P&ProjID=DTRS56-00-BAA-0006&LocID=137. E-MAIL: Cynthia Barzey, cynthia.barzey@rspa.dot.gov. U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA), Office of Contracts and Procurement, DMA-30, Room 7108, 400 7th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20590. Support of the Department of Transportation's Program on Human Centered Transportation Research. CONTRACT INFORMATION: BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT soliciting proposals on the development and implementation of Advanced Instructional Technologies (AIT) to improve vehicle operators' safety, knowledge, skills, and attitudes to ensure safety. The proposals are part of a $ 25 Million (combined funding from all sources, such as, industry, state, local governments, federal laboratories and the Department of Transportation (DOT)), four-year DOT partnership program with transportation operators, service providers and other users, on a Human Centered Transportation Research Initiative. The initiative includes short and long-term research to develop and/or implement products and results to achieve significant reduction in transportation incidents and fatalities. Proposals are solicited for short -- term (12 months) or long -- term (12 to 36 months) projects. Proposals should be in one or more of the four broad project areas. The findings or products from the short-term projects should have potential for direct application to operator training. The long-term projects should develop and verify results by applying the findings to operational settings and/or by implementation. Unique and different approaches may be required for each transportation mode in order to achieve these results. DOT plans to invest about $12 Million in the partnership program during the four-year period. The program will consist of the following two complementary program parts: Part 1) Fatigue Management and Part 2) Advanced Instructional Technologies. DOT anticipates releasing Broad Agency Announcements annually for each of these program parts. This BAA relates to Part 2 of the program on Advanced Instructional Technologies. The research will focus on four broad project areas solicited for the first year (FY 2001) of the partnership program. Updates to the requirements will be posted in the Commerce Business Daily and the RSPA website. The objective of this part of the program is to develop and implement appropriate advanced training of operators to reduce accidents. The research for the first cycle of awards will focus on the following four broad project areas for the first year (FY 2001) of the partnership program: 1) Baseline assessment: Identification of operator/driver deficiencies and the role of human error and associated factors in physical and perceptional skills, safety judgment and decision making skills to avoid incidents. Identification of operational practices that can be improved by training; 2) Technology Applications: Assessment and evaluation of one or more state-of- the-art Advanced Instructional Systems that have the potential for application to provide cost effective training to transportation operators/drivers in one or more transportation modes. The technologies will include but are not limited to distance learning systems, interactive systems, and simulation systems including simple to complex dynamic systems, virtual reality devices for performance simulation and application of modern and low cost simulators; 3) Special Training: Development of specialized training methods and systems suitable to train experienced and inexperienced drivers, to include both younger and older drivers; and 4) Life Time Training: Development and implementation of advanced methods, systems and approaches for promoting life time training opportunities. DOT is soliciting proposals from all individuals, businesses, academic and research institutions and research centers. A proposal may be submitted on any of the four (4) major research areas addressed above. A separate proposal must be submitted for each proposed project in each research area. GENERAL INFORMATION: BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT DTRS56-00-BAA-0006 can be downloaded via the Internet at: http://www.rspa.dot.gov under Procurement Opportunities. In all correspondence to the RSPA Office of Contracts and Procurement, reference BAA DTRS56-00-BAA-0006. Early submission of proposals is strongly encouraged. All proposals shall be submitted to Ms. Cynthia D. Barzey, Contract Specialist, Research and Special Programs Administration, ATTN: DMA-30, 400 Seventh Street, S.W., Room 7108, Washington, D.C. 20590, not later than 4:00 PM, Eastern Time, 9/29/00. BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT: This Commerce Business Daily (CBD) notice, in conjunction with further announcement details available from the internet address identified above, constitutes the Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) as contemplated by FAR 6.102(d)(2). A formal RFP or other solicitation regarding this announcement will not be issued. DOT plans to organize a "national meeting" on the program initiative in Washington DC on August 29 and 30, 2000. The meeting will provide an opportunity to clarify any questions on the BAA. The DOT/RSPA Office of Contracts and DOT Human Factors Team will be present at this meeting to answer any questions on the BAA and the technical projects. Anyone wishing to attend the meeting must notify the contracting officer by telephone, e-mail or by sending a letter note with information on his or her affiliation and subject area of interest on or before August 28, 2000. NOTHING IN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT SHOULD BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY RSPA TO AWARD ANY OF THE PROJECT AREAS IDENTIFIED ABOVE. Evaluation and selection of proposals for award will be made to those offerors whose proposal is considered most advantageous to the Government. Proposal evaluation will be based on the following criteria, each having equal importance: 1) Comprehensiveness of proposed technical approach, 2) Anticipated results and potential impact to train commercial or non-commercial operators, 3) Technical capabilities of investigators and institutional facilities available to perform research, and 4) Cost sharing contributions and partnerships with user groups. Each proposal shall not exceed thirty (30) pages in length including all enclosures. Offerors are encouraged to access the following website (http://www.rspa.dot.gov/dra/)to review the two program planning documents that provide the background on Human Factors Systems and the planning for the DOT program initiative on Operator Performance -Enhancing Technologies to Improve Safety. A paper copy of the document may also be obtained by contacting the DOT/RSPA contracts office by voice (Tel: (202) 366-6986) or email: (cynthia.barzey@rspa.dot.gov). The funding for the first year (FY 2001) of the partnership program will be contingent upon annual Fiscal Year appropriations of the DOT program. The government share of cost for each project shall be in the range of $100,000-500,000 and will vary on a project by project basis dependent upon the extent of technical investigations and funds needed to complete the project for transportation applications. All projects shall have cost sharing from the offeror(s) through direct or indirect matching resources/funding. A fifty (50) percent total cost sharing is desired on each project by direct or indirect contributions including investigator time, equipment and facilities. The percentage and type of cost sharing presented in the proposal is a criterion in the evaluation and selection of the proposal for an award. All projects shall be completed within a time frame from 12 to 36 months. The Government reserves the right to select for award all, some, or none of the proposals received in response to this announcement. The Government reserves the option to invite selected offerors for a pre-award negotiation to negotiate costs, technical scope and the work plan. The DOT anticipates that Other Transaction Agreements will be used for the awarding of these projects. Posted 06/21/00 (D-SN466961). (0173)

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