DHHS, PHS, CDC, NIOSH, ALOSH, 1095 Willowdale Rd., Morgantown, WV 26505-2888

66 -- 4-CHANNEL BIO-TELEMETRY MONITOR/RECORDER SYSTEM SOL 2000-032 DUE 083100 POC Brenda Goodwin, 304/285-5882; Contracting Officer, Rex S. Wolfe, Jr., 304/285-5883 THIS IS A COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS PREPARED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FORMAT IN SUBPART 12.6, AS SUPPLEMENTED WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION INCLUDED IN THIS NOTICE. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY SOLICITATION; BIDS ARE BEING REQUESTED AND A WRITTEN SOLICITATION WILL NOT BE ISSUED. This solicitation is issued as Request for Quotation (RFQ) No. 2000-032. This procurement is being issued unrestricted. The Standard Industrial Classification is 3829 with a size standard of 500 employees. This solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 97-18. SPECIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS: The Engineering and Control Technology Branch (E&CTB) of the Health Effects Laboratory Division (HELD) of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Morgantown, WV, requires bio-telemetry instrumentation which is simultaneously capable of remotely, reliably, and accurately monitoring, transmitting, receiving, and with the use of a user-supplied PC-computer to which the receiver is linked recording the heart rate (HR), skin temperatures, and activity levels of 10 individuals performing manual labor in field industrial settings at distances of up to 1000 feet for a period equivalent to a normal work day (i.e., 8.5 to 9 hours) without changing the battery pack(s). NOTE: Although the system must be capable of monitoring at least 10 individuals, the Government only presently plans a basic purchase with monitoring capability for seven (7) individuals (monitors, heart rate band, activity sensor, temperature probe) (one set is spare), with the option to increase the monitoring capability by an additional four (4) individuals to be ordered within the next 12 months. Quotes should be structured accordingly. SPECIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS: PHYSICAL CONFIGURATION AND GENERAL CAPABILITY. (1) The size of the monitor/transmitter must be small, less than 7 x 3.5 x 2 inches, and light-weight (less than 20 oz, including batteries); the receiver may be up to 100% larger in volume. (2) The system (when coupled to a user-supplied PC-computer) must provide at least four channels of monitoring, transmitting, receiving, and recording capability; and be user-configurable to permit the simultaneous recording of HR, temperature, and activity level in any combination; an automatically-generated time-marking/'time-stamping' data file must be automatically created to assure that the timing and temporal relationships among the recorded data can be readily determined. (3) The system must be capable of accurately and reliably monitoring and transmitting the cited parameters from the wearer to a receiver located up to 1000 feet away. (4) Monitoring, transmitting, and receiving/recording functions must be accurately and reliably executed while the wearer is performing active manual labor or other vigorous physical activity; data loss due to movement artifact must be minimal (less than 2% for any single measure). (5) Monitoring sensors must be removable from the transmitter during transportation and storage. (6) Monitors (sensors) and transmitter must be capable of being comfortably worn by individuals performing vigorous physical tasks for at least 8.5 hours. POWER SOURCE: (1) The monitor/recorder must be battery powered . (2) The monitor/transmitter and receiver must be battery operated using either a commonly available, user replaceable, long-lived, rechargeable commercial battery or batteries (preferred) or a re-chargeable battery pack. (3) The battery-powered components must be able to support a minimum of 8.5 hours of continuous monitoring. MONITORING AND OUTPUT TRANSMISSION RATE: To reflect bandwidth considerations, the rate at which data are transmitted may vary inversely with the number of individuals being monitored. When monitoring one individual, the data output for all four channels will be transmitted at a rate of equal to or greater than 20 per minute; when monitoring 10 individuals, the transmission rate will be equal to or greater than 2 per minute. HEART RATE (HR): (1) The monitoring system must provide the capability to monitor, transmit, and receive HR data. (2) HR data must be triggered by a component of the QRS wave complex and accurately and reliably recordable from active individuals performing simulated or actual physical labor in laboratory or industrial environments (e.g., lifting tasks) throughout the range of at least 40-250 beats-per-minute with an accuracy of at least 3.5%. (3) HR output will be expressed in bpm. TEMPERATURE MONITORING/RECORDING: (1) At least two temperature ranges must be provided and user-selectable. One range must at least encompass the range of 32-42 degrees C accurate to equal to or less than 0.1 degree C; the other must at least encompass the range of 0-70 degrees C accurate to within 1 degree C at 0 degrees C and less than 4 degrees C at 70 degrees C. (2) Temperature data must be accurately and reliably recordable from active individuals performing simulated or actual physical labor (e.g., lifting tasks) in laboratory or industrial environments. (3) As a minimum, the temperature output may be expressed as either degrees C or degrees F based on a single sample obtained at a consistent time within the sampling interval. ACTIVITY MONITORING/TRANSMITTING: (1) Activity monitoring and transmitting functions must be accurately and reliably executed; and they must be capable of transmitting such data from physically active individuals performing simulated or actual physical labor in laboratory or industrial environments (e.g., lifting tasks) at a wearer-receiver distance of up to 1000 feet. Activity must be accurately and reliably monitored, transmitted, and received through the range of 0-240 counts-per-minute. (2) Activity monitoring sensors must be capable of being comfortably attached in such a way as to permit the monitoring and recording of gross whole-body activity, or activity at the wrist or ankle. (3) The activity monitoring capability must be sensitive to movement in at least two directions. ALARM/SIGNALING, AND COMMUNICATION BETWEEN USER/SUPERVISOR AND WEARER: (1) The telemetry-based monitoring/recording system must be able to detect and signal the occurrence of user-specified values (threshold triggers') of a wearer's HR-related or temperature data to a user/supervisor stationed at the receiver. This alarm/signal communicated to the user/supervisor must be auditory in nature (auditory and visual preferred), The alarm/signal must be coupled with a visual display appearing on the screen of a user-supplied PC computer to which the receiver is linked; the display must clearly identify which of the several possible wearers is associated with the occurrence of the triggered value. (2) The user/supervisor must be able to signal the remote wearer (for example, after the detection of unusual HR or temperature values). A visual signal displayed on the wearer's monitor/transmitter is required (both a visual and an auditory signal are preferred). (3) To enhance the attention-getting aspects of the auditory and visual signals/displays, the following capabilities are desired (but not required): (a) capability to vary the rate and pitch of auditory signals, and (b) to use greater than 1 color and/or to impose blinking upon visual alarms/signals on the computer display. DOCUMENTATION, INSTRUCTIONS; HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE: (1) Appropriate instruction regarding the assembly and operation of all hardware and software components is required. Must include appropriate software and user documentation to support the execution of the downloading process. (2) Appropriate software, a data transfer cable at least 4 feet (6 ft preferred) in length, and a hardware interface reader (if needed) are to be provided to enable all heart-rate-related, temperature, and activity data to be transferred in real time from the receiver to a PC computer via the serial port. (3) The software must be capable of generating integrated, time-referenced ASCII files of HR data, temperature data, and activity data. (An option to be able to selectively download one or more of these measures is desired, but not required.) (4) The software must be capable of generating an ASCII output file that can be readily imported into Microsoft Excel. (5) As a minimum, the software must be usable via an MS-DOS-based GUI (graphical-user interface); compatibility with MS Windows 98 is preferred -- but not required. EVALUATION FACTORS: Offers will be evaluated for technical compliance with the specifications. Information provided must demonstrate the system's ability to meet the stated Technical Criteria (specification). Additional Critical Evaluation Considerations: The capability to reliably and accurately record the physiological measures cited from humans performing vigorous physical activity over extended periods in laboratory and/or industrial settings is a critical evaluation criterion. Movement-induced artifact must be at a minimum. Accordingly, the offeror will (a) provide a technical description of the means and design features that have been incorporated into theirproduct that serve to minimize movement-inducted artifact, (b) provide or identify (i.e., provide complete bibliographic references to) two or more scientific/research papers published subsequent to 1995 wherein this requirement has been met while using the vendor's products, and (c) identify a current means of contacting one of the authors associated with at least two of the papers cited (i.e., provide a current phone number and/or e-mail address). A full warranty that the system and its components will perform to the level cited in the specifications for a period of at least 1 year subsequent to the date of delivery is required; and that equipment that fails to perform in this manner during this period may be returned to the vendor and repaired or replaced by the vendor to the purchaser within two weeks of receipt at no cost to the purchaser. Purchaser will pay for return shipping of defective or malfunctioning component(s) to the vendor; vendor will pay for shipping of repaired or replacement component(s)to the purchaser via the same mode of transportation. As a minimum, technical support must be accessible during the hours of 12:00 noon through 3:00 p.m. EST at no cost for a period of at least 1 year subsequent to the date of delivery. The Government will evaluate optional items by adding the total price for the optional quantity to the total price for the basic requirement. Evaluation of options will not obligate the Government to exercise the option. Offerors shall propose based on a delivered price, F.O.B. Destination (Morgantown, West Virginia). The Government desires delivery within 60 days after award of contract . The Government anticipates one award to the responsive, responsible offeror whose proposal is considered most advantageous to the Government. The following FAR provisions apply and are incorporated into this solicitation by reference: FAR 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors -- Commercial Items; 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions -- Commercial Items and 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders -- Commercial Items. Additionally, the following FAR clauses cited in Clause 52.212-5 are also applicable to this acquisition as follows: FAR 52.222-3 "Convict Labor (E.O. 11755)", 52.233-3 "Protest After Award (31 U.,S.C. 3553 and 40 U.S.C. 759)", 52.203-6 "Restrictions on Subcontractor Sales to the Government, With Alternate I"; 52.203-10 "Price or Fee Adjustment for Illegal or Improper Activity", 52.219-8 "Utilization of Small Business Concerns and Small Disadvantaged Concerns; 52.222.26 "Equal Opportunity"; 52.222-35 "Affirmative Action for Disabled Veterans and Veterans of the Vietnam Era"; 52.222-36 "Affirmative Action for Workers With Disabilities"; 52.222-37 "Employment Reports on Disabled Veterans and Veterans of the Vietnam Era"; 52.225-3 "Buy American Act -- Supplies"; 52.225-13, Restriction on Certain Foreign Purchases (E.O. 12722, 12724, 13059, 13067, 13121, and 13129); 52.225-18 "European Community Sanctions for End Products"; and 52.232-34, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer Other than Central Contractor Registration (31 U.S.C. 3332). OFFERS ARE DUE AUGUST 31, 2000, 2:00 p.m. local prevailing time. The offer acceptance period shall be at least 60 days. SUBMIT THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION TO: DHHS, PHS, CDC, NIOSH, ALOSH, Attn: Brenda Goodwin (MS1019), REF: Solicitation RFQ 2000-032, 1095 Willowdale Road, Morgantown, WV 26505: (1) Original and two copies of a completed SF 1449, signed by an individual authorized to bind the organization; (2) Schedule of Supplies/Services (vendor proposal) containing an item description with Part Numbers and Pricing for the system and monitoring for six individuals, a proposed delivery schedule, and published price lists (if available); (3) completed Representations and Certifications -- Commercial Items, FAR 52.212-3; (4) descriptive literature, tables, etc. which demonstrate compliance with specifications for evaluation purposes; and (5) acknowledgment of solicitation amendments, if any. Facsimile Offers are not authorized. Offers that fail to furnish the required information, or reject the terms and conditions of the solicitation may be excluded from consideration. Award of a firm fixed-price purchase order is anticipated. Information regarding this notice can be obtained from Brenda Goodwin at (304) 285-5882 or by fax at (304) 285-6083. All responsible sources may submit a response, which shall be considered by the Agency. Posted 08/09/00 (W-SN484158). (0222)

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