39 -- AUTOMATIC CONTAINER TRAY UNLOADER (ACTU)

Notice Date

August 23, 2001

Contracting Office

US Postal Service, Headquarters Automation Purchasing, 8403 Lee Highway, Merrifield, Virginia 22082-8150

ZIP Code

22082-8150

Solicitation Number

N/A

Response Due

September 23, 2001

Point of Contact

Pauline C. McTeer, Purchasing Specialist, 703-280-7804, FAX 703-280-8412

E-Mail Address

click here to contract the purchasing specialist via (pmcteer@email.usps.gov)

Description

The United States Postal Service (USPS) is seeking to prequalify sources capable of providing an Automatic Container Tray Unloader (ACTU) for use in USPS Processing and Distribution (P&DC) Centers. The USPS intends to prequalify suppliers for this individual purchase and any possible follow-on production purchase. Only those suppliers who wish to be a prime contractor need respond to this announcement. Prequalification is a process whereby a supplier's ability to meet specific USPS requirements is evaluated. Prequalified suppliers are companies or individuals whose record of performance in the marketplace (commercial or government or both) has demonstrated their ability to perform to consistently high standards of quality and reliability. The prequalified suppliers list will remain in effect for a period of one year. Not all qualified suppliers responding to this announcement will necessarily be placed on the prequalified list. The prequalified list may be limited to suppliers considered most qualified to meet the Postal Service's requirements or to a smaller list that will provide adequate competition. A solicitation for this purchase will be issued within 90 days after receipt of prequalification statements. Competition will be limited solely to prequalified suppliers. Only those prequalified suppliers that successfully complete the simulation demonstration and in-plant evaluation will be eligible to participate in the competitive field testing and receive a production solicitation (RFP). For consideration for prequalification, the potential supplier must provide the following information for evaluation: Program name and sufficient information to show that your company has been involved in a large national deployment and for what percentage of that deployment your company was responsible. Your qualification statement should address each evaluation factors in the order listed. Your submission must be in sufficient detail to adequately address each factor. Include your e-mail address, contact person name and telephone number, company name, and mailing address with your submission. Also provide a list of relevant references including both USPS (if applicable) and all other. With each reference provide the company name, contact person and telephone number, contract number and dollar value, for similar work. The following evaluation factors are in descending order of importance. The sub-factors are also listed in descending order of importance. Program management -- Demonstrate the capability of program management of a large deployment project. Simulation capability -- Demonstrate the capability of performing simulation of the prototype for evaluation in the portion of the program that will be awarded prior to the in-plant prototype. Past Performance: Timeliness -- consistent on-time delivery and adherence to contract schedules including the administrative aspects of performance Quality -- documented quality system, demonstrated quality initiatives, conformance to contract requirements, and standards of good workmanship; reliability through goods or services that perform well throughout their anticipated service life. Cost control -- a record of forecasting and containing costs Supply chain management -- the management of total material flow from all levels of subcontractors Business relations -- a history of being reasonable and cooperative with customers; commitment to customer satisfaction; integrity and ethics To be considered capable, the supplier must: Have, or have the ability to develop, a sound quality control program that complies with solicitation requirements. Be able to meet the required or proposed delivery schedule, considering all existing commitments, including awards pending. Have the necessary organization, experience, accounting and operational controls, technical skills, and production and property controls. Have, or have the ability to obtain, the necessary production, construction, and technical equipment and facilities. Have, or have the ability to obtain, resources (financial, technical, etc.) adequate to perform the work. Be otherwise qualified and eligible to receive an award under applicable laws and regulations. Have a sound record of integrity and business ethics. Type of business organization The offeror, by checking the applicable blocks, represents that it: a. Operates as:  a corporation incorporated under the laws of the state of__________;  an individual;  a partnership;  a joint venture;  a limited liability company;  a nonprofit organization, or  an educational institution; and b. Is (check all that apply):  a small business concern;  a minority-owned business  Black American  Hispanic American  Native American  Asian American  a woman-owned business,  an educational or other nonprofit organization; or  none of the above entities. c. Small Business. A small business concern for the purposes of Postal Service purchasing means a business, including an affiliate, that is independently owned and operated, is not dominant in producing or performing the supplies or services being purchased, and has no more than 500 employees, unless a different size standard has been established by the Small Business Administration (see 13 CFR 121, particularly for different size standards for airline, railroad, and construction companies). For subcontracts of $50,000 or less, a subcontractor having no more than 500 employees qualifies as a small business without regard to other factors. d. Minority Business. A minority business is a concern that is at least 51 percent owned by, and whose management and daily business operations are controlled by, one or more members of a socially and economically disadvantaged minority group, namely U.S. citizens who are Black Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, or Asian-Americans. (Native Americans are American Indians, Eskimos, Aleuts, and Native Hawaiians. Asian Americans are U.S. citizens whose origins are Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Vietnamese, Korean, Samoan, Laotian, Kampuchea (Cambodian), Taiwanese, in the U.S. Trust Territories of the Pacific Islands or in the Indian subcontinent.) e. Woman-owned Business. A woman-owned business is a concern at least 51 percent of which is owned by a woman (or women) who is a U.S. citizen, controls the firm by exercising the power to make policy decisions, and operates the business by being actively involved in day-to-day management. f. Educational or Other Nonprofit Organization. Any corporation, foundation, trust, or other institution operated for scientific or educational purposes, not organized for profit, no part of the net earnings of which inures to the profits of any private shareholder or individual. Suppliers will be notified whether or not they are selected for the prequalification list. Suppliers who are not selected will be provided the rationale so that they may better prepare for future prequalification opportunities. The list will be publicized on the USPS' web page. The USPS plans to issue a separate production solicitation for approximately 100 ACTU's, to be deployed by the supplier to approximately 50 USPS sites. This possible production solicitation may include additional production quantity options, based upon the success of the technology in field operations. The ACTU production contract is anticipated to be awarded Summer 2002. For participation in the competitive test field, the ACTU must meet the specifications below. The ACTU system must be capable of unloading letter mail trays from the following types of mail containers: GPMC, ERMC, and Universal. The ACTU would be used at USPS Processing and Distribution Centers (P&DC's) and related facilities for container unloading and would singulate and present mail trays in a single file orientation to feed the P&DC mail processing operations. It is envisioned that the ACTU will also need to interface with existing material handling technology that may already be present in USPS facilities, as well as be capable of interfacing with most commercial conveyor systems. Specific performance parameters for the ACTU system are under review and have not been finalized as of this date. However, the USPS anticipates that the net throughput of the ACTU system would operate in a range of 10 to 12 trays per minute. The USPS desires technology with a small footprint, high reliability, low maintenance, and low cost. All space used for the proposed system will be counted as utilized floor space in our evaluations. The proto-type/pre-production system will be required to perform to the USPS specifications for Interoperability and specifications for data transferring. A draft statement of work for the ACTU system(s) is anticipated to be available in late 2001. The USPS will require each pre-qualified vendor to perform a simulation of the entire proposed system at the time of the Concept/Design review with the USPS. A prototype in-plant test will be held in the supplier's facility. The proto-type/pre-production system(s) would be deployed to a selected USPS site for live mail testing and evaluation within the requirements of the RFP and an associated cost model. The anticipated performance and evaluation period for such a competitive field test would be approximately 30 days. A single production source award is contemplated. The USPS reserves the right in a possible production contract to award acceptable components or modules of the ACTU without having to commit to the entire unloading system. The USPS is not obligated to award any contract as a result of this announcement. Your qualification statement or proposal is due no later than Close of Business on September 23, 2001 and is to be submitted to: Ms. Pauline McTeer, Automation Purchasing, U.S. Postal Service, 8403 Lee Highway, Merrifield VA 22082-8150.

Record

Loren Data Corp. 20010827/39SOL001.HTM (W-235 SN50V7Y3)