DOT, FED HWY ADMN, Contracts and Procurement, 400 7th ST, SW, Rm 4410, Washington, D.C. 20590

A -- BOARD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT (BAA) FOR COMMERCIAL MOTOR VEHICLE DRIVER HUMAN FACTOR RESEARCH SOL DTFH61-95-R-00117 DUE 051895 POC Contact, Charles Kotch, HCP40-E, (202) 366-4256 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES. This BAA RFP DTFH61-95-R-00117 identifies the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) intent to provide funding in FY 1995 for a number of commercial motor vehicle driver human factors research projects. The purpose of this BAA is to provide proposers with the opportunity to submit proposals for one or more of the following studies in the various areas of interest to the FHWA's Office of Motor Carriers. B. INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARATION OF PROPOSALS Any resulting contracts will contain appropriate federal agency clauses for the contract awarded. Successful offerors shall be required to submit ''Certifications and Representations'', prior to award. Data and reporting requirements will be negotiated with successful offerors. In responding to this announcement, please prepare your proposal as follows: In a document not to exceed 12 pages, proposers shall identify, for each study in which they are interested: 1. The technical approach, including any suggested technologies, and proposed statistical analysis methodologies. (10 pages) 3. Staffing and facilities, with abbreviated resumes of principal and co-principal investigators.(2 pages) 4. Price necessary to perform the work. The specific contract deliverables will depend upon the scope and objectives of the negotiated contract. At a minimum, the contractor shall submit a final report and technical summary that documents the research conducted in the proposal. The FHWA reserves the right to select for award any, all, part or none of the proposals submitted. This BAA does not commit the Government to pay for preparation costs. The following is a list of Office of Motor Carriers research studies that have been identified for potential award in FY 1995; following each is the estimated maximum cost of the project: 1) Biometric identifier standards research. This project will review the current status of biometric technologies to determine their ability to meet the needs of the Commercial Driver's License (CDL) program. Also, it will seek to determine the cost-effectiveness of the most promising technologies for large scale applications. Model biometric identifier standards will be developed for these identifier technologies for use in the CDL program. These standards will be used as the basis for a proposed rulemaking to establish minimum standards for the State driver licensing agencies that decide to use biometric identifiers to enhance their CDL programs. Study responds to Congressional mandate in Section 9105 of the Truck and Bus Safety and Regulatory Reform Act of 1988 to establish minimum uniform biometric identifier system standards for the CDL program. ($400,000) 2) The role of hearing in CMV job performance and safety. The FHWA seeks a review and analysis of its 1992 conference report recommendations and other current information on hearing disorders, with the goal of determining if hearing should be a requirement for driving commercial motor vehicles. The analysis would determine if sufficient information is available to arrive at a conclusion. If information is proven to be available, analysis would evaluate the necessity for continued FHWA regulation of driver hearing for commercial motor vehicle operations. If not, the FHWA seeks information on what additional data and research are needed to determine if hearing is necessary for driving performance and/or whether the FHWA should retain the current hearing standard screening methodology and screening level. ($100,000) 3) CMV job performance and safety of insulin-treated diabetics. The FHWA seeks a serious review that would investigate and develop appropriate functional requirements for insulin-treated CMV drivers. Such drivers are currently prohibited from operating commercial motor vehicles in interstate commerce. ($400,000) 4) Anticoagulation treatment and commercial drivers. The FHWA seeks a model plan for the review and development of qualification criteria on anticoagulation treatment that could be used in the evaluation of CMV drivers in interstate commerce. The model plan could be used to resolve future driver physical qualification issues. ($150,000) 5) Smart Card Monitoring of Commercial Driver. The focus of this research shall be on the feasibility of smart cards to promote compliance and enforcement of motor carrier safety rules, including the commercial drivers license (e.g., compliance with medical requirements) and compliance with hours-of-service regulations. Also, the research shall help the FHWA identify and evaluate other potential applications by motor carriers and the public sector agencies(e.g., States, Customs, Immigration) to improve commercial vehicle safety and productivity. ($1,000,000) C. CONTRACT PERIOD. The preferred period of performance for these research studies shall be no less than 9 months and no more than 36. D. CONTRACT TYPE: Firm-Fixed Price. E. SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS: There will be no formal RFP for this requirement. Proposals responding to this BAA must be valid for 180 days, and may be funded at any time during that validity period. Submit original and 3 copies of your proposal by 4:00p.m. EST on 18 May 1995, at the Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, 400 Seventh Street, S.W., Room 4410, HCP-40E, Washington, D.C. 2050. Attention: Charles Kotch. Please show the BAA/RFP DTFH61-95-R-00117 and closing date on the forwarding envelope. Late proposals will be handled in accordance with FAR 15.412. F. EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS AND AWARD. Response: A government panel will evaluate each proposal, basedon the following factors: (1) The intrinsic merit of the proposal; (2) The technical competency of the proposer; (3) The potential for utilization of results; (4) Reasonableness of the initial price proposed; (5) Adequacy of proposed resources to complete the contract requirements satisfactorily and on time; and (6) The past performance of the proposer. Awards. The FHWA contemplates making a single award for each proposal listed under ''B''. (0101)

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