USDA, Forest Service, Lolo National Forest, Attn: Contracting, Building 24, Fort Missoula, Missoula, MT 59804

D -- AERIAL RETARDANT PREDICTION COMPUTER MODEL SOL R1-16-99-901 DUE 080399 POC Contact Point, Michele Wasienko-Holland, 406/329-3889, Contracting Officer, Connie L. Bohannan, 406/329-3768 WEB: USDA, Forest Service, Lolo National Forest, Contracting, http://www.fs.fed.us/r1_lolo. E-MAIL: USDA, Forest Service, Lolo National Forest, Contracting, mwasienk/r1_lolo@fs.fed.us. This is an amended CBD notice of earlier advertisement. This will now be a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6 and FAR 13, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. The solicitation number is R1-16-99-901 and is issued as a Request for Quotation. The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 97-11. This procurement is 100 percent set aside for small business. The standard industrial classification code (SIC) is 7371. The small business size standard is $18 million. This contract will be a firm fixed-price contract for an airtanker ground pattern response model and development of a PC based program with user interface to calculate results of the model. The contract period will be one (1) calendar year from date of award. Description of the project is as follows: The Missoula Technology and Development Center intends for this project to cover modeling and development of a computer application, technical writing, literature searches, and technical consultation for assessment of aerial fire retardant drops. Software will be developed to run on a personal computer (PC) under the windows operating environment. The written work will follow ANSI and FS standards. Specific tasks shall include 1. construct a model that accurately computes the ground deposition of all types of airtankers and 2. develop PC based software to predict the ground deposition from any airtanker using the model. The end result of the contract will be the prediction of the ground pattern response of any airtanker presented in a form that can be input to standard plotting and analysis routines. The tabulated results will be used as a guide for field use. The ground deposition model must include those variables known to influence the deposition.The variables influencing ground pattern development include volume released, flow history (a table of volume discharged vs time), drop height, drop speed, retardant type (gum thickened, water like or foam), meteorological conditions and tank opening geometry. Flow histories indicate flow rates from 50 to over 1000 gallons per second. Drop heights range from 50 to 500 feet, the drop speed varies from near zero for hovering helicopters to 150 knots for large turbine powered airtankers. The PC based software data input must include a user choice of a graphical interface or a text file. Output from each prediction must be stored as ASCII files. The output for the ground deposition shall be as an array of points on a 10 x 10 foot spacing of the amount of retardant at each point in gallons per 100 square feet. The Government will furnish data detailing approximately 1300 ground response patterns from 37 tank and gating systems. Data furnished with each pattern will include an array of data points indicating the ground location and the amount of liquid at each point expressed in gallons per 100 square feet. Data for each pattern will include aircraft height and speed at liquid release, flow history, type of retardant, location of release relative to the pattern array, meteorological conditions and the release geometry of each tank and gating system. Note that some pattern data may not include all of the above parameters. For your information only, in 1969 the Forest Service initiated research studies to determine the capabilities of different tank and gating systems. These studies entailed the dropping of fire retardant formulations and/or water over a sampling grid and determining the ground deposition under a variety of conditions: flow history, tank configuration, door sequencing speed, volume released, drop height, retardant type, relative humidity, temperature, wind speed and direction (drop tests). Using this data, Honeywell Corporation, under contract to the Forest Service, developed a pattern simulation model (PATSIM) whose primary variable was the flow history. With more sophisticated requirements for airtankers, it was discovered that PATSIM does not correctly compute the ground deposition from the new advanced airtankers or helitankers. A copy of PATSIM is available by contacting Gregg Johnson at (406) 329-4816 or email at gjohnson/wo_mtdc@fs.fed.us. This model does not meet our present requirements but is available for information purposes only. The contractor shall submit quarterly progress reports and be available for a final presentation of the model and software at the Missoula Technology and Development Center or another mutually agreed upon location. The COR will be available to the contractor for consultation and participation in other meetings as mutually agreed upon. The COR will be available for telephone consultation on an as need basis and the contractor will be available for informal telephone progress reports. The FAR provision at 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors- Commercial Items (Deviation for Simplified Acquisitions) applies to this acquisition. Offers should be submitted on letterhead stationery and include the minimum information required under this provision. Offerors should also address the following: 1. Quality Assurance Plan, include knowledge of modeling techniques; ability to design user interfaces and provide graphic output options; ability to integrate mathematical models into the computer system; understanding of aerially disseminated liquids and how it fits within integration of work under this project; 2. Past Performance, furnish a list of three most recent projects related to liquid dispersion modeling and system development with a contact person and phone number for each individual; and 3. Personnel Qualifications, offeror's experience in this field of work. For each employee available to perform work under this project, provide education, publication and presentation record, and prior and/or ongoing jobs in this field of work. Offerors may request copies of the full text of referenced clauses at the contact point shown above. The provisions at 52.212-2, hEvaluation-Commercial Items, is not applicable. However, quotations received will be subject to the Simplified Acquisition Procedures, Part 13 of the Federal Acquisition Regulations, and will be evaluated using price and other factors, such as past performance history, quality assurance plan, personnel qualifications, and experience. Award will be made to the offeror whose offer is the best value for the Government comparing price and other factors. A Prework Conference will be held shortly after award of the contract in Missoula or another mutually agreed upon location. Submit a completed copy of the provisions at 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items, with your offer. The following FAR clauses shall apply in addition to the ones above: 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items; 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statues or Executive Orders-Commercial Items; 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; 52.222-41, Service Contract Act of 1965; 52.222-44, Fair Labor Standards Act and Service Contract Act-Price Adjustment; 52.222-70, Compliance with Veterans Employment Reporting Requirements (Deviation-USDA), and 52.232-34, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer-Other than Central Contractor Registration; 52.232-35, Designation of Office for Government Receipt of Electronic Funds Transfer Information. Wage Determination will be provided after award of contract. Place of performance is unknown at this time. Quotes with technical and price information and completed certifications are due at the Lolo National Forest, Building 24, Fort Missoula, Missoula, MT 59804 by 4:30 on August 3, 1999. Posted 07/01/99 (W-SN349414). (0182)

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