63 -- Whole Body Imager

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is seeking sources for Whole Body Imager (WBI) units for use in mass transit and aviation environments. Offerors are requested to submit white papers for the TSA to determine capability and security clearance. TSA intends to proceed as follows: - Solicitation of white papers by this announcement. - Based on the evaluation of white papers received, TSA will identify eligible vendors. Eligible vendors will be issued the Technical Requirements Document(s) (TRD) and Qualification Management Plan (QMP), and be authorized to contact TSL to arrange to provide one unit at no cost to the government for technical testing. - At the conclusion of technical testing, results will be assessed by TSA to determine if the system is effective and suitable enough to proceed to field testing. - Units determined to be not effective or suitable enough for field testing will be returned to the vendor at the vendor's expense. - Vendors whose units are determined by TSA to be effective and suitable enough for field testing will be provided a Request for Proposal (RFP) for lease of four systems. Three systems will be fielded for operational testing for 45-90 days at locations TBD by TSA and one system will remain at the TSL as the baseline reference unit. Associated field testing support will also be required in the RFP. - At the conclusion of operational testing, all four units will be returned to the vendor. The vendor may provide four units for mass transit or aviation environments, or may provide units for both environments by: (1) providing eight units total (four for each), (2) providing four units which are capable of operating in two modes: aviation and mass transit, or (3) providing four units for testing in one operational environment and modifying the units prior to testing in the second operational environment at the vendor's discretion. In order for systems to be eligible for submission for technical testing by the TSL, vendors must successfully complete independent radiological safety testing at their own expense to meet ANSI N43.17, and must provide the laboratory results or certification. Radiological safety testing must be conducted on a unit that is representative of the final design as evidenced in the Bill of Materials that will be submitted. Following determination by TSA that the system is effective and suitable for field testing, an RFP will be issued. As stated above, the RFP will provide for lease of four systems, and will also require that the vendor provide training, maintenance, and technical advice (as needed) during the field experiment. Policies, procedures and processes (including a vendor submitted concept of operations) associated with Whole Body Imager systems will be included in the evaluation. If upgrades become available during field testing, TSA at its sole discretion will decide whether or not the upgrades will be installed and evaluated. Upgrades or changes, if allowed by TSA, will be made at vendor's expense. Requirements Whole Body Imager systems shall provide the capability/ability to (1) visually locate (applicable to both mass transit and aviation requirement) and (2) visually identify (applicable only to aviation requirement) potential threats on a person including beneath normal environment clothing or otherwise obscured. The Whole Body Imager is intended to perform discreet, non-contact, and threat-queuing for both routine surveillance/screening and probable-cause search in aviation and/or mass transit applications. For Aviation applications, the Whole Body Imager must be able to be integrated into the checkpoint environment. This means that the system may be a portal and a screener may be available to instruct/guide passengers in proper positioning for scanning. For mass transit applications, the Whole Body Imager must be able to function in an environment where: the individuals scanned are moving normally in the scanning space, there may be one or more individuals in the area scanned, and no local screener is available to guide passengers in the scan. Whole Body Imaging systems will be used to aid in detection of metallic, non-metallic, and organic threats, and to aid in discriminating innocuous items. The system may be used as either a primary or secondary means for detecting and or locating anomalous objects on a person in a mass transit and/or aviation environment. When installed in aviation checkpoints, the imaging system and the screener workstation where image interpretation takes place may not be co-located. In mass transit applications, the imaging system and the screener workstation where image interpretation takes place may or may not be co-located. The WBI system must provide the capability to view images remotely. Additional detailed requirements are contained in the TRD(s), which will be provided to vendors deemed eligible by TSA per above. Submission Requirements for Announcement Vendors may submit more than one white paper if they have more than one system appropriate for either mass transit and aviation environments, or may submit a single white paper if a system is appropriate for both environments. Interested Offerors shall submit white papers providing the following information: - Certification of site clearance up to Secret issued through the National Industrial Security Program (NISP) administered by the Defense Security Service (DSS). - Dunn & Bradstreet number to verify current registration in CCR. - Written commitment to provide radiological safety testing by a qualified independent laboratory. Subsequent proof of certification must be submitted immediately upon delivery of test unit to TSL. Failure to provide proof of certification will result in immediate disqualification from further participation, and return of the test unit at the vendor's expense. - Certification of the ability to provide one test unit to the TSL at no cost within 120 days of authorization to submit and three additional units according to the delivery schedule specified in the RFP. - Written statement that the vendor can provide the services described in this announcement. - Vendors may, at their discretion, submit a description of the system indicating whether it's active or passive and the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum used (i.e. MMW, X-ray, IR, etc.). - System dimensions (size, weight, height, and floor-loading in pounds per sq. inch) and listing of major end-item components. In order to assess if the units can be physically accommodated in TSA checkpoints for aviation requirements the size requirements are as follows: The footprint shall not exceed 4 square meters, height shall not exceed 3 meters and weight shall not exceed 650kg/m2. For mass transit if the system is stand alone, then footprint shall not exceed 4 square meters and the height shall not exceed 3 meters. If the system is intended to be incorporated into existing infrastructure such as walls, turnstiles, overhead installations, etc. then size, weight, shape and height shall be feasible for the intended means of installation. Units that do not conform to these maximum size limitations will not be considered for testing. Misrepresentations or inability to meet requirements stated in this announcement will be cause for immediate disqualification from any further participation in TSA WBI technical testing and field experimentation. The Request for Proposal (RFP) will require that the vendor: - Conduct and administratively support Technical Interchange Meetings. - Conduct Post Award Conference. - Report on cost, schedule, and technical progress in meeting reviews/status reports. - Provide and maintain a single point of contact for the Testing and Evaluation (T&E) program. - Conduct, or support the Government in conducting a Test Readiness Review (TRR) prior to performing any formal test. - Provide complete Bill of Materials (or Master Configuration Item List (MCIL)) at least 14 days prior to start of field testing. - Support site implementation, installation, integration, and equipment removal. - Develop Site Acceptance Test (SAT) Plans and Procedures and conduct SAT on-site for each unit under government supervision. - Develop and deliver Operator Manuals supporting operation by representative TSA operators. Provide real-time support such as a website or toll-free hotline where users may call to obtain guidance. - Conduct operator and operator maintenance training at each installation site. - Develop and provide training simulators for each site. Training simulators shall include an image library that is representative of images provided by the operational system. - Perform preventative and corrective maintenance, and provide technical assistance services as required during the course of the pilot. - Ensure effective security practices are in place to protect sensitive and classified information. - Not disclose any information concerning TSA's field experimentation program without specific authorization and pre-clearance of content by the Contracting Officer. Response Format and Due Date Written responses are required. Responses shall be prepared using 12 point font; and shall not exceed 4 pages in length, including all data displays, charts, graphs, and tables. The due date for receipt of responses to this announcement is 4:30 pm EST July 20, 2006 Submission Address Paul Bonsiero Transportation Security Administration TSA Headquarters'West Building 10th Floor, TSA 16 701 South 12th Street Arlington, VA 22202-4220 (571) 227-1655 Fax (571) 227-1655 Paul.Bonsiero@dhs.gov