99--Single Source Procurement - Adacel MaxSim

This announcement is not a Screening Information Request (SIR) or a Request For Proposal (RFP). Furthermore, the FAA is not seeking or accepting unsolicited proposals. This requirement is an amendment to Single Source Announcement No. 10079 posted on September 22, 2010. The underlying requirement has not changed; the intent is to clarify the FAA's minimum needs, and this posting is a modification to the original announcement. For more than 30 years the Capacity Analysis Group, (CAG) based at the FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey, has used mathematical analysis and computer modeling to investigate air traffic congestion problems and to suggest possible solutions to those issues. Fast-time simulation and modeling exercises are performed to examine system performance, including benefits assessment and the analysis of capacity, safety, risk and efficiency. The outcomes are beneficial to airports for planning purposes, and as performance metrics for the FAA in planning future NextGen capabilities. Recently, the CAG has identified a need to analyze simulation studies that are part of air traffic control training exercises conducted on simulators at 22 air traffic control towers around the country. Each of these towers is equipped with a simulator used to train controllers on procedures specific to that airport. As part of that training, instructors routinely introduce new procedures, problems and scenarios designed to challenge the controllers and measure and record their responses. This technique provides actual, real-time, "human-in-the-loop" data that is valuable to the CAG in defining the actual, real-life limits of a given airport's capacity. The CAG must have the unaltered, recorded playback of the simulations to capture responses, deviations, and mistakes of the simulation exercises, such as pilot interventions for missed approaches, go-around procedures, and other air traffic control procedures that were evaluated during the simulation. Those simulations give the CAG the most accurate airport "layout" information available, along with the best information on how the controllers are actually operating. This is critical because the CAG must ensure that the current system is optimized before it begins planning for NextGen. All 22 of the tower simulators in the towers are a software/hardware configuration provided by Adacel Corporation. The recorded data containing all of the scenarios and reactions are captured on software using a code proprietary to Adacel. The CAG needs to "export" the exact airport configuration data and imagery, airport scenario data, and playback data directly from the Adacel tower simulators, and "import" all of these data to a compatible simulator located at the Technical Center. The CAG has determined that transferring these data in readable form from the airport towers to the Technical Center requires an "Adacel equivalent" tower simulation system compatible with the Adacel (ATC) Tower Simulator product, MaxSim 4.0 or higher. The CAG has limited staff and funding, and therefore it is a requirement to have a Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) solution to satisfy its need. Furthermore, it is also required that the simulation recording data not be an alteration or a reproduction of the data to ensure that the simulation is depicted accurately. Likewise, the CAG cannot accept a solution that introduces a high-level, custom-designed gateway that may require future software upgrades, acquisition, and additional ownership costs. The CAG has determined that only the Adacel equipment can meet the above requirements. The Capacity Analysis Group does not anticipate any future requirement for tower simulation systems beyond this acquisition. The acquisition is solely for research and development purposes and not for training purposes. For the above reasons, the FAA believes that competition is not appropriate for this procurement. If your firm does not agree with this determination, please provide evidence of your firm's capability and experience and the FAA will evaluate it. All responses must be directed to the Contracting Officer, Mario Maccarone via email at contact@example.gov by 4:00 pm. EST, 11/3/2010.