ATCALS Equipment Upgrade

NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD SOLE SOURCE 26 August 2008 The Headquarters (HQ) Air Education and Training Command (AETC), Airfield Operations, HQ AETC/A3OF, Randolph Air Force Base (AFB), Texas 78150, hereby formally announces the intent to award a firm-fixed purchase order on a sole source basis to Systems Atlanta, Inc. (SAI). This is a one-time equipment and associated software purchase. The equipment and software required are (1) SAI's Information Display/Dissemination System (IDS5) software on pre-configured workstation hardware platform [Air Force nomenclature is Airfield Automation System (AFAS)]; (2) SAI's IDS5 interface software for the Starcaster Digital Automated Terminal Information Service (D-ATIS); (3) the Starcaster D-ATIS; and (4) ELO Touch Monitors (19) and associated support. This total solution is required at each control tower for 9 locations within AETC. The proposed contract action is for equipment/software with incidental installation services for which the Air Force intends to solicit and negotiate with only one source under the authority of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.302. This acquisition is partially a follow-on effort to an Air Traffic Control and Landing Systems (ATCALS) upgrade project that was originally centrally funded. Over the past couple of years, the Air Force Flight Standards Agency (AFFSA) centrally funded installation of AFAS equipment (SAI's IDS5 platforms) at ATC facilities AF-wide via contract with SAI; however, the contract has expired. Due to limited AFFSA funding, only 2 of 3 operating positions in control towers received IDS5 equipment, necessitating this A3OF initiative to fund IDS5 installations for the remaining position at each of 9 towers. In addition to many other capabilities designed to reduce controller workload and consolidate multiple segregated displays and control systems into one single focal point for data access, a key feature of IDS5 is its ability to directly interface with AF weather equipment and display critical weather information used by ATC to formulate manual broadcasts of weather information to aviators using legacy ATIS equipment. The task of manually formulating and broadcasting ATIS messages becomes especially demanding during inclement or rapidly changing weather conditions since ATC must always ensure the most current weather information is continuously and accurately relayed to pilots. A3OF seeks to further reduce ATC's demanding workload while simultaneously enhancing flight safety by automating ATIS message broadcasts through purchase and installation of SAI's IDS5 Starcaster ATIS interface software, in conjunction with purchase and installation of the Starcaster D-ATIS and associated peripherals on a common IDS5 (AFAS) workstation hardware platform, which is the only method for achieving the desired level of automation due to SAI's proprietary design of both IDS5 and the IDS5 Starcaster ATIS interface software. Acquisition of ELO Touch Monitors to replace previously installed display monitors used with IDS5 (AFAS) will complete this overall initiative. Providing controllers with touch screen monitors will greatly reduce the time required to access vital information, emergency checklists, etc., used in the day-to-day control of air traffic by eliminating the need to use a legacy mouse/trackball. This notice of intent is NOT a request for competitive proposals; however, all interested persons that identify to the Contracting Officer their intent and capabilities to satisfy the Government's requirement with commercial items and are received within 15 days after the date of publication of this synopsis will be considered by the Government. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. For specific questions, please contact the Contracts Manager, 1st Lt Antony J. Barrios, at antony.barrios@randolph.af.mil or telephone (210) 652-2122, or the Contracting Officer, Mr. Andrew Feutz, at andrew.feutz@randolph.af.mil or telephone (210) 652-6487.