Automated Track Inspection Program (ATIP) Services

The U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), intends to issue a solicitation or solicitations for Automated Track Inspection Program (ATIP) services. On or about 6/1/2015, the FRA intends to issue a draft Request for Proposal (RFP) to solicit proposals for a single award Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract with a base year and four (4) option years beginning 3/1/2016 through 2/28/2021. Generally it is the vision of the FRA to reduce track-caused derailments through the utilization of automated track inspection technologies. The current ATIP program is made up of the following four basic parts: Administration, Operation and Maintenance of Manned Systems, Operation and Maintenance of Unmanned Systems, the Track Data Management System (TDMS) and Operations, Maintenance, Instrumentation and Analysis Support. Operations, Maintenance, Instrumentation and Analysis Support services (OMIA) are currently provided under a separate contract. Administration The administration portion is for the management and oversight of a fleet of two to seven cars. This management consists of the handling of the contract money and logistics. The contractor must provide to FRA a way of showing complete breakdowns of money spent on the contract. The contractor must also establish a routine of communicating with the railroads about the operations schedule and billing. The team must be flexible to handle changes within the schedule and contract to meet the FRA's mission. Operation and Maintenance - Manned Systems Operation and Maintenance (O&M) of manned systems is currently the biggest portion of the ATIP contract. The operation and maintenance needs will be for the fleet to accomplish roughly 50,000 miles of manned operation. This could be accomplished using multiple platforms within the fleet. The geometry systems must be maintained in a state of readiness. This readiness should include a calibration standard that is within the FRA standard of 1/10th inch accuracy. Operation and Maintenance - Unmanned Systems Operation and Maintenance (O&M) of the unmanned system will be very similar to the manned operations with the exceptions being that the data will be collected with no personnel on board. The FRA's goal is to expand the current unmanned operations from AMTRAK revenue trains to a fleet of self-sustaining test vehicles within freight service. There needs to be a way of confirming data quality in a near real time manner and provide FRA and Railroad personnel with the non-conforming standards of 49 CFR Part 213. Track Data Management System (TDMS) TDMS is the central location for all data collected by ATIP. The main server will be housed at FRA HQ and the process for getting the data to the server will have to be established. The web based portion of TDMS is the main portal in which the FRA regional safety offices and railroads access the data. Access may be limited based on the needs of the user. Operations, Maintenance, Instrumentation and Analysis Support (OMIA) OMIA provides engineering and operations services to design, fabricate, maintain and analyze results from specialized instrumentation, including government furnished equipment such as the Gage Restraint Measurement System CAR T-18, the High-Speed Research Car T-16, Ride Quality Measurement System, Cross Level Evaluator and/or other specialized data collection systems. Additional information regarding the ATIP program can be found at: http://www.fra.dot.gov/Page/P0120 Industry Day The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is hosting an Industry Day on June 18, 2015 at 9:00AM at FRA Headquarters in Washington, D.C.to discuss the Automated Track Inspection Program (ATIP). The purpose of the Industry Day is to discuss the program "As-Is" and explore opportunities to achieve efficient and effective best practices going into the future. The intent is to achieve and maintain this program competitively either in whole or in part. The Industry Day format will include: Program Summary and Vision Discussion of Program Components Question and Answer Period Opportunity for One-on-One Program Discussions with the Government Additional information concerning the Industry Day will be included in the solicitation.