FRA Derailment & Accident-Incident Investigation Training for FRA Safety Inspector Force

FEDBIZOPPS SPECIAL NOTICE REQUEST SUBMISSION OF STATEMENTS OF QUALIFICATIONS DTFR5315Q00011 TO PROVIDE DERAILMENT and ACCIDENT/INCIDENT INVESTIGATION TRAINING TO U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TANSPORTATION (DOT) FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION (FRA) SAFETY INSPECTOR FORCE PERSONNEL HIGH LEVEL SUMMARY: On a SOLE-SOURCE basis, the U.S. Department of Transportation ("DOT"), Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Office of Railroad Safety plans to award a sole-source Purchase Order to Wolf Railway Consulting, LLC to provide Derailment and Accident/Incident Investigation Training Services for FRA safety inspector force personnel. Accident investigation is the number one priority of the FRA's Office of Safety since it is FRA's task to investigate all major rail related accident/incidents in an effort to prevent and/or mitigate future rail accident//incidents. The FRA's safety regulations target historical causal factors in order to prevent those same practices from causing additional accidents and employee injuries; thus it is imperative that FRA have a highly trained and qualified inspector force capable of accurately determining possible contributing and causal factors to rail related accidents/incidents, and in particular for derailments the leading category of rail related accident/incidents. It is FRA's goal to provide the necessary training that will enhance the investigative and analytical skills of its safety inspector force, and which will allow them to become mentors and coaches to other Office of Railroad Safety inspectors, as well as to our state rail safety inspector partners. FRA safety inspector force personnel shall include Safety Specialists, Safety Inspectors, Chief Safety Inspectors, Deputy Regional Administrators and Regional Administrators. The intended audience is thirty (30) attendees at four (4) separate bi-regional accident/incident investigation classes; thus 120 total FRA Office of Safety personnel will receive this training. The contractor shall deliver 16 hours of classroom instructions; at four (4) separate bi-regional derailment and accident/incident investigation classes; with the training covering the following subject matters: Rail accident/incident historical statistics and case finding realities; Modern tools and analytical equipment necessary for derailment and rail related accident/incident investigations; L/V ratio and why wheels derail; Track Basics and FRA Standards in relationship to those basics; Mechanical Basics and FRA Standards in relationship to those basics; Train Dynamics and train make up causal factors; Human Factor Causes/Root Cause Analysis; Site Investigation Procedures-The "Derailment Dozen" and Investigation Management Types of Derailments (Wide Gauge, Wheel Climb, Truck Hunting...) Four (4) Bi-regional Derailment and Accident-Incident Investigation training sessions shall take place during designated dates between May 4, 2015 and September 9, 2015 at federal office buildings in Cambridge, Mass; Atlanta, GA, Seattle, WA and Kansas City, MO. The unique qualifications of Gary Wolf, President, Wolf Railway Consulting, LLC, who would serve as instructor for the subject Derailment and Accident/Incident Investigation training for FRA safety inspector force personnel, are described below in this Special Notice. Gary Wolf has uniquely extensive expertise, knowledge and nationally-based and recognized experience and analytical skills utilizing scientifically based analysis in conjunction with active participation in present day high-profile rail accident/incidents investigations. Mr. Wolf is typically and frequently requested by various major rail carriers across the United States to conduct an investigation and analysis of high-profile rail derailment accident cases. A few examples are the recent crude oil train derailments, i.e., the CSX derailment in Mount Carbon, West Virginia, and the BNSF derailment in Galena, Ill. All of these accidents/incidents were also investigated by the FRA. Mr. Wolf also was called upon to assist in the investigation of the Montreal, Maine, and Atlantic's 2013 crude oil train derailment, which killed 47 people, in Lac-Megantic, Quebec. Mr. Wolf possesses the requisite uniqueness of qualifications and national rail experience of investigating high-profile rail accident and incidents which translates to the highest order of technical expertise and demonstrated capacity of training railway safety inspector force personnel in the area of scientifically based analytical skills essential to the safety training mission of FRA's Office of Railroad Safety. Mr. Wolf is an extremely highly demanded national speaker and instructor in the rail community throughout the United States and Canada. The FRA believes that the intended sole-source awardee, Wolf Railway Consulting, LLC, represented by Gary Wolf as presenter and instructor for the subject FRA rail safety related training, is uniquely qualified to provide the subject Derailment and Accident/Incident Investigation training to FRA safety inspector force because he possesses over forty-five years of experience in the rail safety industry coupled with the fact that he is a nationally renowned rail safety author of a major body rail safety publications, esteemed subject matter expert and presentor and industry leader, all of these qualifications which when combined define the imperative and indispensable prerequisites to satisfy FRA's Derailment and Accident/Incident Investigation training requirement. Finally, FRA believes that Mr. Wolf's aggregate singular capabilities and qualifiedness as a rail safety industry authority, presentor and national spokesperson is fully commensurate with and singularly defines the only source that will satisfy, at the very HIGH level of QUALITY which is indispensable to the essential railway safety mission FRA, the agency requirement to provide Derailment and Accident/Incident Investigation Training Services for FRA safety inspector force personnel. A short summation, not all inclusive, of Mr. Wolf's rare and high order credentials and qualifications, highlighting his work experience, professional activities, publications and presentations, education and supplemental education are provided as an attachment. Notwithstanding FRA's sole-source intentions as specified and justified above in this Special Notice, any person or organization which believes that it can provide Derailment and Accident/Incident Investigation Training Services for FRA safety inspector force personnel ----by performing all of the functions described above, and at the very HIGH level of QUALITY which is indispensable to the essential railway safety mission FRA----may, not later than 11:59 PM Eastern Time April 3, 2015, e-mail, to tyrone.moorer@dot.gov, a Statement of Qualifications attempting to prove the submitter's capabilities.