N -- Automated Vehicle Location System

DODEA is responsible for ensuring the security of students at all times and has a requirement to enhance the security on its school buses. DoDDS-Europe (DoDDS-E) requires an Automated Vehicle Location (AVL) system for installation on buses transporting DoDDS students to and from school. The AVL system shall provide each School Bus Office (SBO) with the capability to remotely track and report historical data for the travelled routes of all school vehicles within a geographic footprint; to identify if a bus is deviating from a pre-defined route; to communicate between traveling vehicles and data collection points via GSM or Satellite communications (55 units only); to track vehicles, to the secondary street level, within any of the designated travel areas; and have a duress alarm capability. Offerors selected to provide this system shall be responsible for producing the AVL systems, installing them on the buses and for training the school bus operators on the use and care of the systems installed on the buses. In addition, offerors shall be responsible for setting up the monitoring stations at the SBOs, providing all of the infrastructure necessary to transfer information from the buses to the monitoring stations, maintaining the monitoring stations and the communication links to those monitoring stations, and for training SBO personnel on the use of the monitoring stations. The AVL shall include a duress alarm that the vehicle operator or other designated person can activate. The duress alarm shall be audibly and visually transmitted to the Base Station. AVL equipment will be installed at the SBOs at Hohenfels and Vilseck/Grafenwoehr, Germany and a test phase will occur from end of March 03 to mid-April 03. After successful test completion, remaining units will be installed from mid-April 03 through end of August 03 at other locations in Germany, England, Italy, Turkey, Spain, Belgium, Bahrain, and possibly Greece. The AVL System shall consist of multiple components including an AVL unit and its associated hardware/software/firmware, an AVL monitoring workstation (Base Station) and its associated software. There are two types of motor pools used within the DoDDS-E runs: vehicles that are constant and always used on DoDDS-E runs, and vehicles that are rotated within an inventory. For vehicles that will always be used on DoDDS-E runs, all related AVL equipment will be installed on the vehicle and the AVL unit will have a fixed-mount configuration. For vehicles that are rotated daily from a motor pool, antenna(s) and power plugs, except the AVL unit, would be installed on all vehicles in the motor pool. At the time a vehicle is chosen for use, the vehicle operator will carry a portable AVL unit on board and plug it in. All equipment shall be communicating between the vehicle and the Base Station using GSM technology. However, the cellular communication capability is not always available or reliable within specific regions in Europe, therefore, there is a need to have a backup method of communications on a limited number of units. This redundant communications path shall be via satellite communications (SATCOM) for 55 units in Hohenfels, Eifel and Baumholder, Germany. The planned contract type is firm fixed price indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract with a one-year base period and four (4) one-year option periods. The procurement will be conducted on an unrestricted basis under full and open competition. Contract award will be made using best value source selection procedures. The solicitation will be available on or about November 27, 2002. DEPO is issuing this solicitation electronically. A pre-proposal conference is scheduled for 11 Dec 02 in Germany. Interested parties may access the solicitation at http://www.eps.gov or hard copies will be available at the District Transportation Supervisors offices upon request.MODIFICATION 01 AMENDS THE FOLLOWING: 1. SOLICITATION AVAILABILITY DATE IS AMENDED FROM "ON OR ABOUT NOVEMBER 27, 2002" TO NOW READ "ON OR ABOUT DECEMBER 05, 2002". 2. THE PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE IS AMENDED FROM "11 DEC 02" TO NOW READ "12 DEC 02 AT 0900 HOURS CET AT THE ASTRON HOTEL, KELSTERBACHER STRASSE 19-21, D-65479 RAUNHEIM, GERMANY"