Request for Information -- Enabling Technologies for Personnel Tracking

Request for Information – PRODUCTS AND SERVICES WHICH UTILIZE PRE-EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE TO MEET THE PERSONNEL TRACKING NEEDS OF EMERGENCY RESPONDERS. - DUE: 31 JANUARY 2006. Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center (SPAWARSYSCEN Charleston) code 741 (Law Enforcement Advanced Technology Branch) is seeking information on all available commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products and services designed to allow tracking of individual personnel via man-portable/hand-held devices. The ideal product or service would utilize hand-held devices and infrastructure already possessed by the client to the greatest extent possible. The target user group for these devices is the Emergency Responder community and all submittals should be suited to their specific needs. Review of this information is being performed for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Preparedness Directorate, Office of Grants and Training (G&T). G&T is responsible for enhancing the capacity of state and local jurisdictions to respond to, and mitigate the consequences of, incidents of domestic terrorism, particularly those involving Weapons of Mass Destruction, through coordinated training, equipment acquisition, technical assistance, and support for federal, state, and local exercises. G&T established the System Assessment and Validation for Emergency Responders (SAVER) Program to assist emergency responders in performing their duties. The SAVER Program established and is supported by a network of partners and associates who perform the actual assessment and validation activities. Visit the SAVER Program Web site at http://saver.tamu.edu for more information on the SAVER Program or to view additional reports on a variety of emergency responder specific technologies. All information received will be treated as public knowledge; therefore, vendors should not submit proprietary information in response to this Request for Information (RFI). Specific information sought includes: (1) A brief description (75 words or less) of the product or service; (2) Potential applications and usefulness in emergency operations usually deployed in missions that include but are not limited to search and rescue, explosives, health hazards, etc.; (3) Functionality based on the potential applications and compatibility/interoperability of the system or device with other emergency responder technologies and equipment; (4) Costs, including unit, operating, warranty, and maintenance costs, and repair facility location; (5) Technical specifications and industry standards such as size, mounting, use in hazardous and harsh environments, power requirements, communications protocols, integration with logical systems, weight, and operating temperatures; (6) A copy of the product or service’s data sheet and operating parameters; (7) A listing of current users (with points of contact); (8) The name and phone number/e-mail address of the individual that potential users should contact for more information on the device; and (9) Electronic copies of diagrams, drawings, and/or graphics that would assist the user in understanding the device or system. The submitted electronic diagrams, drawings, and graphics shall be evaluated for inclusion in published products developed for the SAVER Program. This announcement is for information gathering purposes. Determination as to an individual product’s suitability will be made by SPAWARSYSCEN Charleston based on the objectives of this request. Vendor provided product information may be reformatted prior to final publication. Submittals: Respondents are required to complete the attached product summary template document (Personnel_locator_product_summary.doc) for each product and submit via electronic media such as CD, diskette, internet link, or email. Responses to this RFI should be mailed to: SPAWARSYSCEN Charleston Attn: Code 741JP P.O. Box 190022 N. Charleston, SC, 29419-9022. Please provide 3 copies of any printed material. The technical point of contact is Joey Pomperada, phone: +1 (555) 000-0000, e-mail: contact@example.gov. This RFI is for planning purposes only, and should not be construed as a Request for Proposal (RFP) or solicitation of an offer. The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this RFI or otherwise pay for the information solicited. E-mail your non-technical questions to the Contract Specialist at contact@example.gov.