V -- AMTRACK RAIL SERVICE

The Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) plans to award a sole-source, firm fixed-price contract to the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) to provide emergency rail transportation capacity for evacuations from New Orleans, Louisiana. This contract is specifically intended to ensure the ability to transport up to 15,000 evacuees within a 48-hour window, starting operation within 24 hours of an evacuation notice. The parties will determine mutually agreed upon destination stations for evacuees, with the service period extending from the contract award date through December 30, 2007. Due to Amtrak’s unique capability as the sole provider of intercity passenger rail service in the Gulf Coast region, the contract is awarded under a no-competition clause according to federal acquisition regulations. This arrangement is critical to safeguard lives in the event of emergencies similar to Hurricane Katrina. The contract is identified under the solicitation number HSFEHQ-07-R--RAIL and falls under NAICS code 482111 for rail transportation. All communications or inquiries regarding the contract must be made in writing and submitted electronically to designated points of contact within specific deadlines, with no further written responses accepted after June 8, 2007. The agency overseeing this award is the Department of Homeland Security’s Information Technology Commodities And Telecommunications office based in Washington, DC. The government retains full discretion to decide not to compete this procurement, marking this as a non-competitive, sole-source contract critical to regional emergency preparedness.