The purpose of this synopsis is to announce the Volpe National Transportation System Center (Volpe Center) intent to negotiate on a non-competitive basis with Flight Technologies, Inc. for the further development, test, and evaluation of a proprietary sensor SOCRATES (Sensor for Optically Characterizing Ring-Eddy Atmospheric Turbulence Emanating Sound) capable of providing detection, classification, localization and tracking functions on distant sounds emanated by various weather and man-made anomalies that pose hazards to commercial and general aviation. The sensor will be tested to assess its capability to detect aviation hazards involving clear air turbulence, severe wind gusting along mountainous airstrip approaches, downdrafts producing windshears and microbursts, all of which are nat urally occurring meteorological phenomena, and wake vortices which are generated by aircraft in flight. All of these phenomena, at sometime or other, have proven to be hazardous to aircraft and passengers. This notice is for information purposes only and not a Request for Proposal. This proposed action is for services for which the Government intends to solicit and negotiate with only one source under authority in FAR 6.302 as referenced above. Sources deeming themselves capable of performing this project may respond to this notice. Such sources are requested to submit two (2) copies of a Statement of Capabilities in detail sufficient to allow the Government to ascertain the source’s capabilities. Statements of Capabilities must not include pricing information and must be limited to fift een (15) single-sided, 8½ inch by 11-inch pages. Statements of Capabilities must be received by the Government on or before September 4, 2003 to be considered. All responses to this Notice, including Statements of Capabilities, must be in writing. No verbal communications will be acknowledged or accepted. All responses must be sent to Michael L. Raymond Contracting Officer, United States Department of Transportation, Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, 55 Broadway, and Cambridge, MA 02142-1093. Facsimile: (617) 494-3024; email: [email protected] This notice is for informational purposes for minority, women-owned, and disadvantaged business enterprises. The Department of Transportation (DOT), Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU), has an assi stance program available to minority, women-owned, and disadvantaged business enterprises to acquire short-term working capital assistance for transportation related contracts. Loans are available under the DOT Short Term Lending Program (STLP) at prime interest rates to provide accounts receivable financing. The maximum line of credit is $500,000. For further information and applicable forms concerning the STLP, please telephone the OSDBU at (800) 532-1169 or online at http://osdbuweb.dot.gov. For information concerning this acquisition, contact the Contracting Official above.

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