SAE International World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI) assignments

Action Code:  Sources SoughtClassification Code:  DA10, IT AND TELECOM - BUSINESS APPLICATION/APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT SOFTWARE AS A SERVICESolicitation: 693JJ922RQ000518Agency/Office:  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)Location: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration HQNAICS Code:  519130, Internet Publishing and Broadcasting and Web Search Portals, 1,000 Employees.Point of Contract:  Vincent Lynch, Contracting Officer, ph(202) 366-9568Title: SAE International World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI) assignmentsDescription(s): The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) intends to negotiate with Society of Automotive Engineers, International (SAE, Intl.) as a follow-on, non-competitive, sole source contract for access to the World Manufacturer Identifier portion (WMI) of the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) look up vehicle numbers for all manufacturers.  In May 1983 (49FR22571), NHTSA amended Part 565, Vehicle Identification Number

Requirements, to embody the methods by which U.S. motor vehicle manufacturers secure their WMIs, and submit their reports to NHTSA.NHTSA requires auto manufacturer’s to report their WMI or identifier portion of the VIN information, which is an adaptation of the WMI system maintained by the International Standards Organization (ISO) to the agency.  Under ISO Standard 3780, a country's national organization assigns WMIs to manufacturers located within that nation's borders. The ISO granted authority to the SAE to assign WMIs to motor vehicles manufacturers located within the U.S. The SAE is referenced as the U.S. assignor in Part 565.5. manufacturer requirements.Background:The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). NHTSA’s mission is to save lives, prevent injuries, and reduce traffic-related health care and other economic costs.  The agency develops, promotes, and implements effective educational, engineering, and enforcement programs with the goal of ending vehicle crash tragedies and reducing economic costs associated with vehicle use and highway travel. NHTSA has a need to continue services contracted with the SAE to coordinate the assignment of manufacturer identifiers.  The SAE has assigned WMIs and has forwarded manufacturer's correspondence to the NHTSA since the inception of the present VIN system. The manufacturer's correspondence is placed in the NHTSA docket for public inspection, while electronic files, containing the WMI information, are published on the NHTSA internet site.The VIN has become the primary source of information on all motor vehicles including trailers. Law enforcement agencies depend on VIN information to recover stolen vehicles. The information provided in the VIN has proven to be of great public benefit, if not a necessity, in theft prevention and recovery. The WMI portion of the VIN provides information such as the manufacturer of the vehicle and the type of the vehicle. This information has proven to be invaluable in NHTSA's effort to reduce deaths and injuries by providing information that efficiently and effectively removes defective vehicles from our nation's highways.NHTSA welcomes all qualified Small Business and Other Than Small Business concerns, with the appropriate NAICS Code and past experience to submit their Corporate Capability Statements that demonstrate their ability to successfully accomplish the goals of the project.  NHTSA does not intend to award a contract on the basis of responses to this notice or otherwise pay for the preparation of any information submitted.  Acknowledgement of receipt of responses will not be made; no formal evaluation of the information received will be conducted by NHTSA.  NHTSA may; however later on issue a Request for Proposals (RFP).  However, should such a requirement fail to materialize, no basis for claims against NHTSA shall arise as a result of a response to this notice.Objective:The Contractor shall provide necessary professional, technical, and administrative services and support, including personnel, facilities, and equipment use, and materials processing for the purpose of SAE to coordinate the assignment of manufacturer identifiers.  The Contractor shall provide the supervision and management effort necessary to ensure efficient and effective administration and control of work performed as further described below.To assign world manufacturer identifiers (WMI), in accordance with 49 CFR 565, to companies situated in the U.S. that manufacture motor vehicles for the U.S. market;To submit the identity and WMI of new assignees to NHTSA; To maintain the WMI database; andTo provide for the rescission of WMIs, in cooperation with NHTSA, that are determined to be misused by their assignees.Capabilities:The corporate capability statement must address the capabilities necessary to accomplish the scope outlined above as well as the additional tasks and characteristics given below:TASK 1: ASSIGNMENT OF WORLD MANUFACTURER IDENTIFIERS (WMI)The Contractor shall act as the agent for NHTSA in assigning and maintaining the unique identifiers known as WMIs to U.S. manufacturers who intend to produce vehicles for sale in the United States of America. The WMI assignments shall be made in accordance with 49 CFR 565.Any questions or conflicts arising from such assignment shall be referred to the NHTSA COR for resolution.  The Contractor shall respond to requests from manufacturers for assignment of WMI in a timely fashion, so that manufacturers are assigned their unique identifier within 30 days of receipt of request.TASK 2: INFORMING NHTSA OF WMI ASSIGNMENTSThe Contractor, acting as an agent for the assignee, shall forward via electronic mail to the NHTSA COR all correspondence created during the following actions:1.  Assignment of new WMIs. 2.  Modification of current WMI records, regarding the manufacturer name, address or     the vehicle type manufactured.3.  Cancellation of WMIs.These email submissions shall be made as needed, when any of the above actions are performed.  The file names of these submissions shall be inserted in one field, as a portion of the manufacturer's record in the WMI Database, with the first three characters of the manufacturer's name, followed by the first three numbers/letters of the manufacturer's address, followed by the two characters designating the nation in which the manufacturer resides, followed by the WMI assigned to the manufacturer. This file naming convention may be revised as necessary to ensure compatibility with future software applications that may replace existing applications.TASK 3: MAINTENANCE OF WMI DATABASEThe WMI Database is a compendium of the current WMI codes that are issued.  It is sorted alphabetically, by manufacturer and by country of manufacture.  The WMI Database shall be amended as new WMIs are issued, rescinded, or as corrections are needed to maintain current company information.  On a nightly basis, the contractor shall submit the updated database files to a SFTP site accessible by NHTSA.TASK 4: IDENTIFYING INACTIVE MANUFACTURERSThe Contractor shall determine which manufacturer assignees of WMIs have not had WMI activity with SAE in the recent years and contact them electronically or telephonically to determine if the manufacturer is still in business, has an address change or closed for business. If the manufacturer is still in business, the contractor will make sure that the manufacturer only affixes WMIs to highway use motor vehicles regulated by the NHTSA.NOTE: U.S. "large volume" motor vehicle manufacturer's 3-character WMIs begin with "1", "4", "5", or "7" but are exclusive of WMIs that contain a "9" in their third position.TASK 5:  RESCINDING WMIsIn the event that there is no response returned to SAE after a second attempt to contact the manufacturer, the Contractor shall send a third message to advise the manufacturer that the manufacturer's WMIs of record will be rescinded in thirty days from the date of third message.In the instance that a manufacturer assignee of WMI contacts the Contractor to inform the purchase of another organization, the Contractor will obtain the WMI code of the previous organization and update the record to cancel the WMI code.  The new organization will obtain a new WMI code with their current information.Format of Corporate Capabilities Statement:The anticipated period of performance is for a base period of sixty (60) months after award of the resultant contract.  A Firm Fixed-Fee contract is anticipated.This notice of intent is NOT A REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS nor is a Request-for-Proposal solicitation document currently available.Interested firms should identify their capability provide the services described above. The written response must include detailed information relating to the specific data being requested. Expressions of interest without sufficient detail to permit evaluation of one’s ability to provide the requested information will not be considered. A determination by the Government not to compete this action based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive acquisition. In the absence of responses from interested firms demonstrating their capability, NHTSA intends to request a proposal from the Society of Automotive Engineers, International (SAE, Intl.) on a noncompetitive basis for the work described. Responses must be received by the listed procuring office with 15 days from the date of publication of this notice.