Proposed Implementation of the Defense Table of Official Distances (DTOD) in the DoD Personal Property Program

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army

Proposed Implementation of the Defense Table of Official

Distances (DTOD) in the DoD Personal Property Program

AGENCY: Military Traffic Management Command, DoD.

ACTION: Notice (Request for Comments).

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SUMMARY: The Military Traffic Management Command (MTMC), as Program

Director for the Department of Defense (DoD) Personal Property Program,

intends to utilize a new automated distance calculation product known

as the Defense Table of Official Distances (DTOD) in the DoD personal

property program. The DTOD will replace existing distance calculation

products used within the DoD such as the Rand McNally TDM Milemaker

System, and Household Goods Carriers' Mileage Guide. The DTOD will

become the DoD standard source for distance information worldwide.

Commercially, DTOD is known as PC*MILER by ALK Associates, Inc. The

DTOD/PC*MILER will be used by the DoD for all distance calculations,

analysis, and for transportation payments/audits. Carriers and third

party providers may continue to use other mileage sources for their own

business purposes. However, carriers and third party providers

participating in the DoD personal property program must agree to be

bound by the DTOD/PC*MILER distance calculations for payment and audit

purposes.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before August 10, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be mailed to: Headquarters, Military Traffic

Management Command, ATTN: MTOP-T, Room 617, 5611 Columbia Pike, Falls

Church, VA 22041-5050.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Additional information concerning the DTOD for MTMC Personal Property

Program can be provided by contacting Mr. Alex Moreno (Domestic

solicitation) (703) 681-6190 or Ms. Shelia R. Woodson (International

solicitation) (703) 681-9383. Information regarding DTOD Compliant

Commercial Software and Other Technical Information can be provided by

contacting ALK Associates, Inc. at 1 (800) 377-MILE or on the Internet

at www.pcmiler.com.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

1. The proposed effective dates for use of the DTOD in the DoD

personal property program will be: (A) 1 April 1999 for the

international thru government bill of lading (ITGBL) rate solicitation;

and (B) 1 May 1999 for the domestic rate solicitation. All shipments

picked up on or after the effective dates will be governed by the DTOD.

2. In accordance with this implementation process, the ITGBL Rate

Solicitation, Item 405 (Governing Regulations), paragraph a, will be

revised as follows: a. ITGBL shipments made under this solicitation are

subject to the terms and conditions of the PPGBL, the rules and

regulations contained herein, and the carrier Tender of Service on file

with HQMTMC. Where rates or other services are based on mileage, the

distance or mileage computations shall be those provided in the Defense

Table of Official Distances (DTOD).

3. The Domestic Rate Solicitation, Item 10, (Governing mileage

guide), paragraph 1 and 4, will be revised as follows: paragraph 1.

Where rates or other services are based on mileage, the distance or

mileage computations shall be those provided in the Defense Table of

Official Distances (DTOD); paragraph 4 will be deleted.

4. DTOD and PC*MILER will produce identical distance calculations.

Carriers and other parties who seek more information about PC*MILER may

contact ALK Associates Inc. at telephone 1-800-377-MILE, or via

Internet at www.pcmiler.com.

5. Proposed Implementation Dates. The schedule for use of the DTOD/

PC*MILER in distance calculations, payment, and post payment audits for

shipments under the DoD International Government Bill of Lading Rate

Solicitation is 1 April 1999 and for the DoD Domestic Rate Solicitation

is 1 May 1999.

6. Background. Currently, several sources for highway distance

information are being used to support various DoD transportation

programs, such as travel, travel entitlement reimbursement, freight and

personal property movements. Moreover, separate products are used to

calculate overseas distances. The result is a variance in distance

computations produced by different products and a high cost to DoD of

licensing and maintaining multiple mileage sources.

a. Until 1996, DoD was required by law to maintain an official

mileage table

[[Page 31762]]

for payment of travel and transportation allowances, known as the

Official Table of Distances. The FY96 Defense Authorization Act deleted

this requirement, thus providing the opportunity to use a commercial

mileage product. MTMC announced a plan to convert to a new automated

mileage standard calculation product in the previous Federal Register

notice (Vol. 62, No. 218, page 60692) Wednesday, November 12, 1997. In

seeking a single integrated source of automated highway distance

calculations, the MTMC contracted with Science Applications

International Corporation (SAIC) to perform a market survey of

available products (Phase I) and to provide a product that would

support DoD transportation programs (Phase II). SAIC in turn conducted

a commercial competition to identify and acquire a commercial-off-the-

shelf, point-to-point distance calculation source that would meet all

the DoD requirements. PC*MILER was chosen by SAIC to be that source.

PC*MILER, developed specifically to serve the trucking industry, will

contain Standard Point Location Codes, military locations and other

worldwide locations required by DoD. Updates and version control of

DTOD and PC*MILER will be consistent with industry practices.

b. In surveying and evaluating vendors and products, SAIC's

criteria focused on compatibility with existing and planned automated

systems, consistency in calculation, and adaptability to various DoD

network applications and transportation program uses. SAIC also

compared commercially available distance calculation products to

identify viable candidates for the competitive selection process. That

comparison resulted in finding a variance of 2.0%+/- amongst the

vendors of evaluated products. A copy of this comparison will be

provided, upon written request, sent to the point of contract

identified above.

c. The DTOD/PC*MILER product will calculate both ``shortest'' and

``practical'' mileage. Currently, the DoD and the household goods

carrier industry use ``shortest'' mileage to calculate the distances

used for payment purposes. ``Shortest'' routes represent distances and

routes that a driver would take to minimize total distance traveled

while still following a truck-navigable route. DoD will continue to use

the ``shortest'' routes. Carriers and/or other parties who choose to

use PC*MILER will have opportunities to provide feedback to ALK

Associates, Inc., the provider of DTOD software, regarding routings,

database suggestions such as distance differences, road preference

suggestions, road reclassifications, new locations, etc. ALK

Associates, Inc., will provide all interested parties the capability to

license PC*MILER, to ensure the ability to consistently determine the

exact mileage that the DoD uses for payments and auditing.

d. It is anticipated that transition to DTOD will have no

significant impact on small businesses since those businesses currently

use one or more similar distance calculation products. All offerors

will be free to establish their rates based on applicable distance

information.

e. Interested parties are invited to provide comments concerning

the use of the DTOD in the DoD Personal Property Program and the

proposed implementation dates to the address provided above. Comments

will be accepted for a period of 60 days from the publication date of

this notice.

7. Regulatory Flexibility Act. This change is related to public

contracts and is designed to standardize distance calculations for

line-haul transportation. This change is not considered rule making

within the meaning of the Regulatory Flexibility Act, 5 U.S.C. 601-612.

8. Paperwork Reduction Act. The Paperwork Reduction Act, 44 U.S.C.

3501 et seq., does not apply because no information collection

requirements or recordskeeping responsibilities are imposed on

offerors, contractors, or members of the public.

Gregory D. Showalter,

Army Federal Register, Liaison Officer.

[FR Doc. 98-15465 Filed 6-9-98; 8:45 am]

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