AutoBid 2.0: The Microcomputer System for Police Patrol Vehicle Selection.
AutoBid 2.0: The Microcomputer System for Police Patrol
Vehicle Selection.
(449 K)
Weber, S. F.
NISTIR 5787; Project NIJ95-008; 10 p. February 1996.
Sponsor:
National Institute of Justice, Washington, DC
Available from:
National Technical Information Service
(NTIS), Technology Administration, U.S. Department of
Commerce, Springfield, VA 22161.
Telephone:
1-800-553-6847 or 703-605-6000;
Fax: 703-605-6900; Rush
Service (Telephone Orders Only) 800-553-6847;
Website:
http://www.ntis.gov
Order number: PB96-154570
Keywords:
acquisition decisions; fleet administration;
microcomputers; multi-attribute decisions; performance
ranking; police patrol vehicles; police equipment;
optimization; software; vehicles
Abstract:
This report is the user manual for a microcomputer
system designed to help police fleet administrators
select the patrol vehicle that is best suited to their
needs. The system is called AutoBid and uses vehicle
performance test data for police patrol package models
published annually by the Michigan State Police. The
system offers two vehicle selection methods:
performance-based and value-based. Performance selection
is based on vehicle test scores alone. It ranks
vehicles by their overall test performance independent
of cost. Value selection is based on both vehicle cost
and test scores. It identifies which vehicle is the
"BestBuy" in terms of the lowest cost for equivalent
test performance and ranks the vehicles by the bid price
adjusted for performance. Either or both of these
methods may be used for a given fleet acquisition
decision. Help screens explaining both the underlying
concepts as well as how to use the software are
available throughout the program. AutoBid runs on an
MS-DOStm microcomputer with at least 512 kilobytes of
RAM. It may be run from a floppy drive or it may be
installed on a hard drive.
Building and Fire Research Laboratory
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Gaithersburg, MD 20899