NIH, OPM, Acquisitions Branch B, EPS, Rm 872, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-7260

T -- OPERATION OF CENTRAL DUPLICATING CENTER SOL 263-96-P(BH)-0117 POC Contact Penny Koontz, Contracting Officer, on 301/402-2852. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) intends to issue a Request for Comments (RFC) for the Operation of the Central Duplicating Center with options to add additional centers as needed. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR COMMENT ONLY AND IS FOR PLANNING PUPOSES ONLY. The RFC package in no way represents the final Request for Proposal. The purpose to the RFC is to afford industry an opportunity to comment on any perceived issues with regard to this initiative and to allow the Government to receive the benefit of industry comments. The Government's purpose in providing an opportunity for industry comment is to identify potential problem areas and provide alternative recommendations in order to enhance the success of this initiative. The Government believes industry feedback is important, and is receptive to any and all ideas from industry which would result in limiting unnecessarily contraining requirements, realizing cost savings, or highlighting potential technical or contractual problem areas associated with the initiative. Any comments provided should not be viewed as a vehicle for presenting a specific approach or product intended to be proposed but as an opportunity to improve an eventual solicitation package. The services planned to be procured under this initiative are summarized as follows: (1) Provision of copier/duplicating and related equipment (including typing/banding machined) as needed; (2) Maintenance of Government-owned and contractor-owned equipment; (3) Provision of trained personnel to operate the copier/duplicating equipment; and (4) Provision of all attendant supplies (machine toner, developer, fuse lube, etc. and general office supplies including necessary binder clips, rubberbands, pens, staplers, etc), except paper which will be provided by the Government. Replies are not mandatory. Replies will be separated from, and have no bearing on, subsequent evaluation of proposals submitted in response to any resulting formal Request for Proposals. The use of comments received from industry to complete final statements of work and resulting solicitation documents will be at the discretion of the NIH. Any subsequent solicitation will be synopsized prior to its release. Eligibility in participating in a future acquistion does not depend upon a response to this notice. The follow-on Request for Proposal will be limited to eligible 8 (a) firms only under SIC Code 7334. The Government will not critique a potential offeror's comments and the RFC should not be used by offerors to market their products/services. The Government does not intend to pay for the information solicited and will not recognized any cost associated with submission of the RFC. Proprietary information is not being solicited. Information considered proprietary, if any, should be identified as such. When commenting on the RFC please reference the particular part (i.e. SOW, Section L etc.), section, page and paragraph. Responses to this synopsis must be submitted in writing to Penny Koontz, Contracting Officer, National Institutes of Health, Office of Procurement Management, 6120 Executive Blvd., EPS, Rm. 872, Rockville, MD. 20892 or you may fax your response on FAX No. 301/402-3406. Comments will be accepted by mail or fax through June 20, 1996. (0149)

Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0109 19960529\T-0001.SOL)