U.S. EPA, Contracts Management Div, Cinicnnati, OH, 45268-7001

66 -- PURCHASE OF AUTOMATED ION ANALYZER SOL 96-95 POC Pam Legare (513-366-2015) The USEP plans to negotiate a contract on a sole source basis with LACHAT Instruments to provide a QuickChem 8000 Automated Ion Analyzer two channel system. Negotiations shall be conducted pursuant to the authority of 41 U.S.C. 253 (c)(1), which allows for negotiation without full and open competition if there is only one responsible source. The basis for this determination is that the U.S. EPA Mid Continent Ecology Division in Duluth has an increased workload of analyses provided in the past by an existing LACHAT flow injection instrument. The increased work cannot be totally supported by the laboratory's present LACHAT flow injection instrument because it is an older model which has been requiring frequent and increasing maintenance. The new LACHAT model being acquired has improved technology but still uses the proprietary modules that can be interchanged with the modules used on the older LACHAT instrument. These interchangeable modules are only available from the instrument manufacturer LACHAT. With this additional instrument, chemical analysis would not be completely stop if one device was down. The lab would be able to provide analysis for several addition chemical ions that are of interest but not presently supported. A sole source award to LACHAT would provide an interchangeability of components between the old system and the new systems of highly specialized equipment that would be of considerable benefit to the Government. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS. Sources wishing to be considered must submit documentation to the office identified above which establishes that their specifications are compatible with LACHAT's QuickChem 8000 Automated Ion Analyzer. Documentation should be submitted within 5 days of publication of this notice. (0227)

Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0426 19960815\66-0022.SOL)