U.S. Department of Agriculture, ARS, FMOD, BA, Contracting Section, Bldg. 003, Room 329, 10300 Baltimore Avenue, Beltsville, Md. 20705

66 -- HOBSON SPERM TRACKER SYSTEM SOL 42-3K47-96 POC Keina Burrier, Contract Specialist, 301/504-5888. This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with FAR Subpart 12.6 as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. The announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. The solicitation number 42-3K47-96, is issued as a Request for Proposal (RFP), and incorporates provisions and clauses that in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 90-38. Facsimile proposals will not be considered. The standard industrial classification code is 3826, with a small business standard of 500 employees. This acquisition will be procured on an unrestricted basis. The Government intends to negotiate sole source with Biogenics/Hobson Tracking USA, 830 School Street, Suite 7, Napa California 94559. The proposed contract will include one line item as follows: Item 01 Hobson Sperm Tracker System Minimum specifications/technical capabilities as follows: On screen tracking: Immediate on-screen verification of correct operation; Ability to analyze both highly concentrated and subfertile samples; Measures from zero concentration up to 250 million sperm per ml.; Continuous tracking: Extremely important motility characteristics such as straight-line verlocity (VSL); Repeatable results/archival capability; Automatic averaging of different fields; Ability to analyze many different species; Ability to collect data on user-defined subpopulations of sperm; Ease of serviceability: five year warranty, covering all parts and labor; Operator's manual; Standard installation, set up and training. Delivery is FOB Destination (include shipping costs) to the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, Maryland within consignee's premises. Delivery is required on or about November 30, 1996 or within 60 days after award. Any interested/qualified source who believes they can provide the required equipment must respond by 4:30 p.m. on or before September 12, 1996. All such responses will be evaluated in order to determine the ability to meet the above stated capabilities. The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers; technical capability, past performances and price. The offerors shall identify where the offered item meets or does not meet each of the Government functional and performance minimum specification listed herein. Responses shall include literature, brochures and other such information corresponding to the required items which demonstrates the capabilities of the offeror's equipment. The following FAR clauses and provisions apply: FAR 52.212-1, Instruction to Offerors-Commercial Items; 52.212-2 awarded to a technical acceptable offeror, at fair and reasonable price; 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items. The following FAR clauses in paragraph (b) of FAR 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Condition Required to Implement Statues or Executive Orders-Commercial Items, will apply to the resultant contract: 52.203-6, 52.203-10, 52.222-26, 52.222-35, 52.222-36, 52.222-37, 52.225-3, 52.225-9, 52.225-18 and 52.225-21. All offerors must include a completed copy of FAR 52.212-3 with their response. Because this is a commercial solicitation response time rather than the established in Note 22 which in this instance, is not applicable to this commercial acquisition. (0233)

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