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

37 -- PURCHASE OF ONE SELF-PROPELLED WINDROWER SOL SOL.#44-3K47-96 DUE 092096 POC Donna Hardy, Procurement Analyst, 301/504-5073. This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the solicitation only; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. The solicitation no. 44-3K47-96 is issued as a request for proposal and incorporates provisions and clauses that are in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 90-39. The standard industrial classification code is 3523, with a small business standard of 500 employees. This acquisition will be procured under a small business set-aside. Delivery is required on or about October 31, 1996 or within 30 days. Delivery is F.O.B Destination to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Building 301, BARC-East, Beltsville, Maryland. Any interested/qualified sources who can provide the self-propelled windrower must respond by September 20, 1996 at 2:00 p.m. All such responses will be evaluated in order to determine the ability to meet the stated capabilities. The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsive/responsible offer whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other related factors considered. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers: (1) technical capabilities (2) past performance and (3) price. Technical and past performance when combined, are approximately equal to cost or price. The offerors shall identify where the offered items meets or does not meet each of the Governments functional and performance minimum specifications listed herein. Responses shall include literature, brochures and other such information corresponding to the required items which demonstrates the capabilities of the self-propelled windrower. The following FAR clauses and provisions apply: FAR 52.212-1, Instruction to Offerors - Commercial items, FAR 52.212-2, Evaluation - Commercial item: with the following evaluation criteria; awarded to a technically acceptable offeror at a fair and reasonable price, FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representatives and Certifications - Commercial items. The following FAR clauses in paragraph (b) of FAR 52.212-5, contract terms & conditions - required to implement statues or executive orders - commercial items, will apply to the resultant contract: 52.222-26, 52.222-35, 52.222-36, 52.222-37, 52.225-3 and 52.225-19. All offerors must include a completed copy of FAR 52.212-3 with their response. Because this a commercial item, FAR 5.203(b) will be used in establishing the solicitation response time. The self-propelled windrower shall consist of the following characteristics: 87 h.p. diesel engine or greater; hydrostatic transmission; hydrostatic steering; 16.9 x 24 cleated front tires; 27 x 9.5-15 ribbed implemented rear tires; Chevron-design, intermeshing molded rubber conditioning rolls (102 inches in length); torsion-bar, single crank pressure adjustment; crop discharge-adjustable from 96'' swath to 38'' windrow; dual, in-line wobble drive cutter bar; bolted knife; hydraulic tilt cutting angle-adjustable from 6 to 12 degrees below hortizontal; 1900 strokes per minute sickle speed or greater; 14 foot auger header; 5 bat all steel reel or equivalent; reel speed adjustable from 51-82 rpm; 20'' full floating auger with a floating range of 1.75'' or equivalent; auger slip clutch; air conditioned cab; windshield wiper kit; cab heater kit and am/fm radio. There will be a trade-in of one massey ferguson tractor model 2745. The tractor has a 24 speed transmission, 4 post ROPS and dual wheels. (0240)

Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0177 19960828\37-0001.SOL)