U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 26 W. Martin Luther King Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45268

66 -- SCANNING MOBILITY PARTICLE SIZER SOL 97-26 POC Pam Legare The USEPA plans to negotiate on a sole source basis with TSI Incorporated to provide a scanning mobility particle sizer, data analysis center and disfit data fitting software. Negotiations will 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 USEPA National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Lab in Ann Arbor, Michigan requires a contractor that provides an instrumentation capable of determining the particle size distribution below 1 micron as well as measuring size particle size from .005 microns to 1 micron. These unique capabilities are essential in order to assure that the equipment is compatible with the existing systems currently being used by the other research and development laboratories within the EPA. There are no other potential offerors known that can provide this system. TSI is the only known source capable of satisfying the Government's re requirements. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals. However, interested persons may identify their interest and capability to respond to the requirement by submitting documentation to the office identified above. Documentation must be received within ten(10) calendar days after the date of publication of this synopsis to be considered by the government. Additional information regarding this requirement is available upon request. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the government. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. (0031)

Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0295 19970204\66-0012.SOL)