USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), 2625 Redwing Road, Suite 110, Fort Collins, CO. 80526

D -- AGRICULTURE CONTRACT AUTOMATION SYSTEM (AGCAS) SOL NRCS-ITAT-98-01 POC Contracting Officer, George D. Ensminger, Jr., Fax: 970/282-1933. The NRCS intends to solicit and negotiate, for USDA, on an other than full and open competition basis pursuant to FAR 6.302-1 a follow-on acquisition with Procurement Automation Institute (PAI) of Arlington, VA. The proposed performance-based acquisition is for supplies and services to maintain and provide monthly electronic updates to the existing USDA AGCAS database. AGCAS is the knowledge-based contract document generation system customized from the original Automated Procurement Documentation System (APDS) developed by CRC Systems, Inc. for EPA. PAI is currently providing AGCAS maintenance and updates under a USDA contract which expires September 30, 1997. The intended acquisition, which shall be for one (1) base year and one (1) option year, is a bridge contract necessary to maintain the current system until USDA acquires and implements its planned procurement system, without incurring additional training or implementation costs in the interim. The database and monthly updates must operate in the current IBM-compatible personal computer and Data General (DG) minicomputer environment in USDA. Updates contain all amendments to the Federal Acquisition Regulation and Agriculture Acquisition Regulation, and incorporate necessary logic changes to the database as a result of such amendments. Database and update documentation and hotline support will also be provided. A Justification for Other than Full and Open Competition has been prepared. All responsible sources shall submit clear and convincing written documentation to show bona fide capability to provide the described supplies and services to the contracting officer. The documentation shall include financial and technical information and shall indicate clear advantage to considering sources other than PAI. If no affirmative responses considered potentially advantageous to the Government are received within fifteen (15) calendar days after publication of this notice, a request for proposal will be issued to PAI. As a result of analyzing response to this synopsis of intent, the contracting officer may determine that a solicitation will be issued. If a solicitation is issued, no additional synopsis will be published. Any solicitation will be issued to PAI and all firms that respond to this synopsis of intent with documentation determined by the contracting officer to be clear and convincing evidence of capability. All responses shall be in writing. No telephone inquires will be accepted. (0260)

Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0030 19970919\D-0014.SOL)