NOTICE OF INTENT TO PLACE A SOLE SOURCE CONTRACT WITH LIFESCAN INC. The Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, California intends to award a Sole Source Contract to Lifescan Inc., consisting of an operating lease of the SureStep Pro System and purchase of the required test strips, control solutions, linearity kits, training, and technical support. Award shall follow in 15 days of this notice, unless another system is identified with like capabilities. SureStep Pro System characteristics that meet the governments minimum needs are: 1. Hospital base system that can collate patient and quality control data collected from multiple bedside units. 2. Allows the operator to enter patient and operator identification manually or by using an integrated bedside barcode scanner. 3. The system will lock out unauthorized users. Lock out users if the quality controls have not been performed within specified quality control time limits. 4. The SureStep Pro System can be programmed for current lots of test strips to enhance quality control, preventing use of lots not yet evaluated. Interested parties may submit system catalogs, specifications and price information for technical and competitive award consideration to the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Purchasing & Contracting Section (90C), 4150 Clement St., San Francisco, CA 94121. For further information you may contact Mr. Michael Razmek, Contracting Officer at (415) 750-6644.

Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0378 19980107\SP-0002.MSC)