IMPORTANT NOTICE IMPORTANT NOTICE TO PROSPECTIVE OFFERORS OF FORT HOOD, FORT CARSON, AND FORT RILEY Offerors are hereby notified that all Requests for Proposals (RFPs), Invitations For Bid (IFBs), and Requests for Quotations (RFQs) will be issued electronically tentatively effective 15 August 1998. Offerors must have the capability for viewing, printing or downloading, and submitting responses by way of the Internet by 1 January 1999. In order to respond electronically, an accurate e-mail address and registration in the Central Contractors Registry (CCR) is mandatory. During the period of 31 July 1998 through 14 August 1998 a live functional test will be conducted. All interested parties may view the web site and submit bids via electronic means. Background Information: In August 1997, the III Corps Directorate of Contracting at Fort Hood, TX, entered into a formal partnership with the Electronic Commerce Resource Center (ECRC) in Palestine, TX, to design, build, and put into production a Web service for the three Directorates of Contracting (DOC) that make up the regionalized III Corps Center: Forts Hood, Carson, and Riley. This Web service includes two complete Web servers (a primary and a mirroring system), firewall protection, and all the necessary peripherals and software to support electronic commerce regardless of dollar size of the procurement. Tentatively scheduled to be 100 percent operational by 15 August 1998, the site will include Paperless Electronic RFPs, IFBs, RFQs, contract awards, and award information issued by the DOC. This paperless electronic system will not only allow potential contractors to do research and obtain solicitations and RFQs, it will also receive the contractor's proposal, load that proposal into the DOC's automated procurement system, and electronically award the requirement. This approach is unique within DOD and puts this DOC well along the road to the truly paperless contracting system Secretary Cohen has mandated to be in place by January 2000. A Final notification will be published in the Commerce Business Daily one week prior to the date for all requirements to be issued and received electronically. Hot Links to other electronic government sites to assist prospective offerors, i.e., FAR and its supplements, research, Commerce Business Daily research, Acquisition Reform Net, Central Contractor Registry, etc. The III Corps DOC Web site can currently be visited either through the Fort Hood Web site or directly at http://www.commerce97.com. Effective 31 July the III Corps Web site can be visited at http://www.hood-doc.army.mil. Guest comments concerning the web site and/or recommendations regarding improvements to the solicitation viewing and submission areas of the web site are welcome. For more information, contact Gordon Sumner at 254 287-5762 or e-mail at sumnerg@hood-emh3.army.mil E-MAIL: sumnerg@hood-emh3.army.mil, sumnerg@hood-emh3.army.mil. Posted 07/29/98 (W-SN230013).

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