70 -- INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TOOLS (IT2) LAN/WAN SUPPLIER MARKET REQUEST FOR INFORMATION The following Request for Information is issued for purposes of conducting market research and encouraging commercial IT companies to provide suggestions about current commercial industry practices. All information submitted in response to this RFI will be used for planning purposes only. FAR Clause 52.215-3 applies. Headquarters Standard Systems Group (HQ SSG) is in the process of formulating the acquisition strategy for our Information Technology Tools (IT2) Block 2 acquisitions. The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to allow interested companies that sell and/or resell Local Area Network/Wide Area Network (LAN/WAN) products and services to provide insight into commercial business practices and common operating procedures and to allow them the opportunity to submit comments, ideas, and/or suggestions. All information received will be considered as the LAN/WAN acquisition strategy is developed. This is not a formal solicitation under FAR Part 15 or a FAR Part 13 Simplified Acquisition, but a request for interested companies to provide information. Visit our web page located at web1.ssg.gunter.af.mil/PK/BizOps or via the Electronic Systems Center (HERBB) web-site at herbb.hanscom.af.mil/index.htm for additional information. This page contains information about the requirement. In addition, you may submit product literature about your company's ability to sell and/or resell LAN/WAN products and services. Specific information on the following topics is requested: 1. What range of LAN/WAN products and services do you currently carry? -- Are all these products on your GSA FSS? If no, what percentage and type of products are not on your GSA FSS? 2. In order to provide the best overall value to our customers, identify any approaches that need to be considered by this acquisition in areas such as pricing, ordering, technical refreshment, trade-ins, standards compliance, interoperability, security/information protection, help desks, etc. 3. Please describe typical LAN/WAN commercial services and support used/available to complement LAN/WAN product sales. 4. Please describe your commercial practice for warranty support for LAN/WAN products for both CONUS and OCONUS. Submittals may be made via e-mail to IT2@ssg.gunter.af.mil or hard copy to HQ SSG/PKS-5 (ATTN: Dorothy Priest), 85 Hodges Ave. South (BLDG 403), MAFB-Gunter Annex, AL, 36114 by 18 Oct 99. All information received shall be safeguarded from unauthorized disclosure. Please ensure any sensitive information is clearly marked as such. This is not a solicitation announcement for proposals and no contract will be awarded from this announcement. No reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this announcement and/or any follow-up information requests. No telephone calls will be accepted requesting a bid package or solicitation. There is no bid package or solicitation at this time. In order to protect the integrity of any future procurement, additional information will not be given and no appointments for presentations will be made in reference to this RFI. An Ombudsman has been appointed to address concerns from offerors or potential offerors. The Ombudsman does not diminish the authority of the program manager or contracting officer, but communicates contractor concerns, issues, disagreements, and recommendations to the appropriate Government personnel. When requested, the Ombudsman shall maintain strict confidentiality as to the source of the concern. The Ombudsman does not participate in the evaluation of vendor responses, proposals, or in the selection process, as appropriate. Interested parties are invited to call the Ombudsman, Mr. Melvin Carr, at (334) 416-5323. For specific questions concerning this RFI, please contact Ms. Dorothy Priest via email at dorothy.priest@gunter.af.mil or phone (334) 416-5610, or Capt Karen Kenney at karen.kenney@gunter.af.mil or phone (334) 416-4689. ***** WEB: Visit this URL for the latest information about this, http://www.eps.gov/cgi-bin/WebObjects/EPS?ACode=S&;ProjID=Reference-Num ber-LANWAN1&LocID=1082. E-MAIL: Dorothy Priest, Dorothy.Priest@gunter.af.mil. Posted 10/06/99 (D-SN389658).

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