70 -- INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY EQUIPMENT, SOFTWARE, AND SUPPORT The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office established an electronic commerce system for the acquisition of commonly and repetitively purchased commodities, supplies, and services. This system is Internet based where qualified offerors receive awards of Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs). BPA holders then access the PTO web site to view and potentially provide quotations on new procurement opportunities within the Simplified Acquisition threshold, including the higher dollar value for Commercial Item acquisitions under special test authority of Federal Acquisition Regulation subpart 13.500. Only firms determined eligible under established criteria receive BPA awards and participate on individual procurement actions. This provides notification to industry of this PTO program and invites any interested firm to apply and participate. Detailed information and application instructions are available at the PTO web site home page at http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/ac/comp/proc/ WEB: Visit this URL for the latest information about this, http://www.eps.gov/cgi-bin/WebObjects/EPS?ACode=S&;ProjID=Reference-Num ber-PR70&LocID=251. E-MAIL: Helen Hensley, helen.hensley@uspto.gov. Posted 11/03/99 (D-SN397813).

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