U.S. Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, WASC, Acquisition Management Division, Contracts Branch A WC31, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Bin 15700, Seattle, WA 98115-0070

66 -- SPECTRO X-LAB 2000 SPECTROMETER SOL 52ABNR000056 DUE 042800 POC For information contact Jan Sullivan on (206)526-6032. This publication serves as a notice of intent to negotiate a sole-source contract with Spectro Analytical Instruments to provide a Spectro X-Lab 2000 XRF spectrometer to NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) in Seattle, Washington. This spectrometer will replace the current XRF system used by PMEL which has become obsolete. This Spectro X-Lab 2000 will match the needs of two research programs: the Vents program at PMEL and the Marine Aerosol Program of Ocean Climate Research Division. Spectro uses Cartesian geometry which uses a tube directly focused on the targets to excite the samples thereby focusing nearly all the energy of the tube towards the sample. Instead of direct excitation, the Spectro unit uses polarizing scatter targets that greatly reduce the signal to noise ratio in the lower energy portions of the spectrum. This will allow us to quantify very low levels of Na and Mg, which become critical to the success of the aerosol program of the Ocean Climate Division and hydrothermal particles in the Vents Program. Due to the Cartesian geometry, the energy throughput of the Spectro instrument is greatly enhanced. This becomes critical in allowing PMEL to analyze the lightly loaded samples that we obtain. Date of delivery shall be on or before August 10, 2000. This notice may represent the only official notice of such solicitation. See Numbered Note 22. Posted 03/28/00 (W-SN438905). (0088)

Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0382 20000330\66-0006.SOL)