10 -- M4A1 Weapon

The U.S. Department of State Office of Acquisition Management plans to award a sole source contract to Colt Defense LLC for the procurement of fifteen M4A1 Machine Guns. Colt Defense is identified as the exclusive and legitimate source for the M4A1 Carbine due to their sole ownership of the technical data package, including design, patent, and trademark rights. This acquisition is necessary to replace current unserviceable M4A1 weapons in the field, which are standard issue for DS agents who have already received training on this specific weapon system. Procuring any other weapon system would result in significant economic and operational impacts, including retraining personnel and purchasing new equipment for overseas missions. The contract is justified under statutory authority 10 U.S.C. 253 (c)(1) and FAR 6.302-1, which permits non-competitive procurement when only one responsible source exists to meet the agency’s requirements. The solicitation was publicly posted in July 2006, and the point of contact for this procurement is Vincent J. Sanchez, reachable via email and phone. This contract ensures continuity in field operations with a critical weapon system already familiar to personnel, avoiding the complexities and costs associated with introducing alternative arms.