66 -- NOTICE OF INTENT to award sole source contract

Beale Air Force Base in California plans to award a sole source contract under NAICS code 541330 for the procurement of a pneumatic telescoping mast to support the Global Hawk program. This mast is crucial for the Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) transmit antenna, as it must meet specific height and location requirements to ensure proper operation. The mast is designed to extend up to 52 feet and support a payload capacity of 200 pounds. It includes several features such as a locking collar, cable guides, a pressure regulator, lock defeat mechanisms, a bubble level, and a non-rotatable base plate along with mounting brackets tailored to interface with an ISO container. The base tube will be painted green according to CARC 383 standards, and the contractor is responsible for providing all necessary engineering data. The delivery deadline for the mast is set for no later than April 1, 2004. The contract will be managed through the Department of Defense office located at Beale AFB, and the primary contact for this procurement is Elisabeth Jones, who can be reached via phone or email for further coordination. This procurement is intended to be conducted under a sole source arrangement, indicating a direct award without competitive bidding.