99 -- Expansion of Automated Granulate Feeder System

The USDA, Agricultural Research Service (ARS), intends to negotiate solely with Point Four Systems, Inc., Richmond, BC, Canada, under the authority of FAR 6.302, to furnish and deliver feeders and controls to expand the existing Arvotec Automated Granulate Feeder System currently in use at the USDA, ARS, National Center for Cool and Cold Water Aquaculture (NCCCWA), in Kearneysville, WV. The expansion will be used to increase research on broodstock development and improvement, growth, feed intake and growth efficiency in order to improve measurements of genetic variation and estimates of genetic merit. The expansion to the existing system includes two 32 channel feeding control units and 64 granulate feeders each with a nine liter hopper capacity and feed drum. The expansion shall be completely compatible and must work in tandem with the existing Arvotech automated feeder equipment that includes Arvotech controller and feeders currently in use at the USDA, ARS, NCCCWA. Companies with the demonstrated capability and financial capacity to provide such equipment must submit a written substantive statement outlining capabilities including price lists to the Contracting Officer by 4:00 p.m. on September 18, 2006. This is not a request for proposal. No solicitation is available. If no affirmative responses are received by September 18, 2006 at 1:00 p.m. to determine whether a qualified source is more advantageous to the Government, an order will be placed with Point Four Systems under the authority of FAR 6.302. A determination by the Government not to compete this requirement, upon receipt of responses to this notice, is solely at the discretion of the Government in accordance with FAR 13.106-1(b).