99 -- Food Service for Employee Recognition Event

The contract involves the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) planning to issue a purchase order on a sole-source basis to Sodexho Management, Inc. to provide luncheon services for an employee recognition event scheduled for November 1, 2006, from 11 AM to 2 PM. The event will cater to approximately 7,850 invited employees. Sodexho is the existing cafeteria services provider for the USPTO, with a permanent kitchen adjacent to the event site, making them uniquely positioned to handle the large-scale catering request on short notice. The USPTO has determined no other providers in the area are capable of accommodating such a crowd for this event given the timing. The contract’s solicitation number is Reference-Number-060P0701057, and it falls under the NAICS code 722320, which pertains to food services. The Department of Commerce, specifically the USPTO office in Alexandria, Virginia, is the contracting agency. Katherine L. Kudrewicz serves as the Contracting Officer and point of contact. The team is leveraging Sodexho’s established presence within the facility to ensure smooth service delivery during the recognition event, emphasizing the urgency and necessity of awarding the contract without competitive bidding.