--An Operant Test System.

The US Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity intends to award a sole source purchase order to MED Associates, Inc. Industrial Park Rd., Milton, VT 05468 for an Operant Test System. The experimental apparatus from MED Associates allows for the si multaneous testing of 8 rodents, each housed within a specialized operant conditioning chamber within a sound-attenuating cubicle. Each chamber is equipped with many components for presenting a variety of stimuli (sounds and lights), recording a variety of responses (nose pokes, lever presses, and food or liquid consumption), and reinforcers (food pellets, electric shock, and liquids). The system is digitally interfaced to a computer that provides timing at millisecond resolution and runs specialized softwa re for presenting stimuli and recording responses to measure virtually any aspect of operant or respondent conditioning. The system ideally accommodates both guinea pigs and rats and is modular in nature to allow for easy cleaning and interchangeability of the various components. This procurement will be executed under Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.302-1, Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. The purchase of this system complements and exte nds the current in-house operant testing capability within the laboratory. These hardware and software components have been validated and utilized extensively at USAMRICD. These test systems are completely modular, components and subcomponents that are com pletely interchangeable with the components already in the lab, thereby allowing the most efficient use of resources in support of the research. The advanced use of this system requires researchers to write their own specific software protocols the MED As sociates MED-PC language. Procurement of another system would require a different proprietary programming language that would be time- and labor-prohibitive. This is not a request for a competitive quote. Any response to this notice must be submitted in w riting to the Government providing clear and convincing evidence that another source is capable of meeting the Governments requirements and that competition of the requirement would be advantageous to the Government. All responses will be considered, but the Contracting Officer retains the right to determine the procurement strategy, based on available information. If no written responses are received by 12 Noon or September 27, 2007, the purchase will be awarded without further notice. See FedBizOpps Not e 22. The Point of Contact (POC) for this action is: contact@example.gov.