D -- Sole Source-Upgrade of Current Phone Switch.

The Aberdeen Area Indian Health Service intends to award a sole-source purchase order to Golden West Telecommunications, located in Wall, South Dakota, for an upgrade of their existing Nortel Meridian phone switch system. This vendor is currently providing warranty support for the system and is the only authorized and locally certified service center for Nortel Meridian products in the immediate region. Utilizing any other service providers not authorized by Nortel would result in voiding all existing warranties. Due to the exclusivity of Golden West Telecommunications as an authorized vendor, this procurement is justified under the Sole-Source exception, specifically FAR 6.302-1, and is set aside accordingly. The acquisition does not have an open solicitation, reinforcing the sole-source nature of the contract, and the closing date for consideration was January 23, 2003. This procurement ensures continuity and warranty protections for the current phone system while leveraging local vendor support, thus avoiding potential service disruptions. The limited regional availability of other authorized distributors mandates the use of Golden West Telecommunications for this phone switch upgrade.