J--NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD SOLE SOURCE TO ABBOTT LABORATORIES INC. FOR EQUIPMENT MAINTENACE ON THE HEMATOLOGY ANALYZER FOR USA PUBLIC HEALTH COMMAND ABERDEEN PROVING GROUNDS, MARYLAND

The USA Public Health Command at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, plans to award a sole-source contract to Abbott Laboratories Inc. for the maintenance of the Hematology Analyzer equipment. This procurement is being conducted in accordance with FAR 6.302-1, which allows for sole-source negotiations under specific circumstances. Dr. William Eck will serve as the Contract Officer Representative overseeing the contractor's performance. The contract is classified under the NAICS code 334516, with a size standard of 750 employees. Although Abbott Laboratories is the intended contractor, interested parties may submit written expressions of interest to the government before the deadline of 12:00 PM Eastern Standard Time on August 23, 2013. This notice is not a solicitation for proposals but an announcement of the government's intent to negotiate exclusively with Abbott Laboratories. The contracting office is managed by CPT William C. Collier, Contract Specialist, who is the designated point of contact for this notice. The action is undertaken by the Department of Defense office located at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, under solicitation number 0010373934. The purpose of the contract is to ensure continued equipment maintenance services for the Hematology Analyzer, critical to the operations of the USA Public Health Command.