Newswire Services (AP)

The U.S. Department of State’s Office of Acquisition Management plans to negotiate a sole-source contract with The Associated Press to provide continuous 24-hour newswire services for a one-year period to the Bureau of Intelligence and Research’s Executive Office Information Systems Division. This procurement is conducted under the FAR provision that allows for non-competitive contracting when only one responsible source can fulfill the agency’s needs. The contract, classified under NAICS code 519190, will commence upon award and is intended to ensure timely and reliable newswire service to support intelligence operations. This notice serves as an announcement of intent rather than a solicitation; no competitive proposals are being requested, and no solicitation documents are available. However, the Government reserves the discretion to consider evidence if competition might benefit the agency, provided such responses are submitted by the specified deadline. Interested parties may send any relevant communications via email by 10:00 AM EST on September 21, 2012, but telephone inquiries are not permitted. The contract specialist overseeing this action is Patrick T. Dermidoff, who can be contacted via the provided email address. The place of performance is Washington, DC.