--Notice of intent to negotiate a sole source contract.

The U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA) intends to negotiate a sole source contract with Applied Biosystems, 850 Lincoin Center Drive, Foster City, CA 94404. The procurement will provide the National Biodefense Analysis and Cou ntermeasures Center (NBFAC) with mission critical probes and reagent kits. The NBFAC performs PCR assays using the ABI 7900 machine. The essays have been designed and optimized using probes obtained from ABI. It is essential that NBFAC continues to use the ABI probes in their assays to ensure quality and reliable results. The ABI reagent kits are designed specifically for use on the ABI 7900 machine and no other vendors supplies will perform. Changing this requirement at this point would cause substantial duplication of cost not recoverable through competition and cause unac ceptable delays in fulfilling the NBFAC requirements. Any company that believes that it can meet these requirements is invited to submit written notification to the Contract Specialist within 15 calendar days from the date of the publication of this notice. Supporting evidence must be furnished in sufficient detail to demonstrate the companys ability to meet the requirement. Information may be sent by email to the Contract Specialist at: contact@example.gov . This notice of intent is not a request for competitive quotes. However, responses rec eived from responsible businesses prior to close of business on 9 October 2006 will be evaluated. If no responses are received, USAMRAA will proceed with the sole source order.