Notice of Intent to Negotiate a Sole Source Contract

The USDA ARS - US Meat Animal Research Center intends to award a sole source Firm Fixed Purchase Order (PO) to EI Medical Imaging, 110 12th St. S.W. Unit 102, Loveland, CO 80537. This order is to purchase two (2) Ibex EVO Portable Ultrasound Machines and Carcass probes in support of the ongoing research at USDA, ARS, US Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC), Clay Center, NE 68933. USDA, ARS, US Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC), Clay Center, NE 68933, will be purchasing the E.I. Medical Ibex EVO portable ultrasound with B, B+M, color Doppler, power wave Doppler, and pulse wave Doppler capabilities. It has been specifically designed for veterinary standards. The EVO has a 64gb processor and can store 14gb of data on a solid-state system (~80-90,000 still images). It is bluetooth, wifi, usb capable for transfer of images/video. It has 3 hours of battery life between charges. The unit comes with a 3 year warranty that covers probes, battery, keyboard, screen, and processor. We are requesting two units one for Swine operations (due to biosecurity reasons, it must remain within the swine area only) and one unit for the Cattle operations. The Ibex EVO is a veterinary-specific system with features and transducers engineered and designed for use with livestock. The uniqueness of the EVO system lies in it's dynamic modes and visual capability AND portability. The EVO system is the only livestock-specific ultrasound that encompasses several different scanning modes (e.g. B, B+M, 3 types of Doppler) allowing for multiple uses (e.g. carcass, reproduction, structure, blood flow). The image quality is vastly superior due to multi-frequency (5-10 MHz) scanning and frequency compounding, which allows for multiple depths within a single image scan providing improvement and accuracy of imaging over systems that only utilize a single frequency within a single scan. The Ibex EVO is a versatile unit that will meet multiple needs of researchers at USMARC by providing accurate and repeatable measures including; body composition, reproductive tract and gonadal evaluation, blood flow activity and is portable. This is the only ultrasound that can do the required images necessary for proposed research projects and reduces the stressful handling of the animals. Pursuant to the authority of 41 U.S.C. 253(c)(1) and FAR 6.302-1, Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements. The award date will be on or about September 11, 2017; and this Notice of Intent is not considered as a Request for Quotation (RFQ) nor is it a Request for Proposals (RFP). No solicitation document is available and telephone requests will not be honored. Interested persons may identify their interest and capability to respond to this requirement. A determination, by the Government, to compete this proposed PO based on responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. The Government will consider all responses received by 3:00 p.m. CST, September 9, 2017. Information received will be considered solely for determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. Inquiries will only be accepted via email to the Primary Point of Contact: contact@example.gov.