Notice of Intent to Sole Source - Compact Track Loader

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) intends to award a contract on a sole source basis to Southworth-Milton, Inc. upon the basis of the authority provided at FAR 13.106-1(b)(i). ERDC-CRREL's Force Projection & Sustainment Branch in Hanover, NH seeks to procure one (1) commercial Caterpillar Brand Name Compact Track Loader to train troops in creating snow-based infrastructure that is expedient and effective in cold climates where conventional military methods are not effective. The Compact Track Loader must conform to the following specifications: One (1) Brand Name - Caterpillar 299D3 XE Compact Track Loader High Flow Hydraulics on the front of the Loader 3. The machine shall have a 5 Year/1000 Hour Full Machine Warranty FOB Destination: CRREL, 72 Lyme Road, Hanover, NH 03755. Delivery NLT 14 Oct 2021 Southworth-Milton, Inc. has been identified as the only source capable of fulfilling the governments requirement. ERDC-CRREL projects rely on the use of construction tools engaged by a prime mover, such as a compact track loader. Those tools (e.g., high-capacity snow blower, concrete wheel saw, grade box) are all Caterpillar products and are interoperable with a Caterpillar compact track loader since compatibility has been ensured by the manufacturer (e.g., mechanical, hydraulic, and electrical connections). Previous projects have rented compact track loaders made by several different manufacturers that have resulted in incompatibility issues, which rendered the project-required construction tools partially, or fully, inoperable. This has compromised research results, forced project delays, and cost the project more in resource expenditures. Continuity between equipment is vital to preserve the validity of the Contractor's warranty and ensure successful operations. Market research has identified Southworth-Milton, Inc. as the only authorized Caterpillar dealer for the territory that ERDC-CRREL resides in. As such, Southworth-Milton, Inc. is the only provider capable of fulfilling the Government's requirement. The associated North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 333120, which has a size standard of 1250 employees. This Notice of Intent is not a request for competitive quotations. However, interested parties may identify their interest and capability to respond to this requirement. Any interested party that believes they can fulfill this requirement should submit a capability statement to be reviewed. All submissions will be considered, however there is no guarantee that submissions in response to this notice will in any way alter the Government's acquisition strategy. Responses to this notice shall be submitted NLT 12:00 PM CST, 7 September 2021 to Frank.J.Pete@usace.army.mil and ERDC-CRREL-QUOTES@usace.army.mil Telephone responses will not be accepted. Responses to this notice will not be considered as a response to any solicitation, a request to be added to a prospective offerors list, or to receive a copy of any solicitation. A determination by the Government not to compete the contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. Note: In order to be eligible for award of a Government contract, vendors must be actively registered in the System for Award Management (SAM), have no active exclusions, and complete the FAR and DFARS representations and certifications.