S--DISPOSAL OF SHARPS

The VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System plans to enter into a sole source procurement agreement with Bio Systems, a division of Stericycle, for the disposal of sharps. This transaction will be conducted as a commercial item request for quotation under FAR parts 12 and 6.302, relying on the justification that the government’s needs can be best met by a single source provider. Although the procurement is intended as a sole source, other interested parties have the opportunity to express their interest and demonstrate their capability to fulfill the requirement by September 27, 2005. The government will use this information solely to decide whether to proceed with a competitive procurement or maintain the sole source approach. This procurement is managed by the Department of Veterans Affairs, specifically through the 250-Network Contract Office 10 located in Dayton, Ohio. The solicitation, identified as VA-SNOTE-050917-002 and titled "S--DISPOSAL OF SHARPS," was posted on September 17, 2005. Despite solicitation of potential interest from other providers, this notice does not constitute a request for competitive proposals, and any responses received after the specified date will not be considered. The final decision to open the procurement to competition remains entirely at the discretion of the government.