--Sole source announcement for the Chemical/Biological testing on prototype garments.

Under the authority of FAR 13.501, the US Army Robert Morris Acquisition Center-Natick Contracting Division (USARMAC-NCD), Natick, MA, in support of the Special Operations Forces, Special Projects Team, Natick, MA, intends to conduct negotiations and award a purchase order on a sole source basis to Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, 27709. This acquisition of test services involves the utilization of a modified commercial test protocol titled: System-Level Aerosol Cha llenge Testing of Chemical Protective Garments. This commercial test protocol was modified for the Marine Corps System Command MCSC) Joint Services Lightweight Integrated Suit Technology (JSLIST) program to incorporate a more stringent data analysis. The g overnment modified commercial test protocol version is titled: Test Operating Procedure (TOP) for System Level Aerosol Testing of Chemical Protective (CP) Clothing Ensembles. This TOP provides the current standard for the planning and performance of tests to evaluate the aerosol penetration of chemical defensive protective clothing ensembles. The test procedure involves the measurement of the deposition rate of non-toxic, fluorescent-tagged silica aerosol particles on human skin protected by prototype CP en sembles. RTI has been involved in this specialized testing with the MCSC and Dugway Proving Ground (DPG), Utah, since 1996. RTI is uniquely qualified to meet the goals of this system level testing. Any questions concerning this acquisition may be addressed to : Vincenzo Valastro (AMSSB-ACC-NS) at contact@example.gov notice will close 13 August 2004 at 5PM Eastern Standard Time.