Notice of Intent to Sole Source

THIS NOTICE OF INTENT IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS. This notice is for informational purposes only and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government. This procurement will be processed pursuant to FAR part 12, Acquisition of Commercial Items and FAR part 13, Simplified Acquisition Procedures for Certain Commercial Items. No solicitation will be issued.

All responsible sources who can provide the services listed are to submit, in writing to the identified point of contact, a capability statement, proposal, or quotation, which shall be considered by the agency. Information received will be considered solely for the purposes of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. Oral communications are not acceptable in response to this notice. A determination by the Government to compete this proposed contract based on responses to this notice is solely at the discretion of the Government. Responses are to be received within 7 days of this notice. No telephone calls are being accepted.

The United States Department Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Plains Area Office, intends to negotiate and award on a Justification for Other than Full and Open Competition (JOFOC) basis. Contract type will be a firm-fixed price with a base year and a one- year option period. This will be awarded to John McMurtry, PhD to perform the duties of contract project manager for the Cattle Fever Tick Eradication Program (CFTEP). NAICS Code is 541611. Annual period of performance is estimated to be November 15, 2018 - November 14, 2019 plus a one-year option period.

Award is in accordance with 41 U.S.C 3304(a)(1), and FAR 13.106.

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The Agriculture Research Services Division of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has established a cooperative research project with the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) and USDA APHIS for the Cattle Fever Tick Eradication Program.

The objective of this special notice is to provide a contract project manager to assist the ARS Plains Area (PA) Office and other ARS personnel in the establishment of the new CFTE research program. The project manager must have at least 35 years of experience in animal science as a research scientist and at least 10 years of experience in managing and leading research in general.

The contract project manager will provide advice, counsel, and assistance to the ARS PA Office and other ARS personnel on issues related to the establishing the CFT research project. Services will include providing bimonthly reports, monitor budgets as well as coordinate communication between university cooperators and ARS personnel. Ensure IAACUC and AUP approved protocols are in place. Service hours shall not exceed 800 hours. No security clearance is needed for this position.

The selected candidate for project manager is John P. McMurtry, PhD. He is a leading authority on agricultural animal research in the United States. During his 35 plus years working in this field, Dr. McMurtry has published over 200 peer-reviewed journal publications.

Based on Dr. McMurtry's vast experience and knowledge in leading research, he is the only candidate that will meet the Government need to manage this project. He has such depth of ARS institutional knowledge that he needs no training, fully understands the project , fully understands the processes and procedures, and has established relationships with most of the Principal Investigators in this project.

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