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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), Cold Regions Research Laboratory (CRREL)’s Force Projection & Sustainment Branch in Hanover, NH intends to award a contract on a sole source basis to Instron Tool Works Inc. upon the basis of the authority provided at FAR 13.106-1(b)(1).

ERDC-CRREL requires the purchase of custom-made Instron replacement parts to fix elements of an existing broken Instron Custom Model 5965 that were damaged due to a power outage, as well as installation and calibration of required parts by a certified Instron technician. The Instron Custom Model 5965 Instron is a Dual Column Materials Testing System installed to enable mechanical testing applications in a cold environmental chamber.

Instron Tool Works Inc. has been identified as the only source capable of fulfilling this requirement to make custom repairs on the Instron system. This system repair requires that CRREL procure Instron parts and certified service installation because the parts must be installed within a larger, per-existing Instron Custom Model 5965 system in the laboratory. No other parts or service provider can fulfill this action because the Instron system repair requires purchase of brand name, custom made, replacement parts from Instron, and an Instron certified service representative to install and calibrate the Instron parts within the Instron system. Instron is the OEM of the model 5965 Materials Testing System and does not have any authorized distributors of their custom products or services.

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, Tuesday, 27 December 2022 to 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.