In accordance with FAR Part 5, this notice is being posted to advise the General Public of the following:

The Department of the Treasury's Bureau of the Public Debt (BPD), on behalf of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), intends to negotiate a sole-source acquisition with Colt Defense LLC for the provision of 44 AR15-A3 Tactical Carbine law enforcement rifles using Simplified Acquisition Procedures (FAR Part 13).  Colt Defense LLC is the current manufacturer of all of TIGTA's current inventory of AR-15 law enforcement rifles.  TIGTA also maintains an inventory of magazines, parts, and various accessories for these rifles.  TIGTA agents receive specific training on the handling and maintenance of Colt weapons.  TIGTA armorer receive specific training on the maintenance and repair of Colt weapons.  Cleaning and specialized armorer tools have been purchased for the maintenance and repair of Colt weapons.  Though "clone" Colt rifles are offered by several different manufacturers, they possess differences in their design and function that make them incompatible with our inventory.  Compatibility with the current Colt inventory is essential for officer safety.  Purchasing weapons from another manufacturer would also require additional training, parts, tools, and accessories resulting in additional expenses to the government.

Any responses received as a result of this notice, shall be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive requirement. Responses will NOT be considered as either proposals or bids. A determination by the Government not to open this requirement to competition, based upon any written responses to this notice, is solely within the discretion of the Government. Other Information: Electronic submissions, in response to this Notice, shall reference SS-09-0037 and be sent to the attention of Ashley Dotson via e-mail to [email protected]. Electronic submissions must be received no later than 2:00 PM ET, Monday June 8th, 2009. Please note that an RFQ document is not available at this time.