NOTICE OF INTENT: The United States Coast Guard (USCG) intends to enter into negotiations on a sole source basis with the Radio Technical Commission for Maritime Services (RTCM), 1800 N Kent Street Suite 1060, Arlington, VA 22209. The proposed acquisition will be for one (1) base year with four (4) one (1) year option periods for technical and administrative support for the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) Task Force to include: developing plans to resolve GMDSS implementation problems, facilitating meetings and supporting development of recommendations for the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Subcommittee on Communications, Search and Rescue (COMAR). The GMDSS now being implemented by the IMO has charged the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention to provide a major upgrade of maritime safety communication procedures and equipment. This upgrade will affect not only SOLAS ships over 300 tons, but all users of maritime radio services. The GMDSS transition period ended February 1999 with most ships converted, however, many shore implementation actions are incomplete. Therefore, the USCG and other government agencies cognizant of the issue have sponsored a National GMDSS Implementation Task Force to facilitate the transition and recommend further action.

This acquisition will be awarded under NAICS Code 813920, Professional Organizations.
This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals. Interested parties may identify their interest and capabilities in response to this requirement no later than the response date contained herein. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed requirement based upon resources to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. The Government will not pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of data or other costs incurred in response to this announcement.

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