GED Testing Services and Materials

This Pre-Solicitation Notice of a proposed contract action is being published to notify potential sources that the Federal Bureau of Prisons, National Acquisitions Section, Washington, D.C., intends to solicit and negotiate a SOLE SOURCE award to the American Council on Education for General Educational Development Testing Services and Materials for inmates in the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The Justification for Other Than Full and Open Competition in support of this acquisition is included as part of the Pre-Solicitation Notice as Attachment I. The North American Industry Classification System Code (NAICS) is 611710 which has a size standard of $7.0 million. The American Council on Education is an independent, non-profit organization, established over 100 years ago, who's mission as the major coordinating body for all the nation's higher education institutions, seeks to provide leadership and a unifying voice on key higher education issues and to influence pubic policy through advocacy, research, and program initiatives. The contractor will be responsible for providing credentials similar to recognized high school diplomas which are recognized by all U. S. Territories, military services, overseas installations, and U. S. State education systems; all materials necessary for the administration of the GED test program; scoring and score record keeping services; statistical reports; and a designated full-time staff member or project manager. The period of performance will be as follows: Date of award through December 31, 2009, and four 12 month option periods to be exercised at the Government's discretion. The award will be processed under the authority of 41 USC 253(c)(1) as implemented by FAR 6.302-1. This announcement constitutes the only announcement of this requirement. This notice is not a request for competitive proposals and a written solicitation will not be issued. All responsible interested persons may respond with their interest and capability statement within seven (7) days of this notice of intent being posted to the Federal Business Opportunities website. Any responses received shall be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. A determination by the Government to open this requirement to competition, based upon the written responses to this notice, is solely within the discretion of the Government. It is anticipated that an indefinite-delivery requirements type contract with firm-fixed unit prices will be awarded as a result of this notice using a combination of procedures in FAR Part 15 and FAR Part 12.