99 -- D- SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE

The United States Department of Agriculture, National Information Technology Center (NITC) plans to award a purchase order on a sole source basis to Sterling Commerce (America) Inc., 13665 Dulles Technology Drive, Suite 130, Herndon, VA, 20171, for the maintenance and technical support of a suite of proprietary Sterling Commerce products used by the NITC. The annual maintenance is required for Connect:Direct OS/390 zSeries products. This is not a request for proposal and no solicitation exists for this requirement. Please submit your response to Jennifer Adams, Contracting Officer, no later than 12 noon CDT, December 28, 2007. A determination by the government will be made if a competitive procurement is warranted. No telephone calls will be accepted. Submit your response to Ms. Jennifer Adams, USDA/OCIO/NITC/RMS-CM, 8930 Ward Parkway, Kansas City, MO 64114.