The Center for Comprehensive Telecommunications Acquisition (TQC), The General Services Administration, C/O Mitretek Systems, Inc., 7525 Colshire Drive (Stop Z397) Mclean, VA 22102-7400

D -- METROPOLITAN AREA ACQUISITION CONTRACT SOL TQD-RH-97-0002 POC Robert A. Hayhurst, Contracting Officer, 703-610-2234 Notice of Intent to Issue Draft Metropolitan Area Acquisition Program Request for Qualification Statements. The General Services Administration (GSA), Federal Telecommunications Service (FTS) is requesting comments on a draft Metropolitan Area Acquisition (MAA) Request for Qualification Statements (RQS), which will be released on or about July 21, 1997. This draft RQS incorporates selected suggestions made by vendors to the Draft MAA RFP, released on May 2, 1997. Since this RQS represents the technical requirements that are considered as applicable within all metropolin areas across the nation, GSA is seeking comments to this draft RQS on a nationwide basis. GSA intends to utilize the RQS as a means of technically pre-qualifying both national and metropolitan area-specific vendors as potential bidders on future metropolitan area-specific Requests for Proposals (RFP). The RQS follows a standard RFP format and as such defines all of the technical and management requirements necessary to provide the basicset of required and optional telecommunications services for all of the specific metropolitan areas across the nation under MAA consideration. As part of their pre-qualification proposal package, vendors will be required to include technical, management, and business proposals for meeting the the specified requirements. No price proposals are to be included within the proposal response to the RQS. In addition, the pre-qualification proposal must state the specific NPAs and NXXs, which define the metropolitan or city -specific areas in which the vendor is seeking to be qualified. Upon reviewing pre-qualification proposals and then certifying offerors for participation in the MAA solicitation process, GSA will issue individual RFPs for designated metropolitan areas. The RFPs will specify the pricing structure for vendors to submit price proposals, the traffic information of the specific metropolitan area, and any metropolitan area's specific technical or management requirements that are in addition to the standard requirements in the RQS. To receive a copy of the draft RQS, please transmit a request to the attention of the MAA Contracting Officer, Robert A. Hayhurst at: General Services Administration, 7525 Colshire Drive (STOP Z297), McLean VA 22102-7400. Requests may also be transmitted via facsimile to (703) 610-1642. The draft RQS will be available in Microsoft Word 7.0 format on GSA's Internet mail address at http://www.gsa.gov/maa. GSA will also make available electronic copies of the draft RQS in Microsoft Word 7.0 format on 3.5-inch diskettes to all parties on the existing bidders mailing list (see http://www.gsa.gov/maa) that request a copy to be sent. GSA will not make hardcopies of the draft RQS available. Comments must be sent in Microsoft Word 7.0 format on a 3.5-inch diskette by August 18, 1997. Comments must be addressed to: MAA Contracting Officer, Robert A. Hayhurst at: General Services Administration, 7525 Colshire Drive (STOP Z297), McLean VA 22102-7400. (0197)

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