U.S. Information Agency, Office of Contracts, 301 4TH STREET SW, Room M27, Washington, DC 20547

R -- PROCUREMENT FOR PROFESSIONAL SERICES POC Marie P. Kouroupas, Tele.: (202) 619-6612 The U.S. Information Agency intends to negotiate on a sole-source procurement using simplified acquisition procedures (FAR 13) with Bonnie S. Magness-Gardiner, Ph.D, for professional services to develop and maintain technical support systems, conduct research, analysis and drafting on behalf of the Cultural Property Advisory Committee for the period of June 1, 1998 through December 31, 1998. Dr. Magness-Gardiner is the creator of a digital database project for the Committee and her scope of work would include a continuation of this in order to complete and maintain an electronic library of images representing categories of cultural objects illicitly removed from other countries for which the Committee has recommended U.S. import restrictions under the terms of an international treaty. She will integrate this database with the technology systems of the U.S. Customs Service which must enforce the import restrictions and will regularize and information sharing relationship between the Cultural Property Office of USIA and U.S. Customs. She will continue an ongoing assessment of the existing collection of images acquired by the Cultural Property office for the purpose of mounting them as a searchable database on CD-Rom and will organize the hardcopy collection of images into a proper manual storage and retrieval system for in-house utilization. Dr. Magness-Gardiner will also coordinate efforts to complete the construction of a comprehensive cultural property website, monitor the testing phase, and will be responsible for maintaining the site and integrating it with the image database. She will also continue a project she began, in connection with prior research for the Committee, to study and analyze the art market for antiquities and develop electronically based evaluation criteria for reviewing the effectiveness of bilateral cultural property agreements under the aforementioned treaty. The basis for using "Other Than Full and Open Competition" for this procurement is only one responsible sources and no other supplies or services will satisfy the agency requirement (FAR subpart 6.302-1). This is not a formal solicitation. This notice may represent the only official notice of this proposed procurement. See Numbered Note 22. (0131)

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