U. S. Department of Energy, Oak Ridge Operations Office, P. O. Box 2001, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831

M -- OPERATION OF GOVERNMENT-OWNED FACILITIES SOL DE-RP05-99OR22696 DUE 122198 POC Beverly J. Harness, Contracting Officer, 423-576-1816 E-MAIL: Beverly Harness, Department of Energy, Oak Ridge Operations, Harnessb@oro.doe.gov. This synopsis is published pursuant to the requirements of Federal Acquisition Regulation Subpart 5.201(a). The Department of Energy/Oak Ridge Operations Office (DOE/ORO) plans to issue a noncompetitive Request for Proposal to Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU), Oak Ridge, TN, to operate and manage the Department's Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE). The RFP will be released on or about November 18, 1998. See Note 22. Notification of interest and capability to respond to this requirement or to submit proposals in response to this synopsis should be provided to the Contracting Officer within 15 days of the date this synopsis is posted. ORAU currently manages, operates, and maintains ORISE under a management and operating contract due to expire on December 31, 1998. The Department has complied with the Laboratory Operations Board report to explore alternative contracting mechanisms to enhance the operations of ORISE. ORISE performs national and international programs in education, training, health and safety, national security, and environmental assessments in support of the Department's mission and activities. The DOE/ORO intends to award a noncompetitive, technical services type contract effective January 1, 1999, to avoid any disruption of services or incurring substantial costs. This noncompetitive contract will have a period of performance consisting of one 9-month base period and two 3-month option periods. During this period of performance, the Department plans to evaluate this new contract mechanism to ensure that it meets the needs of DOE, and, after a limited test period, it is anticipated that a competition will be conducted with a subsequent contract award. DOE/ORO plans to release a Request for Proposal for the competition in mid-1999. An announcement will be published in the Commerce Business Daily for this follow-on competition. Posted 11/02/98 (W-SN267273). (0306)

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