68 -- Qualification Requirement (QR) for Long Term Fire Retardant

The U. S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service hasDetermined that a qualification is necessary and intends to establish a Qualification Requirement (QR) for Long Term Fire Retardant. All Long-term Fire Retardant products submitted under the QR will be required to meet or Exceed Forest Service Specification 5100-304b, Long-Term Retardant, amended, Located at http://www.fs.fed.us/rm/fire/wildland_chemicals.htm. All applicants who submit a product for evaluation under the QR must follow the procedures and furnish all information required by Manufacturer Submission Procedures for Qualification Testing of Long-Term Retardant Products, January 2005, before any testing will begin. The packages must be sent to 5787 Highway 10 West, Missoula MT 59808. For additional information in regard to Submitting a package in compliance with the QR procedures, view web link_ [http://www.fs.fed.us/rm/fire/wireland_chemicals.htm.] Technical points of Contacts are Les Holsapple @406-829-6761 and Cecilia Johnson @406-329-4819. The Forest Service anticipates that contracts will be awarded based on the QR Beginning March, 2005. The approximate time period following submission of a product for qualification testing within which the applicant will be notified whether the product has passed or failed the qualification is up to two years. This Synopsis is not a Request for Proposal and there is currently no Solicitation associated with this notice. It is a market research tool and used to determine the availability of potential sources and to establish the Government intent for establishing the QR. The QR will be maintained in accordance with applicable regulation, FAR 9.2 and Department of Agriculture Acquisition Regulation and advisories.