The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Office of Procurement Operations (OPO) Federal Protective Services, Acquisition Division (FPS AD) intends to negotiate on a sole source basis with ARES Group, Inc., 8625C Engleside Office Park, Alexandria, VA 22309-4131 pursuant to 41 U.S.C. 253 (c) (1) - Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. The proposed additional work is an extension of an existing contract to provide Protective Security Officer (PSO) services at various locations throughout the State of Maryland for the period of performance of January 1, 2012 through April 30, 2012. This will ensure uninterrupted security in these locations between expiration of the aforementioned contract and full performance by the successful offeror under the follow-on contract which is currently in the evaluation phase. T he total contract value will increase by $4,481,028.00 from $79,241,710.70 to $83,722,738.70, encompassing approximately 126,000 labor hours. Award of a stand-alone short term contract for PSO services between expiration of the existing contract and performance under a long term follow on contract would result in unacceptable staffing delays that would jeopardize the safety and security of federal government personnel, visitors, and assets. Because of the existing State of Maryland gun permit laws combined with extensive screening, health, training, and transition requirements for PSO under the FPS program, another guard service firm would require at least 120 days of transition activities prior to providing FPS with a PSO force that is fully qualified, security cleared, and certified in accordance with FPS contract standards. At this time, the incumbent contractor is the only contractor that can perform in accordance with the strict guidelines of FPS as well as the State of Maryland's. Respond to this requirement by submitting written capabilities /specifications to the contract specialist listed. This notice is not a request for competitive proposals; however, all responses will be used for informational purposes. A determination by the Government whether a competitive procurement is feasible may be based upon any responses to this notice and is solely at the discretion of the Government. A planned modification to the existing contract for described services will be placed with ARES Group, Inc. The NAICS code is 561612. There is no solicitation package available. For any questions regarding this announcement, please contact Melissa Weindel at
[email protected] .