The Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP) of the United States Department of Commerce, Office of the General Counsel, is a technical assistance provider working on the development and implementation of laws and international agreements affecting trade and investment in over 35 countries worldwide including the Middle East and North Africa. CLDP is supporting the U.S. Government’s Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) by providing technical assistance to a group of countries in the Middle East to improve their legislative and regulatory frameworks, and ultimately, to facilitate the region’s preparedness for the Middle East Free Trade Area (MEFTA). As trade and commerce increases in the Middle East and the countries in this region expand their presence in the global market, it is important that their business and legal professionals have knowledge and understanding of complex commercial law.********************** The Contractor shall provide the following services: a) Research and assess the legal environment in the Middle East for rule of law changes regarding international arbitration of commercial disputes and formulate recommendations to improve international arbitration of commercial disputes in the Middle East, including but not limited to the efficacy of the United Arab Emirates becoming a signatory to the 1958 New York Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards. b) Prepare white papers that assess the impact of suggested rule of law changes regarding international arbitration of commercial disputes in Middle East nations, including but not limited to the impact of the United Arab Emirates becoming a signatory to the 1958 new York Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards. c) Present research and findings and facilitate discussions during workshops with foreign government officials and legal stakeholders related to international arbitration of commercial disputes in the Middle East. d) Provide assistance to foreign government officials rule of law changes regarding international arbitration of commercial disputes. e) Coordinate with CLDP legal staff and legal advisors regarding the implementation of commercial law programs, including, but not limited to assisting in the implementation of CLDP training programs for judges, lawyers, law professors, and other legal stakeholders in the US and abroad. f) Draft progress reports and provide updates/information per CLDP/Washington office requests. The Contractor may be expected to travel to, including but not limited to, the following countries: Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. ********************* The duration of the contract is from March 14, 2006 through September 30, 2006 with one one-year option period. Award will be a Fixed Price contract and the procurement method shall be a competitive negotiated Request for Quote (RFQ). Source Selection Procedures, as identified in FAR PART 12 Acquisition of Commercial Items, shall be utilized in the selection of the offer that is most advantageous to the to the Government based on the factors contained in the solicitation. The solicitation notice and all amendments will be posted and available for viewing and downloading on the Government Electronic Posting System (FedBizOpps) site www.fedbizopps.gov or www.eps.gov. All responsible sources may submit a response which if timely received, must be considered by the Agency. No paper copies of solicitations or amendments will be issued. No telephone facsimile or written request for the solicitation will be accepted. No paper copies of solicitations or amendments will be issued. No telephone facsimile or written request for the solicitation will be accepted. When the solicitation is posted, it is incumbent upon the interested parties to review this site frequently for any updates/amendments to any and all documents. To ensure that you receive all information regarding this solicitation, please register to receive updates at www.fedbizopps.gov, and follow the procedures for notification registration. All questions regarding this pre-solicitation should be addressed to Brendon Johnson, Contracting Officer, U.S. Department of Commerce, Commerce Acquisition Solutions, 1401 Constitution Avenue, NW, Room 6521 Washington, DC 20230, E-mail: [email protected].

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