A38_JEFO_Brand_Name_Justification_Redacted.pdf

United States Department of the Interior

INTERIOR BUSINESS CENTER

Washington, DC 20240

BRAND-NAME JUSTIFICATION FOR AN EXCEPTION TO FAIR OPPORTUNITY

ORDERS OVER THE MICRO-PURCHASE THRESHOLD AND

UNDER THE SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITION THRESHOLD

AUTHORITY: FAR 16.505(a)(4)(i)

SOL No. 140D0426Q0870

1. Contracting activity/agency.

Department of the Interior (DOI), Interior Business Center (IBC), Acquisition Services Directorate (AQD), Division 3, National Institute of Health, Center for Cancer Research (CCR)

2. Description of supplies or services required to meet agency needs.

Procurement of an Oxford Nanopore Technologies PromethION 2 Integrated (P2i) Long-read Sequencing Platform to support the CCR Genomics Core’s advanced sequencing operations. The P2i incorporates onboard CPU/GPU acceleration enabling real-time sequencing control, Dorado basecalling, methylation detection, demultiplexing, and downstream analysis without requiring an external workstation. The system will increase workflow efficiency, reduce hardware dependencies, shorten data turnaround time, and expand long-read sequencing capacity.

Estimated value: $70,000

Delivery: 4–12 weeks after award.

3. Identification of the limited source(s) to be solicited.

Oxford Nanopore Technologies, Inc.

101 Avenue of the Americas Fl 7 New York, NY 10013-1943

4. Rationale. Identification of the exception to fair opportunity (see FAR 16.505(a)(4)(i)) and the supporting rationale, including a demonstration that the proposed contractor’s unique qualifications or the nature of the acquisition requires use of the exception cited. If the contracting officer uses the logical follow-on exception, the rationale shall describe why the relationship between the initial order and the follow-on is logical (e.g., in terms of scope, period of performance, or value).

FAR 16.505(a)(4)(i) – The contracting officer must justify restricting consideration to an item peculiar to one manufacturer (e.g., a particular brand-name, product, or a feature of a product that is peculiar to one manufacturer).

Oxford Nanopore Technologies is the sole manufacturer of the PromethION-class sequencing systems. CCR’s validated scientific workflows rely on ONT flow cells, chemistries, software, and analysis pipelines. No other vendor produces an instrument compatible with these required consumables or workflows. Only the P2i integrates onboard CPU/GPU processing necessary for analysis without an external workstation. Use of any alternative system would require replacing existing consumables, redesigning assays, retraining personnel, validating new protocols, and interrupting ongoing NCI research.

5. Market Research.

Market research was conducted in accordance with RFO Part 10. CCR reviewed manufacturer specifications, federal and academic procurement history, technical literature, and vendor data. Only Oxford Nanopore produces a long-read sequencing platform compatible with existing CCR PromethION workflows and consumables. No alternative commercial sources were identified with comparable integrated compute capability or compatibility with ONT flow cells, software, and validated laboratory processes.

The review determined only the Oxford Nanopore PromethION 2 Integrated provides:

• Full compatibility with the CCR Genomics Core's existing PromethION 2 Solo platform, flow cells, software, and validated sequencing workflows.

• Integrated onboard CPU/GPU computing for real-time sequencing control, Dorado basecalling, modified base detection, demultiplexing, and downstream analysis.

• Native DNA and RNA sequencing with direct epigenetic modification detection.

• Two independently addressable flow cells supporting flexible, high-throughput long-read sequencing.

• An upgrade path which preserves existing laboratory infrastructure while improving operational efficiency and reducing computational dependencies.

• No alternative commercially available sequencing platform was identified that meets these requirements without requiring replacement of existing instrumentation, redevelopment and validation of laboratory workflows, retraining of personnel, and disruption of ongoing research.

• Vendor pricing, commercial catalog information, and comparison with recent acquisitions of comparable long-read sequencing instrumentation indicate that the quoted price is consistent with current commercial market pricing and is determined to be fair and reasonable.

Under the authority of FAR 16.505(a)(4)(i) the undersigned hereby determines the circumstances of this contract action deem only one source is reasonably available as supported herein.

Jesse Kunkle Date Contracting Officer

Concur

Elizabeth Conner, Ph.D.

Date

Program Manager/COR

8/25/2026