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Question and Answer I

IFB- 3160007880

The Mississippi Department of Public Safety

March 13, 2026

Question 1:

Is subcontracting permitted under this IFB?

Answer: No

Question 2:

Are there specific accreditation requirements (e.g., AABB, CAP, ANAB) that must be met at the time of submission?

Answer: Yes, ISO 17025 accredited with 2025 QAS Audit

Question 3:

Can you confirm the anticipated contract term, location and estimated testing volume?

Answer: Refer to section 2.3 for the terms of the contract. Refer to Description, estimated test quantities for the volume.

Question 4:

Multi-Site Testing Structure: Does MSFL permit a prime contractor to utilize multiple laboratory locations — including out-of-state facilities — provided all sites are fully disclosed in the bid and approved prior to testing?

Question 5:

Location Approval Process: At what stage does MSFL formally approve additional laboratory locations (during technical evaluation or post-award prior to sample shipment)?

Answer: No additional laboratories will be approved

Question 6: What documentation is required for that approval?

Question 7:

Are subcontracted laboratories permissible under a prime contractor structure?

Question 8:

Must all subcontracted lab locations be identified at the time of bid submission?

Question 9:

May different approved laboratory locations perform distinct portions of the workflow (e.g., high-volume database processing at one site and casework analysis at another)?

Question 10:

Must wet-lab processing, interpretation, duplicate review, and CMF file generation occur at the same physical location, or may those functions be performed at separate approved laboratory sites?

Answer: Must occur at same physical location.

Question 11:

Is it acceptable for samples to be received by the prime contractor and subsequently transferred under documented chain of custody to an approved secondary laboratory?

Question 12:

If MSFL declines approval of a disclosed laboratory location post-award, may the prime propose an alternate qualified laboratory location for approval?

Question 13:

Are you accepting partial bids? Or would you be willing to separate the Database samples from the Casework samples?

Answer: No partial bids, the database and casework samples can be priced separately.

Question 14:

For database samples, is direct amplification acceptable, especially if it reduces costs with the same data quality outputs?

Answer: With approval of validation and procedure.

Question 15:

What is the anticipated breakdown of Database samples between buccal collectors and oral swabs?

Answer: 60 % Bode Buccal collectors and 40% cotton swabs

Question 16:

For database samples, is generation of full CODIS Y-STR profiles, along with autosomal STRs acceptable, especially with added processing efficiencies, no additional time for data review, and reduced costs?

Answer: Yes, but only STR autosomal is required.

Question 17:

13.Section 2.4, Page 8 and Attachment B, Page 29 Under “Scope of Service”, on page 8 of the

RFP, the table lists ~15,000 known samples (Bode collectors, cotton swab) and ~500 casework samples (references, sexual assault kits swabs/crime scene samples). The table on page 29 lists, under “Quantity Estimated” 15,500 for DNA Testing Casework Differential, 15,500 for DNA

Testing Casework Non- Differential and 15,000 for DNA Testing Database Samples. Which is correct?

Answer: Page 8- Approximately 15,000 database samples and approximately 500 casework samples.

Question 18:

Section 2.4, Page 8 For casework samples, is generation of full, CODIS Y-STR profiles, along with autosomal STRs acceptable (generate investigative lead, maximize information from low level, mixed DNA crime samples), especially with added processing efficiencies, no additional time for data review, and reduced costs?

Answer: Yes, but only STR autosomal is required.

I acknowledge and accept all terms and conditions of the Invitation for Bid

(IFB), Amendments, Question & Answer. I hereby certify that I am authorized to sign for my company.

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