FDLE-SS-2659 PUR7776 Othram.pdf

PUR 7776 (Revised 07/2022) Page 1 of 3 Incorporated by Reference: Rule 60A-1.045, F.A.C.

DESCRIPTION OF INTENDED

SINGLE SOURCE PURCHASE

(PUR 7776)

AGENCY: Florida Department of Law Enforcement

TITLE: DNA Testing Services, Evaluations & Research Short description of the commodity or service desired: DNA Testing Services, Evaluations & Research to identify persons using Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy.

CONTACT

Name: Angela Githens Address: 2331 Phillips Road, Tallahassee, Fl 32308 Telephone: 850-410-7300 Email: FDLEOGSContracts@fdle.state.fl.us

Internal tracking number, if any: FDLE-SS-2659

Date posted: 06/08/2026 Last day for receipt of information: 06/29/2026

This description of commodities or contractual services intended for purchase from a single source is posted in accordance with Sections 120.57(3) and 287.057(3), Florida Statutes (F.S.), and will remain posted for a period of at least 15 business days.

Commodity or Contractual Service Required (commodity or United National Standard Products and Services Code (UNSPSC), manufacturer, model, and description, as appropriate):

41105600 – DNA Sequencing Products 85121803 – Biological Laboratory Services 85131709 – Genetics Research Services

Quantity or Term (as appropriate):

12 months

Requestor (division, bureau, office, individual, as appropriate):

FDLE / Investigations and Forensic Science / Laboratories

Performance and/or Design Requirements (e.g. intended use, function or application, compatibility, requirements; reference to policy, rule, statute or other act of the Legislature, etc., as appropriate):

Pursuant to s. 943.32 Florida Statute, the FDLE operates regional crime laboratories offering forensic services to Florida's law enforcement and medical examiner community. FDLE also operates a Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy program supported by an in-house Genetic Genealogy Investigations team. Services sought will support a continuation of existing projects involving evaluation of DNA extracts, DNA sequencing services, and genetic genealogy research support as part of FDLE's Missing and Unidentified Human Remains (MUHR) Program (presently BJA-funded) as well as some FDLE Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy

PUR 7776 (Revised 07/2022) Page 2 of 3 Incorporated by Reference: Rule 60A-1.045, F.A.C.

Program work. Specifically, FDLE is presently engaged in MUHR work with an expected expiration of funds in 2026-27 as well final stages of work funded under FS 943.327 with funds expiring September 2026. The laboratory testing services and database uploads are needed in order to continue a hybrid approach whereby FDLE acts as a service provider to Florida's Medical Examiners and Law Enforcement Agencies for identification of unidentified human remains and persons.

Intended Single Source:

Othram, Inc.

8301 New Trails Dr.

The Woodlands, TX 77381 United States

Estimated Dollar Amount:

Rate Agreement

Justification for single source acquisition (what is necessary and unique about the product, service or source; steps taken to confirm unavailability of competition, as appropriate):

The department seeks to employ testing services from Othram, Inc., to include Forensic Grade Genome Sequencing (FGGS™) and shotgun sequencing targeting 500K or more SNP markers, or WGS, for unknown samples. The FGGS™ technology is specific to Othram, Inc and its TX facility. Highly degraded, contaminated, bone samples and samples of extremely low quality and quantity DNA template are expected to constitute the bulk of the testing needs in this project.

A suitable vendor must employ genomic refinement techniques, including but not be limited to:

DNA repair, concentration, microbial DNA sequestration or elimination, other means of preparing DNA extracts well-suited for SNP sequencing. A quality control (QC) step must be integrated to assess whether or not the sample is amenable for further processing. This can be via real-time quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) or a proprietary suitability analysis. The Othram FGGS™ workflow affords the above as well as a practice of discontinuation of testing where available methods are not likely to yield usable SNP profile results, preserving the DNA from evidentiary materials for potential future advancements. FGGS™ satisfies this requirement as well as the specific need for incorporating a mechanism to detect low-level contamination, cross-contamination, sample switches, or workflow errors. This sequencing-specific quality control functions as a spiked reference marker but does not alter the original DNA template in the sample and is presently only offered in the selected vendor's FGGS™ workflow. This QC system enables root-cause analysis at a molecular level of any such events or errors.

Mission-driven focus towards violent crimes cases limits the capacity of the FDLE in-house GGI team to perpetrator cases and cases where Unidentified Human Remains (UHR) are homicide victims, whereas the overall responsibility of Forensics includes UHR work where the individual is a “Doe” but manner and cause of death may be unknown. Therefore, vendor assistance in the genetic genealogy research component is also necessary. Given the sensitivity of these research endeavors and the potential for later identifying Doe UHRs as homicide victims, FDLE requires the genetic genealogists be directly employed with the vendor and not subcontracted, just as required for the scientific staff. Othram genealogists assisting in this project satisfy this criterion.

PUR 7776 (Revised 07/2022) Page 3 of 3 Incorporated by Reference: Rule 60A-1.045, F.A.C.

FDLE requires that the associated vendor be capable of offering uploads to GEDmatch and FTDNA (databases that permit law enforcement searching) and which can provide genetic genealogy research assistance for cases specified by FDLE. While under contract with FDLE, the vendor must maintain contractual access to (minimally) one of the genetic genealogical databases that allow law enforcement searching to enable streamlined upload and match assessment. Othram satisfies this requirement through its management of the law enforcement interface with FTDNA and relationship with Gene-by-Gene.

Lastly, for any direct SNP-to-SNP comparisons made between forensic samples and reference samples, the vendor must be capable of generating validated likelihood ratios. The method by which this statistical weight is calculated and reported must be documented and published in peer-reviewed scientific publications, as it may become necessary to present in court if confirmatory STR matching or close kinship analysis using Short Tandem Repeat (STR) technology and/or Y-STRs (male-specific, patrilineal lineage STRs) cannot be accomplished by the FDLE or Florida county crime laboratory. Othram, Inc. satisfies this caveat in addition to the aforementioned technical requirements.

Approved By (names & titles, as appropriate, e.g., requestor, requestor management, information systems, budget, purchasing):

Julia Lycett, Chief of General Services Roshale Gaytmenn, Forensic Services Director

Prospective vendors are requested to provide information regarding their ability to supply the commodities or contractual services described. If it is determined in writing by the agency, after reviewing any information received from prospective vendors, that the commodities or contractual services are available only from a single source, the agency shall provide notice of its intended decision to enter a single-source purchase contract in the manner specified in Rule 60A- 1.045, Florida Administrative Code, and section 120.57(3), F.S.