1.04 Sole Source Memorandum FAR 12 BELOW SAT - NAMRU Columbia_Redacted.pdf

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Training and Delivery of VCS-VERT Workflow and Material Requirements
Solicitation number
N6817126QN062
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Sole Source Decision Memorandum

This is a Sole Source Decision memorandum documenting the justification for non-competitive procurement of training services and related materials from Columbia University for the Naval Medical Research Unit (NAMRU) EURAFCENT. The requirement involves a 10-day in-person training event on the Virome-Capture-Sequencing platform for Vertebrate viruses (VCS-VERT) workflow, to be conducted at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) in Accra, Ghana. The training will establish viral discovery and full-genome characterization capabilities for personnel stationed at the NMIMR host-nation partner laboratory in support of health protection for forward-deployed forces. Market research identified that Columbia University is the exclusive provider of the pre-built VCS-VERT package and holds proprietary rights to the technology through U.S. Patent US20180265935A1. The procurement fulfills the Global Emerging Infections Surveillance (GEIS) mandate for expanding reach-back support and developing on-site pathogen-agnostic sequencing at Department of Defense laboratories.

Columbia University's VCS-VERT probe library is the sole molecular technology validated to operate on the existing Illumina NextSeq 2000 platform at NMIMR. The platform cost is approximately $40 per sample when processed in batches of 20, with each package accommodating 24 captures across six sequencing runs for up to 288 samples total. No other commercial or academic source can legally manufacture, provide, license, or deliver training on these proprietary probes or workflow. The required capability must achieve 99% clinical sensitivity and 100% clinical specificity for detecting unknown viral threats. The Government's biological surveillance capability would be severely degraded if this non-competitive procurement is not approved.

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Sole Source Memorandum - 26PN052.pdf PDF
4.02 Solicitation - N6817126QN062.pdf PDF

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