AN12--Intent to Sole Source Metabolomics Analysis Services for Million Veteran Program

The Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration has issued a Special Notice of Intent to Sole Source (Solicitation Number 36C24E26Q0017) for metabolomics analysis services under the Million Veteran Program. The notice indicates the VA's intent to award a Firm Fixed Price contract to Metabolon for providing metabolomics analysis services that measure over 1,000 metabolites from stored blood samples. This sole-source notice is issued under FAR 5.101 and RFO 6.103-1, reflecting the government's determination that only one responsible source can satisfy the agency's requirements. The contracting office is the Regional Procurement Office East (RPO-E R&D) located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with Contracting Officer Renee Kale serving as the point of contact. Although the VA intends to sole-source this contract, the notice invites other interested and capable sources to submit capability information for government consideration.

Responsible sources may demonstrate their capability to perform the required work by submitting capability information to the Contracting Officer by 10:00 AM EST on March 11, 2026. Contractors must be capable of analyzing 10,000 to 20,000 samples annually and must meet stringent qualifications including GLP certification, laboratory facilities in the Continental United States, proven platform technology covering over 1,000 unique biomarkers, documented experience measuring over 50,000 human samples, capacity for large-scale measurements, a chemical reference library exceeding 4,000 metabolites, and at least 100 peer-reviewed publications using the deployed technology. The contract performance period is five years with no options, and the contractor must deliver analysis results within 8-12 weeks for the initial batch and at a 4-week cadence for subsequent batches. Key deliverables include a Project Management Plan, Good Laboratory Practice certification, security plans, and comprehensive monthly status reports with raw and scaled data, quality control statistics, and metabolite validation information. All inquiries and submissions must be submitted via email to Renee Kale at renee.kale@va.gov, and the government reserves the right to determine whether to proceed with competitive procurement based on responses received.