Analyze bison tail hair samples for genetic heterozygosity

Special Notice of Intent to Award a Sole Source Procurement THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR QUOTE. THIS IS A NOTICE OF THE GOVERNMENT'S INTENT TO ISSUE A SOLE SOURCE AWARD. This Notice is to announce that the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO is proposing to negotiate a contract with UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory, on a sole source basis. This requirement is for laboratory analysis of Genetic Diversity, Cattle Introgression, and Parentage of the Medano bison herd in southcentral Colorado.

The proposed action is for products for which the Government intends to solicit and negotiate with only one source under the authority FAR 13.106-1(b)(1). The reason justifying this sole source procurement is that the Government believes only one responsible source can provide the services that will satisfy the agency's requirement.

The following is a description of services that are required to be performed but not limited to:

1. The Contractor shall use Polymerase Chain Reaction-based methods and state-of-the-art laboratory equipment and materials for all submitted samples.

2. The Contractor shall conduct analysis of heterozygosity (Genetic Diversity), cattle introgression (hybridization), and parentage for all 692 bison tail hair samples from the Medano herd. The Contractor shall be responsible for preparing, processing, and reporting results for each sample, using highly qualified technicians in a certified laboratory.

3. The Contractor shall ensure all submitted samples were received, referencing the bulk sample datasheet. If samples are missing, damaged, or if there are discrepancies between sample labels and entries in the bulk sample list, the Contractor shall notify the Technical Liaison immediately.

4. The Contractor shall provide three reports for each unique sample for genetic diversity, hybridization, and parentage. For genetic diversity, the Contractor shall provide estimates of observed heterozygosity, expected heterozygosity, and the mean number of alleles per locus for each bison sample as well as genomic similarity results, where the DNA of each individual bison must be compared to DNA across reference conservation herds. For hybridization, the Contractor shall determine which (if any) cattle alleles found in a bison sample and express as a percentage. For parentage, the Contractor shall determine any sampled bison found to be an offspring of another sampled bison.

5. The Contractor shall demonstrate production of timely and thorough sample analysis and send USGS deliverables within 8 weeks. The Contractor is responsible for providing updates to USGS¿s Technical Liaison regarding any changes in schedule, including any required re-work and/or changes to the expected deliverables. The Contractor shall perform quality control experiments and provide the option for a sample rerun if a review of sample results indicates a highly unusual value. Data entry errors will be corrected by the Contractor.

6. The Contractor shall ensure any bison tail hairs that are not utilized during processing are recovered, not destroyed, and sent back to USGS.

7. The Contractor shall not use, distribute, or archive any information obtained from this analysis for any purpose at any time. The Contractor shall safeguard all analytical data, which must be government property, from being released to unauthorized persons.
The NAICS code is 541380 ¿ Testing Laboratories and Services.

This is a sole source notice published for informational purposes only and not a request for competitive quotes. Therefore, no solicitation document exists for this requirement. However, all responsible parties interested in responding to this notice are invited to submit a capability statement by the time and date specified in this notice that provides sufficient details for consideration by the Government, via email to: ldwilliams@usgs.gov.

The determination not to compete the contract based on the responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Phone calls will not be accepted in response to this notice. All information submitted should support the offeror's capability to provide the services required and shall be furnished at no cost or obligation to the Government. Responses must be in writing and must provide clear and concise documentation indicating an offeror's bona fide capability to provide these services. Verbal responses are not acceptable and will not be considered. The Government reserves the right to cancel this requirement.