Bioinformatic data analyses of rockfish data for species identification and identification of genetic population structure.

***NOAA'S ACQUISITION & GRANTS OFFICE, WESTERN ACQUISITION DIVISION-BOULDER, NORTHWEST FISHERIES SCIENCE CENTER (NWFSC)  INTENDS TO NEGOTIATE, ON A SOLE SOURCE BASIS, UNDER AUTHORITY OF FAR 13.106-1(b)(1), WITH PACIFIC STATES MARINE FISHERIES COMMISSION, OUT OF PORTLAND, OR TO PROVIDE BIOINFORMATIC DATA ANALYSES OF ROCKFISH DATA FOR SPECIES IDENTIFICATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF GENETIC POPULATION STRUCTURE.

***THE SOLE SOURCE DETERMINATION IS BASED ON THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION'S (NOAA) REQUIREMENT THAT PACIFIC STATES MARINE FISHERIES COMMISSION (PSMFC) IS THE SOLE PROVIDER WHO CAN PROVIDE THIS ROCKFISH BIOINFORMATIC DATA ANALYSES  BECAUSE THEY EMPLOY ANITA WRAY WHO IS AN EXPERT IN BIOINFORMATICS FOR SPECIES IDENTIFICATION AND POPULATION GENETICS OF ROCKFISHES FROM NEXT GENERATION SEQUENCING DATA AND HAS PREVIOUSLY WORKED WITH THE NWFSC ON THIS PROJECT. SHE IS UNIQUELY QUALIFIED TO PERFORM THE WORK BY BUILDING ON ESTABLISHED BASELINES FOR SPECIES INDENTIFICATION USING A NEXT GENERATION ROCKFISH GENETIC PANEL.

PRODUCING SPECIES IDENTIFICATION FROM ROCKFISH NEXT GENERATION SEQUENCING DATA RELIES ON ESTABLISHED BASELINES AND PROTOCOLS, AND REQUIRES CONSISTENT APPROACHES IN GENERATION OF GENOTYPES, RESULTS FOR SPECIES IDENTIFICATION AND POPULATION STRUCTURE FROM THOSE GENOTYPES, AND MERGING WITH EXISTING SPECIMEN DATA FROM THE NWFSC SURVEYS. PSMFC HAS BEEN ENGAGED IN A JOINT PROJECT WITH THE NWFSC FOR THOUSANDS OF SPECIMENS OF ROCKFISH, AND THEY ARE UNIQUELY QUALIFIED TO PERFORM ADDITIONAL ANALYSES AND DATA PRODUCTS FOR ROCKFISH SPECIES IDENTIFICATION. THE BIOINFORMATIC AND STATISTICAL ANALYSES TO PRODUCE SPECIES IDENTIFICATION FROM NEXT GENERATION SEQUENCING DATA, AND TO IDENTIFY HYBRIDIZATION AND GENETIC POPULATION STRUCTURE IS HIGHLY SPECIALIZED.

MARKET RESEARCH WAS CONDUCTED USING THE KEYWORDS 'BIOINFORMATICS ANALYSIS, ROCKFISH, POPULATION GENETICS, AND SPECIES IDENTIFICATION.' A SEARCH REVEALS A NUMBER OF PUBLICATIONS ON THIS SUBJECT, SOME PUBLISHED MOST RECENTLY BY THE NWFSC, BUT NO VENDORS  WERE IDENTIFIED WHO COULD CONDUCT THIS WORK. PMFSC’s COLLABORATION AND COORDINATION OF WORK ON THIS SUBJECT WITH NWFSC PARTNERS, AND RELEVANT TO THIS PROJECT, SPECIFICALLY FOR SPECIES IDENTIFICATION IN VERMILION AND SUNSET ROCKFISH, IS KEY TO GETTING RESULTS NEEDED FOR IDENTIFICATION AND STOCK STRUCTURE IN THIS IMPORTANT GROUP OF FISHES. THE SERVICES  REQUIRED FOR THIS PROJECT ARE EXTREMELY SPECIALIZED, AND BUILD ON ANALYSES PROTOCOLS AND BASELINES THAT THE NWFSC HAS PREVIOUSLY DEVELOPED IN COORDINATION WITH PSMFC.

***THIS NOTICE OF INTENT IS NOT A REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS AND NO SOLICITATION PACKAGE IS AVAILABLE. HOWEVER, FIRMS THAT BELIEVE THEY CAN FULLY MEET THE GOVERNMENT'S REQUIREMENTS MAY SUBMIT SUBSTANTIATING DOCUMENTATION IN WRITING TO THE IDENTIFIED POINT OF CONTACT WITHIN 15 DAYS AFTER PUBLICATION OF THIS SYNOPSIS. SUCH DOCUMENTATION WILL BE EVALUATED SOLELY FOR THE PURPOSE OF DETERMINING WHETHER OR NOT TO CONDUCT THIS PROCUREMENT ON A COMPETITIVE BASIS. A DETERMINATION BY THE GOVERNMENT NOT TO CONDUCT A COMPETITIVE PROCUREMENT, BASED UPON RESPONSES TO THIS NOTICE, IS SOLELY WITHIN THE DISCRETION OF THE GOVERNMENT. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE IN RESPONSE TO THIS NOTICE.