Cotton DNA Sequencing Services

The Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service is soliciting quotations for Cotton DNA Sequencing Services under solicitation number 1232SA26Q0389, issued as a Request for Quotation for commercial items. The contractor will perform next-generation sequencing on 550 cotton leaf DNA samples to support research on genome structure and sequence variant identification for cotton variety development under the NP301 Plant Genetic Resources, Genomics, and Genetic Improvement program. Key requirements include quality assessment and bio-analysis of extracted DNA, PCR-free library preparation for all samples, library quality assessment, and sequencing using an Illumina NovaSeq X 10B platform or equivalent with 2 x 150 paired-end reads and a guaranteed output of 50 Gigabases per sample, with delivery of raw sequence data within 45 business days of sample receipt. Quotations will be evaluated on four factors: Technical Capabilities, Relevant Experience (including at least three completed projects within the last three years), Past Performance with detailed references, and Price based on fair and reasonable pricing for all line items. Quotations must be submitted electronically to frank.palmer@usda.gov no later than 10:00 AM Mountain Daylight Time on Friday, April 10, 2026, with the deadline for submitting questions being Tuesday, April 7, 2026.

This acquisition is designated as a Total Small Business Set-Aside with a small business size standard of 1,000 employees, classified under NAICS code 541714 (Research and Development in Biotechnology). No incumbent contractor or award value information is specified in the solicitation materials. The contractor must sequence all 550 samples in a single batch to maintain consistency and data quality, with low-quality samples requiring replacement prior to library preparation to ensure optimal results. The place of performance is New Orleans, Louisiana 70124. All vendors must be active and registered in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov) at both submission and award, and payment will be processed through the Department of the Treasury Invoice Processing Platform (IPP.gov), with the contract awarded to a single responsible offeror on a firm-fixed price basis determined to represent best value.