Intent to Award Notice: University of Minnesota

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, intends to award a non-competitive purchase order to Regents of the University of Minnesota, University of Minnesota (U of M), located in Duluth, MN, for a suite of geochemical analyses on water and sediment samples in direct support of the research project, Drought and Flood Extremes of the Continental United States: Past to Present., to be delivered to Reston, VA for the period of 9/21/2026 to 9/20/2027 with four (4) Option Years as follows:

Option Year One (1): 09/21/2027 - 09/20/2028
Option Year Two (2): 09/21/2028 - 09/20/2029
Option Year Three (3): 09/21/2029 - 09/20/2030
Option Year Four (4): 09/21/2030 - 09/20/2031

The study conducted in this research project necessitates freeze coring to preserve the structure of mm-scale, water saturated seasonally-deposited layers. The only way to ensure preservation of these layers is by flash freezing the sediments at the bottom of the lake and keeping the "freeze core" completely frozen during transport and analyses.

The U of M offers the only nearby facility where the frozen cores can be stored and analyzed over the duration of the five-year research project, which allows for short transport in a cooler on dry ice from each of the six to twelve study sites, where each core is collected.

Transport between the study sites or frozen storage must be within a 200-mile radius and a few hours' drive in order to keep the samples firmly frozen during transport. The U of M is the only facility within the required radius offering stable isotope, elemental abundance, mineralogy, or major ion measurements of environmental samples.

Analyzing a frozen core at the micron scale on an x-ray fluorescence scanner takes 6-8 hours, which would ordinarily result in melting. UMD has previously co-developed a distinctive method for scanning a frozen core. As a result, UMD and the technical staff are uniquely capable of carrying out these analyses without destruction of the freeze cores, as required.

The University of Minnesota also provides in-kind support in the forms of unique specialized expertise of stable isotopic processes, student and technician time, and facility and equipment access.

In accordance with Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO) 5.101(c)(4)(vi), all responsible sources may submit a quotation which shall be considered by the agency, however, THIS NOTICE IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE QUOTATIONS. The Government intends to award this requirement noncompetitively in accordance with RFO 12.102(a).

Responses must be emailed to Contracting Officer, Leah Williams, at leah_williams@ios.doi.gov. Reference Solicitation # DOIGFBO260040 in the subject line.

The NAICS code is 541380. The size standard is $19 million.

The anticipated award date is 09/18/2026. The anticipated contract will be firm fixed-price. A vendor must be registered at https://www.sam.gov to be awarded the purchase order.