Library for Next Generation Sequencing

NOAA's Aquaculture Sustainability Branch is seeking Next-Generation Sequencing services through a Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) set-aside solicitation (1305M325Q0282). The procurement involves Tag-Seq poly A library preparation and genomic sequencing specifically for low-coverage Whole Genome Sequencing of sea scallop tissue samples to investigate population genetics and potential adaptation to ocean acidification and warming. The contractor must extract DNA from 120 individual sea scallop tissue samples, prepare a pooled library, and perform sequencing on an Illumina NovaSeq S4 platform with 150bp paired-end reads at 4x coverage of a 1.7 Gb genome, targeting approximately 550Gb of data. Evaluation criteria include technical approach, capability, past performance, and price. Quotations must be submitted in PDF or Microsoft Word format to Jacob Gray and Jenna Taulman by September 15, 2025 at 1500 PDT, and vendors must maintain active System for Award Management (SAM) registration while complying with federal requirements for telecommunications, supply chain security, and scientific integrity.

This solicitation is designated as a Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) set-aside with no current incumbent contractors identified in the documentation. The contract will be awarded as a firm-fixed-price agreement with a period of performance from September 19, 2025 to August 31, 2026, though the Statement of Work estimates the contract period through September 18, 2026. The contractor must deliver FASTQ files and a quality report within 8-12 weeks of sample submission, with sequences specifically required to be delivered to the Northeast Fisheries Science Center within 4 weeks of sample submission. The sequencing services will support research conducted by NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service, Northeast Fisheries Science Center to understand genetic variations between sea scallop populations in different marine environments and assess their adaptive capacity to climate change. The contract falls under NAICS code 541380 for Testing Laboratories and Services and PSC code B526 for Special Studies/Analysis-Oceanological.