Notice of Intent

The USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory has published a Notice of Intent to award a sole source contract to Airgas USA, LLC for the supply of liquid nitrogen. This Special Notice, posted on April 30, 2026, is not a competitive solicitation but rather an announcement of the Forest Service's intent to proceed with a non-competitive procurement under Federal Acquisition Regulation Part 6.302-1. The liquid nitrogen is critical for maintaining cryogenic stability in laboratory instruments that preserve fungal cultures at the Cryogenic Fungal Materials Repository. The government estimates that loss of this supply would result in the destruction of over $2,500,000 in cryogenically preserved fungal cultures. The Forest Service has determined that only Airgas USA, LLC can satisfy the agency's requirements for this specialized supply.

Interested parties have until May 3, 2026, at 0800 ET to submit responses demonstrating their capability and interest in providing this service, though responses must include clear and convincing evidence that competition would be advantageous to the government. The procurement will utilize Simplified Acquisition Procedures and is set aside for 8(a) sole source award. There are no traditional eligibility criteria or competitive evaluation processes for this notice; rather, the government will use any submitted capability information solely to determine whether conducting a competitive procurement would benefit the agency. Contractors responding should understand that the government retains sole discretion to decide whether to compete the award based on information received, and no reimbursement will be provided for costs associated with submitting capability documentation. The requirement falls under NAICS category 325120 (Industrial Gas Manufacturing) and PSC code 6830 (Gases: Compressed and Liquefied).