Notice of Intent to Sole Source - Mouse Colony Breeding Service

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), a component of the Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health, intends to procure mouse colony breeding services to generate specialized transgenic mouse models carrying the human d-globin gene. These services are required to evaluate the impact of the KLF1-GATA1 fusion protein and candidate compounds on sickle cell disease (SCD) and v-thalassemia phenotypes. The primary objective is to obtain fully humanized mice expressing either normal human hemoglobin or hemoglobin with thalassemic mutations through breeding transgenic HBB and HBE knock-in mice crossed with the Townes mouse model. This is a non-competitive sole-source acquisition without full and open competition, justified by the NHLBI's determination that the intended contractor is uniquely capable of providing these services. The response deadline for capability statements is March 26, 2026, at 9:00 AM EDT, with interested parties instructed to submit documentation to Nicholas Capobianco at nicholas.capobianco@nih.gov.

This acquisition is not designated as a set-aside for small businesses and is intended to be awarded to Ozgene, located in Bentley, Western Australia, which currently maintains the required transgenic mouse lines at its facility. The anticipated award is a firm fixed-price purchase order with an estimated value of up to $2.75 million based on the NAICS code size standard for All Other Animal Production. The period of performance is 12 to 15 months, commencing June 1, 2026, and concluding May 31, 2027. The deliverables consist of five male and five female mice (6 to 8 weeks old) each of the humanized HBB and HBBE models. The NHLBI determined that sole-source award is justified because transitioning to an alternative vendor would necessitate costly re-derivation and re-establishment of the mouse colony, presenting unacceptable scientific and scheduling risks to the research objectives.