Qiagen lab test kits

***NOAA'S ACQUISITION & GRANTS OFFICE, WESTERN ACQUISITION DIVISION-BOULDER, NORTHWEST FISHERIES SCIENCE CENTER (NWFSC), CB GENETICS DNA LABORATORY INTENDS TO NEGOTIATE, ON A SOLE SOURCE BASIS, UNDER AUTHORITY OF FAR 13.106-1(b)(1), QIAGEN LLC OUT OF GERMANTOWN, MD FOR QIAGEN LABORATORY TEST KITS.

***THE SOLE SOURCE DETERMINATION IS BASED ON THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION'S (NOAA) REQUIREMENT THAT QIAGEN LLC IS THE SOLE MAUFACTURER AND PROVIDER OF THESE TEST KITS IN THE UNITED STATES. THIS IS A BRAND NAME REQUIREMENT AND ONLY QIAGEN KITS WILL SUFFICE FOR THIS PROJECT.

NWFSC HAS USED QIAGEN DNEASY DNA EXTRACTION PLATES FOR MULTIPLE ONGOING GENETICS PROJECTS. BECAUSE THESE SPAN MULTIPLE COLLECTION YEAR GENERATIONS OF INDIVIDUALS, IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THE METHODS AND PROTOCOLS REMAIN THE SAME YEAR AFTER YEAR. CONSISTENCY OF DNA EXTRACTION AND PCR EXPERIMENTS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT SO THAT DATA CAN BE COMPARED ACROSS YEARS. SEEMINGLY INCONSEQUENTIAL CHANGES SUCH AS CHANGING BRANDS OF REAGENTS OR PLASTICS HAVE RESULTED IN DATA DEVIATIONS THAT WERE DIFFICULT TO TROUBLESHOOT AND CORRECT. THE COST OF TIME AND LABOR OF SUCH TROUBLESHOOTING IS FAR GREATER THAN ANY SMALL SAVINGS THAT COULD BE ACCRUED BY CHANGING BRANDS OF DNA EXTRACTION KITS. THERE ARE MANY SOURCES OF EXTRACTION KITS BUT THERE ARE NONE THAT CAN BE CONSIDERED EQUAL TO THE QIAGEN DNEASY KITS IN FORM, FIT AND FUNCTION. MOREOVER, FOR THESE KITS THERE ARE NO ALTERNATIVE BRAND PRODUCTS THAT ARE SPECIFICALLY FORMATTED FOR USE WITH OUR QIAGEN QIACUBE DNA EXTRACTION ROBOTS.

QIAGEN HAS CONFIRMED THAT ARE THE ONLY AUTHORIZED RESELLER/ DISTRIBUTOR FOR QIAGEN KITS IN THE UNITED STATES.

***THIS NOTICE OF INTENT IS NOT A REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS AND NO SOLICITATION PACKAGE IS AVAILABLE. HOWEVER, FIRMS THAT BELIEVE THEY CAN FULLY MEET THE GOVERNMENT'S REQUIREMENTS MAY SUBMIT SUBSTANTIATING DOCUMENTATION IN WRITING TO THE IDENTIFIED POINT OF CONTACT WITHIN 15 DAYS AFTER PUBLICATION OF THIS SYNOPSIS. SUCH DOCUMENTATION WILL BE EVALUATED SOLELY FOR THE PURPOSE OF DETERMINING WHETHER OR NOT TO CONDUCT THIS PROCUREMENT ON A COMPETITIVE BASIS. A DETERMINATION BY THE GOVERNMENT NOT TO CONDUCT A COMPETITIVE PROCUREMENT, BASED UPON RESPONSES TO THIS NOTICE, IS SOLELY WITHIN THE DISCRETION OF THE GOVERNMENT. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE IN RESPONSE TO THIS NOTICE.