R&d - mussel control research

The Bureau of Reclamation, under the Department of the Interior, has issued a Special Notice announcing its intent to award a sole source procurement for Quagga Mussel Research under NAICS code 541690. The agency plans to award a purchase order to Molloy and Associates, LLC to perform continued research on invasive dreissenid mussels, building upon work conducted over the past five years. This is classified as a Total Small Business set-aside opportunity, though the government asserts that only one responsible source can provide the required services. The procurement is valued at $1,251,374 and will cover research activities from September 1, 2025 to December 31, 2027, including a base year plus two option years. The statutory authority cited for this non-competitive award is 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1), which permits sole source procurement when only one source can satisfy agency requirements.

The primary objective of this research initiative is to identify and develop biocontrol agents that can specifically target and control invasive quagga and zebra mussels in open water environments without harming other organisms. The research will involve conducting long-term transinfection trials using mussel species collected from Eurasia, with experiments performed in Dr. Dan Molloy's established laboratory in Montenegro. Firms that believe they possess the technical capability to meet these requirements may submit a technical capability statement along with a business profile to ConnieAnn Tudela-Kately at ctudelakately@usbr.gov within fifteen days of the July 1, 2025 posting date, which establishes a deadline of July 15, 2025. Any information received will be treated as market research for future similar requirements, and the notice explicitly states that quotations or proposals will not be accepted since this is not a formal request for proposal. Dr. Molloy has been identified as the sole qualified researcher in the United States with over 30 years of specialized expertise in dreissenid mussel research and biocontrol development.