Sequencing Bundibugyo virus disease (BDBV) in the 2026 outbreak

The FDA's Office of Acquisition and Grant Services seeks sequencing and genomic characterization of Bundibugyo virus disease (BDBV) from clinical samples collected during an ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, with proposals due August 10 at 4:00 PM Eastern Time and questions due August 7. The University of Liverpool is designated as the contractor for this work.

Performance runs from August 17 through December 31, 2026 (six months with no options). The contract is Firm Fixed Price. The contractor will generate high-quality, full-genome BDBV sequence data from up to 1,000 human clinical samples, upload all data to NCBI GeneBank and FDA-ARGOS databases, compare BDBV sequences to assess genomic differences from previous outbreaks and Ebola virus, and monitor genome evolution using phylogenetic and in silico genotype-to-phenotype analysis. Sequencing employs Illumina NovaSeq X plus and Oxford Nanopore P2 PromethION technologies to generate short and long read data identifying minor variants and mutational linkages. Additional sample types including dried blood cards, EDTA vacutainers, saliva swabs, and longitudinal semen/vaginal samples will be collected and stored for potential future analysis.

The NAICS code is 541714 (Research and Development in Biotechnology); PSC code is AN13 (Health R&D Services). Deliverables include monthly verbal and written progress reports to the FDA Office of Regulatory and Emerging Science, ad hoc reporting if significant viral genome shifts are detected, notification upon sequence data upload, and a final comprehensive report.

The solicitation mandates extensive security compliance including FISMA, NIST standards, FAR regulations, and HHS/FDA Information Security and Privacy Protection policies. Contractor personnel must maintain Authority to Operate (ATO), protect Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), implement FIPS 140-validated encryption, conduct annual security assessments and penetration testing, manage vulnerabilities and patching, maintain incident response capabilities with one-hour reporting requirements, and complete required training and background investigations. Evaluation is based on technical acceptability and fair and reasonable pricing.