Sequencing Services for Mitigating Disease & Stressors in Honeybee Colonies
Closed Pre-Solicitation Posted
- Solicitation number
- 1159732
- Agency
-
Agricultural Research Service
Department of Agriculture
- Responses due
- Set-aside
- No set-aside
Opportunity facts
- NAICS code
- 541380 Testing Laboratories and Services
- PSC
- Q301 Reference Laboratory Testing
- Place of performance
- Beltsville, Maryland 20705, United States
- Points of contact
Notice details come from SAM.gov. Updated .
About this opportunity
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service Bee Research Laboratory is seeking high-throughput sequencing services to analyze a critical backlog of honeybee samples collected nationwide to address urgent concerns about bee colony decline and mortality. The procurement involves comprehensive molecular analysis services including sample quality control, library preparation, Illumina 2x150bp sequencing (~20 million reads per sample), and detailed data analysis with deliverables such as FASTQ files, differential gene expression analysis, and gene ontology reports. The agency intends to award this contract as a sole source to Azenta Life Sciences/GeneWiz under FAR 13.106-1(b)(1)(i), citing urgency and the vendor's specialized large-scale sequencing capabilities as justification for limited competition. This is a notice of intent to award sole source rather than a competitive solicitation, though vendors believing they can provide equivalent services may submit substantiating documentation by September 20, 2025. The estimated performance period spans from September 23, 2025, through November 8, 2025, with contract award anticipated on September 23, 2025.
This procurement does not utilize any set-aside designations and is classified under NAICS 541380 (Testing Laboratories and Services). The intended sole-source contractor is Azenta Life Sciences/GeneWiz, located at 115 Corporate Blvd, South Plainfield, NJ 07080, which possesses the requisite specialized sequencing infrastructure to handle the laboratory's urgent analytical needs. The contract involves processing 357 total RNA samples from honey bees with stringent quality requirements including RIN >6.0, specific concentration parameters (500 ng in 25μl at 20 ng/μl), and 85% of sequencing bases meeting Q30 quality standards. The total contract value has been redacted from the available documentation, though the scope indicates a substantial molecular analysis effort requiring 45 days for completion after order receipt. The procurement addresses national agricultural concerns by generating critical data to identify emerging pathogens, environmental stressors, and biomarkers explaining elevated bee mortality rates across U.S. regions.
Notice text
Notice of Intent to Award Sole Source:
THIS NOTICE OF INTENT IS NOT A REQUEST FOR QUOTES/PROPOSALS/BIDS. This notice is for informational purposes only and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government. Vendors that believe they can provide the services listed above are invited to submit substantiating documentation in writing to the identified point of contact. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. Oral communications are not acceptable in response to this notice. A determination by the Government to compete this proposed contract based on responses to this notice is solely at the discretion of the Government.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Contracting Operations Branch (COB) intends to award a sole source to Azenta Life Sciences/GeneWiz in support of The Bee Research Laboratory (BRL) at the USDA-ARS Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC) which urgently requires high-throughput sequencing services to analyze a massive backlog of honeybee samples collected from across the United States.
NAICS: 541380 – Testing Laboratories and Services
PSC: Q301 – Reference Laboratory Testing
Requirement Description: Please see attached Specifications and Requirements.
The proposed contract will be awarded using a Single Source Justification in accordance with FAR 13.106-1(b)(1)(i), "Contracting officers may solicit from one source if the contracting officer determines that the circumstances of the contract action deem only one source reasonably available (e.g., urgency, exclusive licensing agreements, proprietary data, brand-name or industrial mobilization).”
Please see attached Single Source Justification.
Period of Performance (Estimated): September 23, 2025 – November 8, 2025
Date of Award (Estimated): September 23, 2025
The Government does not intend to award a contract based on this notice, nor will it reimburse vendors for any costs associated with preparing or submitting a response to this notice. However, all responsible sources, meeting all requirements of the statement of work, which, if received within two calendar days of publication of this notice shall be considered by the Government. All responses must be submitted to the Government primary point of contact at the contracting office address shown below. If no written responses are received after the publication of this notice the contract will be awarded without further notice. A determination by the Government not to open the requirement to competition based upon the responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government.
Files
Notice history
| Notice | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| This notice | Pre-Solicitation | |
| FCC Coleman - Q2 FY24 Kosher Menu - Kosher Vegetable Juice | Award Notice | |
| FCC Coleman - Q2 FY24 Kosher Menu - Kosher Vegetable Juice | Solicitation |
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