Specialized hands-on laboratory training and proprietary molecular reagents.

Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) is preparing to solicit specialized hands-on laboratory training and proprietary molecular reagents with a hard performance deadline of September 30, 2026, to comply with federal appropriations guidelines and immediate mission timelines. This is a sources-sought notice for market research purposes only; no contract will be awarded directly from this notice.

The requirement centers on the Virome-Capture-Sequencing platform for Vertebrate viruses (VCS-VERT), a patented workflow (U.S. Patent US20180265935A1, held by The Trustees of Columbia University). Performance occurs at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) in Accra, Ghana, and comprises two CLINs: a 10-day in-person training program for 4–8 government and host-nation scientists in wet-lab molecular library preparation and dry-lab bioinformatics pipeline setup, and delivery of one specialized Package A+ reagent kit optimized for high-throughput target-capture sequencing of up to 288 samples.

Responding vendors must provide uncontestable written legal proof of authorization to practice, manufacture, and distribute VCS-VERT, including an active Authorized Reseller/Distributor Certificate from the patent holder's technology transfer authority. Reagent kits and target-enrichment probes must be compatible with the existing Illumina NextSeq 2000 sequencing platform at NMIMR and demonstrate pathogen-agnostic capability achieving 99% clinical sensitivity and 100% clinical specificity while binding viral genomes mutated up to 60%. Vendors must deploy two senior PhD-level genomic instructors to Ghana by September 30, 2026 (accounting for a 14-day advance notice requirement) and certify that bioinformatics pipeline software can be installed locally on the host laboratory's isolated computer network with no genomic sequence data or digital sequence information copied, retained, or transited outside the host laboratory's physical control.

Capability Statements (maximum five pages) must be submitted electronically to Contract Specialist Daniela Pollano (daniela.pollano.ln@us.navy.mil) with copy to Contracting Officer David Biggs (david.biggs20.civ@us.navy.mil) by 1300 on August 28, 2026, and must include company information, business size status, point-by-point evidence of compliance with all criteria, and standard commercial catalog pricing or past invoices for similar training services.