Wheat DNA Library Sequencing

The Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service is soliciting AVITI next-generation sequencing services for wheat DNA libraries, with quotations due September 23, 2026 at 1100 ET. This is a total small business set-aside.

Place of performance is Raleigh, North Carolina. The contract is firm fixed-price for a period of October 5, 2026 through October 4, 2027. Work comprises three contract line items: DNA library pool quality control for 22 units using Qubit fluorometric quantification, Tapestation analysis, and qPCR validation; paired-end high-flow-cell sequencing on Element Bioscience AVITI platform for 2 units at 2 x 150 configuration with minimum 1 billion read pairs and 300 GBP yield per flow cell; and single-end high-flow-cell sequencing for 10 units at 1 x 150 configuration with minimum 1 billion reads and 150 GBP yield per flow cell. All sequence data must achieve average base-read quality scores of Q40 or greater. The contractor must deliver FASTQ files, FastQC reports, and flow-cell reports via password-protected FTP within 21 calendar days of receipt of each sample batch.

NAICS code is 541380, Testing Laboratories and Services, with a $19 million size standard. The solicitation is rated under the Defense Priorities and Allocations System. Award will be made on a Lowest Price Technically Acceptable basis, evaluating technical acceptability, past performance, and price fairness and reasonableness. The government intends to make one award; pricing for all line items is required to be considered responsive. USDA will ship library pools to the contractor's facility at USDA expense in multiple batches, each with a separate 21-calendar-day delivery deadline. Dedicated flow-cell and lane allocation exclusively for USDA-prepared libraries is required; multiplexing with non-USDA libraries is prohibited. Amendment 0002, posted September 22, closed questions; amendment 0001, posted September 21, extended the deadline from September 21.