Zooplankton analysis

The US Geological Survey (USGS) is conducting market research to identify qualified businesses capable of processing zooplankton and plankton biological samples collected during ecological studies in California. This pre-solicitation notice is issued by the Department of the Interior's USGS Office of Acquisitions and Grants and seeks to determine the availability of contractors to support critical resource management needs for state and federal agencies. Qualified respondents must demonstrate capability to analyze plankton samples according to specific methodologies, including organism counting (200-400 per sample) and delivery of analyzed data in Excel format within 90 days of sample receipt. The government has not specified formal evaluation criteria beyond capability demonstration through submitted capability statements, as this is a market research exercise rather than a competitive procurement. Interested parties must submit capability statements electronically to yangzhideng@usgs.gov by December 31, 2025 at 3:00 PM PST, with no costs reimbursed for response preparation, and the government is not committed to issuing a contract based on this announcement.

This pre-solicitation carries no small business set-aside designation and identifies no incumbent contractors. The USGS estimates processing approximately 300 zooplankton samples with a performance period not to exceed three years from award, though no specific contract value or budget range has been disclosed. The procurement falls under NAICS code 541380 (Testing Laboratory) with a $16.5 million size standard and Product Service Code B516 (Special Studies/Analysis–Animal/Fisheries), making the opportunity available to all responsible sources meeting the laboratory testing classification. The analysis must follow the Kayfetz et al. (2020) research guidelines with specific quality control protocols for species identification, and three potential analysis types are available: broad community composition, size class and abundance/biomass, and community analysis.