Zooplankton analysis

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Office of Acquisitions and Grants has published a Special Notice of Intent for a single-source Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract for zooplankton analysis services. The agency intends to award this contract to ICF Jones & Stokes, Inc., based on their existing relationship and specialized capabilities in conducting zooplankton analyses for field studies in the Sacramento-San Joaquin areas. The notice is being published in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) requirements to allow other interested vendors to submit quotations before the government makes its final award decision. This is classified as a commercial item acquisition under simplified acquisition procedures, and the contract falls under NAICS code 541380 (Testing Laboratory). The procurement is for laboratory processing of biological plankton samples to support ecological studies and resource management decision-making for state and federal agencies.

The primary objective of this procurement is to obtain specialized zooplankton analysis services that maintain data comparability and consistency with USGS's ongoing monitoring protocols in California's Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta region. Interested contractors must submit their quotations electronically to yangzhideng@usgs.gov and must be received in their entirety by January 23, 2026 at 1500 PST; hardcopy or web portal submissions will not be accepted. The contract work involves analyzing zooplankton samples through three types of community composition analyses, with deliverables required in Excel format within 90 days of sample receipt, and the overall performance period not to exceed five years from award. While the government's stated intent is to award to ICF Jones & Stokes due to their unique expertise and compatibility with established methodological and data quality standards, all responsible parties may submit competing quotations that will be considered at the government's sole discretion. The USGS reserves the right not to compete this action based on responses received and commits to competing future similar requirements to the maximum extent practical.