AS26-51 Phycology Taxonomy

The State of Utah Division of Purchasing, in conjunction with the Division of Water Quality, is issuing RFP AS26-51 to procure phycology taxonomy services through a single contract award for a five-year term. The contractor will provide expertise to identify and enumerate organisms from periphyton, phytoplankton, and potentially zooplankton samples collected from Utah water bodies. Core deliverables include taxonomic identification and enumeration results in standardized reporting formats, quality assurance and quality control documentation, taxa translator files that crosswalk results with national databases, and voucher flora files for regional and national standardization efforts. The contractor must process approximately 500 phytoplankton samples annually (up to 100 per year) from Utah lakes and 300 periphyton samples annually (up to 60 per year) from Utah streams, with results due prior to April 30th each year. Key qualifications include demonstrated phycology expertise in organism identification and enumeration, ability to meet all work elements, ensure data comparability with the Division's historic data spanning over 20 years, and provide ongoing consultation services on data interpretation. The evaluation process consists of three stages: initial responsiveness review, technical evaluation using 700 points across three criteria (40% for meeting work elements, 40% for data comparability, and 60% for qualifications and experience), and cost evaluation using 300 points with the lowest-cost proposer receiving maximum points. Proposals must achieve a minimum technical score of 490 points (70% of technical criteria) to advance to virtual interviews. The proposal due date is April 28, 2026, with vendors required to submit cost proposals separately from technical responses and to guarantee pricing for the entire five-year contract term.

No set-aside designations or restrictions on vendor types are specified in the procurement documents, nor are disadvantaged enterprise requirements mentioned. No incumbent vendors or current contractors are identified in the available solicitation materials. The contractor must provide all equipment, software, and materials necessary for sample processing, including chain of custody documentation and archival preparation, while the Division of Water Quality will supply field collection materials, sample bottles, preservation materials, and associated metadata. The contractor must comply with Utah Code Annotated 63G-6a, maintain workers' compensation insurance, and carry commercial general liability insurance of no less than $1,000,000 per occurrence and $3,000,000 aggregate. The contract is governed by Utah law with venue in Salt Lake City's Third Judicial District Court. No specific award value or budget range is provided in the solicitation documents; however, vendors must submit per-sample pricing for routine processing with pricing guaranteed for the first year and all subsequent price increase requests requiring market research justification and agency approval.