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Contract Opportunity

Sources Sought #1121730-SS

This is a Sources Sought notice Only. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. This Sources Sought is issued for information and planning purposes only as part of USDA ARS market research and does not itself constitute an RFQ.

Background

The USDA-ARS Diet Genomics and Immunology Laboratory (DGIL) at Beltsville Human Nutrition Center (BHNRC) in Maryland requires whole-genome shotgun sequencing services for 137 intestinal content samples and short chain fatty acid (SCFA) determination in 94 of these samples.

Requirements

The requirement is to generate Shotgun metagenomic sequencing using libraries derived from intestinal contents DNA and bioinformatic report that includes quantification of microbes and associated functions. In addition, determination of SCFA concentration is also required for part of the same intestinal content samples used for sequencing.

• The contractor will perform DNA extraction and library preparation for 137 intestinal content samples providing quality control data.


• Sequencing of libraries will be performed using Illumina platform with 2 x150 base pair-end reads and the Illumina Novaseq2 instrument for whole-genome shotgun sequencing with a mean depth of at least 9 million sequences per sample.


• Contractor will process and analyze 94 intestinal content samples for measuring short chain fatty acid (SCFA) concentration including: acetic, propionic, butyric, valeric, isovaleric, caproic and heptanoic acids using Gas Chromatography with flame Ionization detector (GC-FID) instrument.


• Contractor will generate Bioinformatic report including microbiome analysis of alpha and beta diversity, determination of most abundant taxonomic groups as well as the functional profile in each sample using SUPERFOCUS platform and UNIREF including different gene ontologies for functional assessment.

The Contractor Shall:

This Sources Sought is only for the purpose of identifying potential sources as part of USDA ARS market research. The Government does not intend to make an award based on responses to this inquiry. This notice does not constitute a commitment by the Government.

Responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible.

The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding the availability and capability of qualified sources including any Small Businesses; HUBZone small business; service-disabled, veteran-owned small business; 8(a) small business; veteran-owned small business; woman-owned small business; or small disadvantaged businesses. Please state if you are a large business or a small business according to the NAICS code listed in this Sources Sought.

All information submitted in response to this announcement is voluntary, and the Government will not pay for information requested nor will it compensate any respondent for any cost incurred in developing information provided to the Government.

Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response defines how it can specifically meet the specifications for the items requested. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After review of the responses received, a Combined Synopsis solicitation notice may be published on Sam.gov.

Submit the Following:

• Capability Statement that demonstrates your ability to meet the specific requirements, including Company Contact Info


• SAM.gov UEI Number


• Identify if you are a large business or a small business with NACIS 541990.

Original Point of Contact: All responses to this Sources Sought Notice must be received by April 1, 2024, by 2:00 PM EST, the specified due date and time to be considered.

Email responses to Jennifer Peterson at Jennifer.L.Peterson@usda.gov.

Responses will not be returned. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this Inquiry.

Do not submit pricing information in response to this Request.

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