Inactive

THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE ONLY. This notice does not constitute a commitment by the Government. All information submitted in response to this announcement is voluntary, and the Government will n... THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE ONLY. This notice does not constitute a commitment by the Government. 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. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) desires to: Purchase DNA for our DNA library on the gut microbiome. The DNA is extracted from samples of in vitro, cultured, gut microbiota treated with different foods or food components. ARS will decide with food and food components are to be tested. The gut microbiota used for culturing is required to be harvested fresh (not frozen) from subjects that are healthy humans. Demographic data on the subjects will be required on demand, but only if deemed necessary by ARS scientists. After harvesting fresh fecal samples, they will be processed using a phosphate buffer following industry standards. The harvested gut microbiota samples will be cultured for 6, 24 or 48 hours using the SIFR® technology. The samples will be maintained anaerobic and at 37 °C during culturing. Samples will be taken at set time points during culturing for DNA extraction. ARS scientists will determine what time points require sampling. The DNA samples are required to be ? 5 ng/µL in a total volume of > 49 µL each. Samples will be frozen and shipped on dry ice to maintain integrity. As part of its market research, USDA ARS is issuing this Sources Sought to determine if there exist an adequate number of qualified interested contractors capable of providing the requirement. The Government may use the responses to this Sources Sought for information and planning purposes. This Sources Sought is only for the purpose of identifying potential sources as part of USDA ARS market research. No Request for Quote (RFQ) exists; therefore, do not request a copy of the RFQ. Responses to this Sources Sought are not quotes on which USDA ARS can issue any contract. This Sources Sought is issued for information and planning purposes only and does not itself constitute an RFQ. The Government does not intend to award a contract or BPAs based only on responses to this Sources Sought. All information received in response to this Sources Sought marked "Proprietary" will be protected and handled accordingly. Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary or competition sensitive information contained in their response. In response to this source sought, please provide: 1. Name of the firm, point of contact, phone number, email address, DUNS number, CAGE code, a statement regarding small business status (including small business type(s)/certifications(s) such as SDB, 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, WOSB, etc.) and the corresponding NAICS code. 2. Identify whether your firm is interested in competing for this requirement. 3. Information in sufficient detail regarding previous experience on similar requirements. 4. Information to help determine if the service requirement is commercially available, including pricing information, basis for the pricing information (e.g., market pricing, catalog pricing), delivery schedules, customary terms and conditions, warranties, proprietary information, etc. 7. Recommendations to improve the approach/specifications to acquiring the identified items/services. 8. Verification that you are an authorized user of SIFR® technology. Responses to the Sources Sought will not be returned. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this Sources Sought. USDA ARS will not pay for information received in response to this Sources Sought. Do not submit pricing information in response to this Sources Sought. Please send responses with the subject heading DNA to Tyshanah Holloway email address: Tyshanah.Holloway@usda.gov by 29 April 2022 at 3pm EST.