Inactive

Synopsis: The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service, is requesting information regarding the capability to provide extraction, library preparation and shotgun s... Synopsis: The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service, is requesting information regarding the capability to provide extraction, library preparation and shotgun sequencing of DNA. PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES: The primary objective of issuing the sources sought notice is to seek information from vendors with the capability of providing extraction, library preparation and shotgun sequencing of DNA on NovaSeq S4 platform for 36 samples collected from populations of honey bees from Puerto Rico and South Africa. The center will process 36 ethanol- and freeze-preserved samples previously obtained in coordination with them for the final goal of obtaining reads through shotgun sequencing. Some of the samples are already in possession by the center, while others will be delivered. For each sample, DNA will be extracted using Qiagen DNA mini kit. Resulting DNA concentration will be determined using Qubit High Sensitivity dsDNA kit and DNA size distribution will be assessed with Agilent Fragment Analyzer high sensitivity large fragment 50kb assay. Library will be prepared using Illumina Nextera XT kit. Library quality control will be examined using Qubit and Agilent Fragment Analyzer. Final step includes paired-read sequencing which will be conducted on Illumina NovaSeq S4 with a target of 18 Gb per sample. This is not a request for proposals, but instead market research to determine interested vendors prior to issuing a solicitation. Pricing information provided is for estimation purposes only. A determination by the Government on the method of competing this requirement has not been established. The Government will not award a contract based on this Sources Sought Notice or the information received, nor will it reimburse participants for the information they provide. If you are an interested vendor, please provide the following information: 1) Business name and point of contact; 2) DUNS number and CAGE code; 3) business size; and 4) a brief statement of Capability (no more than three pages) which demonstrates the ability to meet the specialized work requirements above. Include any past performance information on contracts of similar size and scope. Electronic responses are preferred. Information provided will not be used as a part of any subsequent solicitation requirement. Interested sources who submit data are responsible for appropriately marking information if it is proprietary in nature. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract action based on this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Responses are due no later than 2:00 p.m., Central Time, on Tuesday, September 1, 2020, to the attention of Jessica Pacheco, Contract Specialist, via e-mail to jessica.pacheco@usda.gov.