The USGS Florence Bascom Geoscience Center intends to award a non-competitive purchase order to the Regents of the University of Minnesota for geochemical analyses of water and sediment samples supporting the project “Drought and Flood Extremes of the Continental United States: Past to Present.” The work requires preserving frozen sediment cores, with storage and analysis at the University of Minnesota in Duluth, MN, and delivery to Reston, VA. The base period is 9/21/2026–9/20/2027, with four option years extending through 9/20/2031; the anticipated award date is 09/18/2026. The University of Minnesota is described as the only nearby facility within the required 200-mile radius capable of maintaining frozen