A market survey is being conducted to determine if there are adequate Small Business, SBA certified HUBZone, SBA-certified 8(a), Women-Owned, or Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) contractors available for a proposed project who meet the specific criteria outlined below.

This is a SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE ONLY. This is not a solicitation Announcement or Request for Quote. It does not constitute any commitment by the Government. No award will result from this notice. The purpose is to conduct market research to gain knowledge of potentially qualified sources and to determine the capability of Small Business and/or Large Business companies to provide the supplies/services described below. Responses to this Sources Sought Notice will be used by the Government to make an appropriate acquisition decision. Department of Agriculture (ARS) requests responses from ALL socioeconomic categories in order to gain a more complete understanding of the market for these products and service.

The USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) will not award a contract on the basis of responses or pay for the preparation of any information submitted. Respondents will not be notified of the results of this notice. After completing an analysis of the responses, the Government will determine whether to limit competition to 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, Women-Owned, or other small business firms, or to proceed with issuing an unrestricted solicitation, inviting full and open competition.

The NAICS code for the expected acquisition is 541380, with a Size Standard of $16.5 million and the PSC Code is B529. Any subsequent procurement will be conducted as a commercial item purchased in accordance with FAR Part 12 and as a Simplified Acquisition Procedure in accordance with FAR Part 13.

The Department of Agriculture (ARS) has the need for the following services:

001) Soybean Genotyping Service

Scope of Work:

The UDSA-ARS Plant Genetics Research Unit in Columbia, MO will be requesting quotes for the whole genome and user specific SNP genotyping of 1,000 soybean plant samples.

Background:

Modern soybean breeding requires large numbers of genetic markers, typically in the form of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs). This is a genomic selection project, which requires whole genome coverage of at least 1050 SNPs covering all major haplotype blocks of the twenty chromosomes of soybean. In addition, we have another 319 SNPs highly valuable to our studies which we need to obtain genotypic information.

Technical Requirements:

Service tasks include:

1. Receive lyophilized plant tissue samples from USDA-ARS. ARS will plan to ship samples before the end of June, 2021.
2. Perform DNA isolation, DNA quality control and normalization to permit downstream genotyping.
3. Perform all steps needed to accurately call (~≥90%) genotypes for at least 1050 SNPs covering all major haplotype blocks of the 20 chromosomes of soybean, using 1000 soybean plant samples provided by ARS. USDA-ARS can provide SNP positions or alternately an existing method can be used provided it meets our minimum requirements.
4. Design a new multiplex genotyping method to call 319 user-provided SNP positions. 
5. Perform all steps need to accurately call (~≥90%) genotypes for 319 user-provided SNP positions for 1000 soybean samples provided by ARS. Quote must include all bioinformatic analyses – raw sequencing data (e.g. FASTQ files) are not acceptable on their own. If relevant, raw sequencing data is requested (but not required) in addition to genotypic data provided in either excel tabular format or hapmap file format.
6. Data must be provided in either hapmap or excel file format electronically submitted by email to [email protected] no later than August 31st, 2021 to permit breeding decisions. Data must be at least 90% complete on average in regard to each of the genotype x SNP combinations.

Government Furnished:

USDA-ARS researcher will provide 1000 lyophilized soybean leaf tissue samples. The service provider is solely responsible for the entire service. The service provider will submit a report to end user at the end of the completion of the service.

Data Rights:

USDA-ARS will retain all rights to genotypic information for the 1000 samples.

Key Deliverables:     

1. DNA isolation of 1,000 soybean plant samples.
2. Provide genotypic information for 1000 soybean samples for at least 1050 SNPs covering all major haplotype blocks across 20 chromosomes.
3. Develop and test 319 new SNP multiplex assays.
4. Provide genotypic information for the 319 new user-provided SNP positions, using 1,000 soybean samples.

Evaluation Factors:

1. Technical Requirements – Must meet all of the technical capabilities/features outlined in the “Technical Requirements” section of the solicitation with priority given to items 3-6 and items 1-4 outlines in the “Key Deliverables” section of the solicitation. Documentation attesting to the vendor’s ability meet these technical requirements is required to be submitted as part of their capabilities statement.
2. Price – The vendor with the lowest price quote that meets the stated technical requirements referenced in evaluation factor one (1) will receive the final award when quotes are requested.
3. Past Performance

Delivery: 

All genotypic data generated by the vendor will be submitted to the ARS by no later than August 31, 2021 through email to Jason Gillman at [email protected].

The Government anticipates award of a Firm Fixed Price contract.

Capability Statement:

Companies who have the experience, as well as an interest in doing business with ARS, should submit a Capabilities Statement which, for this notice, is not expected to be a proposal, but rather short statements regarding the company’s ability to demonstrate their expertise and experience in relation to the areas specified in this notice.

Companies should also indicate whether they are a Small Business, SBA-certified HUBZone, SBA-certified 8(a), SDVOSB, or Women-Owned Small Business.

To be eligible, all vendors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) with a current and active registration. A DUNS (Dun and Bradstreet) number is required in order to register in SAM. A vendor can contact SAM by calling 1-866-606-8220 or e-mail at www.sam.gov. NO EXCEPTIONS. Vendor must include their DUNS# on their capability statements.

To be eligible, all vendors must also be registered in SAM under the specific NAICS code listed as part of this sources sought. If a prospective vendor is not registered under the specified NAICS code and would qualify to be registered under it then they must update their SAM registration prior to providing a capabilities statement.

Finally, to be eligible, all vendors must be NDAA 889 Certified. If they do not currently have a NDAA 889 Certification, then they must complete the attached NDAA 889 Certification form and submit it to [email protected] so that they can be added to the list of NDAA 889 Certified vendors.

Submitting a Capability Statements:

Responses should be submitted via email to [email protected] by Thursday, May 20, 2021 at 4:00 p.m. CST. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted. Questions should be directed to Aaron Dimeo at [email protected] by no later than Tuesday, May 18, 2021 at 4:00 p.m. (CST).

Disclaimer:

This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Respondents are also advised that under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of information or provide feedback about any of the information received.  After review of the responses received, the Government may issue a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation. No proprietary, sensitive, confidential or classified information shall be included with your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation.