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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. Department of Commerce, NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML), Ocean Chemistry and Ecosystems Division, is seeking a contractor to provide the following:

1. Illumina sequencing library preparation:
   
   
   
   1. Vendor must be conducive to local sample delivery (no shipping required) to avoid destructive freeze-thaw cycles
   
   
   2. Must be able to prepare 16S rRNA amplicon libraries from marine environmental DNA (“eDNA”). Library preparation must include:
      
      
      
      1. eDNA quantification
      
      
      2. Two rounds of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification, barcoding, clean-up, quality check, and equimolar sample pooling.
      
      
      3. Library preparation with NexteraXT adapters
      
      
      4. Proven track record of success with eDNA from marine water filters
      
      
      
      
   
   
   3. Must be able to prepare shotgun sequencing libraries from marine eDNA. Library preparation must include:
      
      
      
      1. Amplification, clean-up, quality check, and equimolar sample pooling.
      
      
      2. With proven track record of success with eDNA from marine water filters
      
      
      
      
   
   
   
   


2. Illumina Sequencing:
   
   
   
   1. Must be able to complete 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, including:
      
      
      
      1. With flexible read length options ranging from 50bp reads to 2 x 300bp paired-end (PE) reads.
      
      
      2. With flexible options in read depth, ie using instruments from the nano MiSeq to NextSeq 2000
      
      
      3. Sample multiplexing with up to 300 samples/run
      
      
      4. With data delivered directly to AOML/OCED researchers via external servers and data availability for up to 1 year following completion of sequencing
      
      
      
      
   
   
   2. Must be able to conduct shotgun metagenomic sequencing, including:
      
      
      
      1. Multiplexing samples such that 5-10 Gbp data is generated for each sample
      
      
      2. With read lengths up to 2 x 250 bp PE on an Illumina NextSeq 2000 instrument
      
      
      3. With data delivered directly to AOML/OCED researchers via external servers and data availability for up to 1 year following completion of sequencing
      
      
      
      
   
   
   
   

The core mission of the Department of Commerce, Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) Ocean Chemistry and Ecosystems Division centers on assessment of marine biodiversity, ecosystem function, and resilience. As part of this mission, numerous projects rely on the genetic analysis of hundreds to thousands of environmental DNA (“eDNA”) samples. This genetic analysis requires highly technical molecular biological protocols: DNA quantification, sequence library preparation, sequencing, and sequence data quality control. It is critical that these steps are reproducible.

This Sources Sought is only for the purpose of identifying potential sources as part of AOML’s 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 AOML 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 BPA 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, SAM Unique Entity Identification Number (UEI), CAGE code, a statement regarding business status indicating rather large or small (including small business type(s)/certifications(s) such as SDB, 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, WOSB, etc.) and the corresponding NAICS code for your business.

2. Information whether your firm already has technologies in place to meet the requirements outlined.

3. Identify whether your firm is interested in competing for this requirement.

4. Provide any Information to help determine if the requirement is commercially available, delivery schedules, customary terms and conditions, warranties, proprietary information, etc.

5. Provide any recommendations to improve the approach/specifications to acquiring the identified item.

Responses to this Sources Sought will not be returned. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this Sources Sought. AOML will not pay for information received in response to this Sources Sought.

Please send responses with the subject heading DNA SEQUENCING SERVICES to Elizabeth.Perez@noaa.gov email address: Tyshanah.Holloway@usda.gov by March 09, 2023 at 10:00am EST.

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