USDA Sole Source Notification for Neogen GeneSeek Genotyping Services used at the National Wildlife Research Center in Fort Collins, CO

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) located in Fort Collins, CO intends to issue a sole source, 2-year Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract to GeneSeek, a Neogen company, located in Lincoln, NE for under the authority of FAR 13.106-1(b) and FAR 13.5. The NWRC is in need of genotyping services that provide a very high resolution of the genetic differentiation among individual pigs and among feral swine populations across the United States. High resolution genetic information will maximize the return on investment by allowing these genotypes to be used for numerous management and research projects. This information will allow NWRC to develop a detailed map of feral swine genetics across the United States, describe the patterns of range expansion of feral swine via both natural dispersal and human-facilitated introduction, identify cryptic elements of feral swine ecology such as dispersal distance and variation in reproductive success, and quantify the relative susceptibility of feral swine populations to various pathogens that are important for both domestic pig production and human health. The Neogen GeneSeek Genotyping Services are High Density Single Nucleotide Polymorphism genotyping services used for feral swine. GeneSeek's large market share allows them to provide full service genotyping (acceptance of genetic samples, DNA extraction, and genotype quantification, and delivery of data) at a substantial discount from what it would take to set up a similar testing process in house. Furthermore, GeneSeek has become the industry standard for genotyping services. GeneSeek was previously awarded similar genotyping contracts with the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in which ARS and NWRC scientists collectively genotyped over 8400 feral swine using GeneSeek's proprietary genotyping bead array. In order to continue building a seamless dataset, reap the scientific benefits of a long-term dataset, and maximize the scientific return on financial investment, it is necessary to continue contracting with GeneSeek for our feral swine genotyping needs. A 2-year sole source, firm fixed-price IDIQ contract will be awarded. The maximum contract value over 2 years is not-to-exceed $258,000.00 for genotype testing as-needed. Fixed pricing is $43.00 per sample throughout the contract duration. No formal solicitation will be issued. This notice is for informational purposes only. However, all interested parties may contact the Contracting Officer listed below. Anyone interested in responding to this requirement must be able to provide compelling evidence that they can provide equivalent genotyping testing services in a timely manner and at a reasonable cost. Responses must be submitted electronically, via email, to [email protected]. The deadline for the submittal of responses is Wednesday, May 9, 2018, 12:00 noon central time. Point of contact: Michael Chiodi, Contracting Officer, Telephone: (612) 336-3203, E-mail: [email protected].