SOURCES SOUGHT
R -- STABLE ISOTOPE ANALYSIS OF SQUID AND FISH SAMPLES
- Notice Date
- 7/28/2010
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541990
— All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Eastern Region Acquisition Division-KC, 601 East 12th Street, Room 1756, Kansas City, Missouri, 64106, United States
- ZIP Code
- 64106
- Solicitation Number
- NFFN7600-10-17050SLW
- Point of Contact
- Sharon L. Walker, Phone: (816)426-7470
- E-Mail Address
-
sharon.walker@noaa.gov
(sharon.walker@noaa.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- Total Small Business
- Description
- DESC: The U.S. Department of Commerce (USDOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric and Administration (NOAA), and National Marine Fisheries in Miami, FL, intends to procure services to conduct stable isotope analysis for Carbon and Nitrogen from mesopelagic squid and fish tissues. During January - March 2010, the Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) conducted a research survey in the northern Gulf of Mexico to examine the distribution and composition of the prey of the endangered Sperm Whale. The study included the collection of mesopelagic fish and squids by trawling a large-mouth net at water depths from 500-800 m. All collected animals were identified to the lowest taxonomic level possible. A sub-sample of the collected specimens were sampled for stable isotope analysis. This sub-sampling involved the removal and storage of a small section of dorsal muscle tissue from fish and a piece of mantle tissue from squids. These samples were stored in cryo-vials at -20°C, and the samples remain in frozen storage. The goal of this project is to conduct stable isotope analysis of these frozen samples. Stable isotope analysis is a tool that has been used to describe food webs in numerous ecosystems. The stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen in tissues have commonly been used to evaluate the trophic level at which different taxonomic groups are feeding in food web analyses. The ratio between carbon stable isotopes (13C/12C) is typically an indicator of the source of carbon with more terrestrial carbon sources having generally lower ratios of 13C/12C compared to those from marine carbon sources. Nitrogen (15N/14N) stable isotope ratios are more directly linked to the trophic level with approximately 3 ‰ 15N enrichment with each successive increase in trophic level (Hansson et al. 1997). In this study, we will examine the trophic structure of the mesopelagic food web that support endangered sperm whales to evaluate the trophic level that they are feeding at and identify likely prey resources. The objective of this project is to analyze the carbon and nitrogen stable isotope composition of frozen tissues from mesopelagic fish and squids. Frozen squid and fish tissue samples will be sent by NOAA to the contractor for processing. The contractor will then conduct all sample handling and processing required to analyze the Carbon and Nitrogen stable isotope composition of the samples. Sample handling steps typically include: 1) sub-sampling frozen tissue, 2) acid washing and lipid extraction, 3) homogenization and drying, 4) weighing, and 5) preparation of samples by encapsulation. Stable isotope composition for Carbon and Nitrogen will be measured by Mass-Spectroscopy. All sample handling procedures and analysis tools must be in accordance with standards of practice defined by the scientific literature. The contractor should be aware that the results of the analysis for squid and fish tissues will be compared to similar signal integrity SI analysis of skin samples from sperm whales and other marine mammals. Thus, the sample handling (particularly lipid extraction) should be designed to facilitate valid comparisons among taxa feeding at different trophic levels. Up to a total of 1,200 samples will be analyzed as part of this contract. The NAICS code for this action is 541990. Request for Quotation documents will be available on or about August 9, 2010. Firms interested in receiving a copy of the solicitation should send an email to the contracting officer, referencing this announcement number or visit this website to download a copy. All responsible sources may submit a bid, which will be considered by the agency. This service is being procured under the guidelines of FAR Part 13, Simplified Acquisition Procedures. The Eastern Region, Acquisition Division (ERAD), requires that all contractors doing business with the Acquisition Office must be registered with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR). For additional information and to register in CCR please access the following website: http://www.ccr.gov/. In order to register with the CCR and to be eligible to receive an award from this acquisition office, all offerors must have a Dun & Bradstreet Number. A Dun & Bradstreet number may be acquired free of charge by contacting Dun & Bradstreet on-line at https://www.dnb.com/product/eupdate/requestOptions.html or by phone at (800) 333-0505. The government encourages all contractors submit their Certification and Representation thru the on-line Business Partner Network (BPN). The BPN is the single source for vendor data for the federal government. Contractors should go on-line at www.bpn.gov. No award can be made unless the vendor is registered in CCR. Responses should be faxed to 816-426-7530. Attn: Sharon Walker. Requests for the solicitation may be made by fax (816)426-7530 or e-mail.
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- SN02220332-W 20100730/100728235008-249cd507f3a1b4c01290a3730ab1c276 (fbodaily.com)
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