SOURCES SOUGHT
R -- BILLFISH SPECIES IDENTIFICATION ASSAYS
- Notice Date
- 8/12/2010
- 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
- NFFN7600-10-16846SLW
- 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 (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries, located in Miami, FL intends to acquire services to provide Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) forensic identification of Atlantic billfishes for management, conservation and law enforcement for the National marine Fisheries Service in Miami, FL. Dr. Shivji is an internationally recognized leader in the area of developing molecular forensic techniques to problems of species identification in pelagic fisheries research, management and law enforcement. At his laboratory at NOVA Southeastern University he has pioneered the development of a unique, highly streamlined forensic method to identify shark species, and this work is now being used routinely for fisheries regulation by NOAA's Office of Law Enforcement. Dr. Shivji's progress on the billfish contract in FY06 has been exemplary and resulted in a peer review paper on a discovery of major importance to U.S. billfish management: the validation of roundscale spearfish as a legitimate species and its overlapping distribution with white marlin in U.S. western Atlantic waters (Shivji et al. 2006). Of critical importance for billfish management and accurate assessment of white marlin stocks is that the forensic method developed be able to rapidly distinguish larvae and carcasses of white marlin from the newly discovered and morphologically almost identical roundscale spearfish. Dr. Shivji is the only known person who has sufficient samples of the roundscale spearfish (collected over the past 3 years) to successfully complete this requirement. His important research finding testifies to his ability to not only conduct the work successfully, but also collaborate with the government in an efficient manner) to complete the required contract tasks. His progress to date also includes the development of species-specific markers (PCR primers) that are showing great promise for packaging together (PCR multiplexing) for use in a single-tube, rapid PCR forensic assay. FY2010 research includes confirming the utility of these primers on larger samples sets of Atlantic billfishes from throughout their distribution. Dr. Shivji's NOVA Southeastern University laboratory, as the pioneer in development of the streamlined, multi-species forensic assay, is the only known person with direct experience to develop a similar forensic assay for billfish. His lab is into this assay development process, and is thus the only known person positioned to complete the task in the short time-frame (12 months) available. His NOVA Southeastern University lab contains all the required state-of-the- art molecular research equipment, and has the advantage of being located in close proximity to the Southeast Fisheries Science Center (30 minutes by car), enabling rapid transfer of highly perishable billfish tissue samples. There is no feasible alternatives known to Shivji at this time, given the complexity and specificity of this work, his direct experience in processing and analyzing billfish tissues for species determination, the collection of billfish samples already in his lab (especially roundscale spearfish), and the critical need to maintain continuity with the government. This contract is essential for meeting Agency objectives of NOAA Fisheries Atlantic Billfish Research Plan (http://www.sefsc.noaa.gov/PDFdocs/ABRP_01_30_04.pdf), which identifies species identification of eviscerated adult billfish carcasses as a critical research need. Project Goal and Task: To address the need for better billfish species identification assays, The contractor will use his extensive experience with DNA forensic identification method development (Pank et al. 2001; Shivji et al. 2002; Chapman et al. 2003; Abercrombie et al. 2005; Shivji et al. 2005; Clarke et al. 2006; Magnussen et al. 2007; and unpublished data) to finish and submit for publication the development of a highly streamlined assay for five Atlantic billfish species (blue marlin, white marlin, Atlantic sailfish, longbill spearfish, roundscale spearfish) of primary management interest. This assay will provide a quick species identification capability for identifying adults at transshipment ports which have already been dressed at sea, without the normal compliment of identifiable parts to recognize adults. The government knows of only one source Dr. Mahmood Shivji, Nova southeastern University to provide this service. Interested parties shall provide information to include, at a minimum, name, telephone number and address of concerns for which you have furnished this type of services previously, and detailed narrative that described your facility and ability to provide this service. Interested parties must respond within (10) ten days after publication of this notice. The government knows of only one source. The government invites firms that believe they have the capability to meet the requirement to response, providing specific information that will enable the government to determine whether or not to compete the requirement. Faxed information can be sent to 816-274-6983 or physically sent Department of Commerce, Attn: Sharon Walker, 601 E. 12th St, Room 1756, Kansas City, MO 64106. Email responses can be sent to Sharon.walker@noaa.gov. After results of this market research are obtained and analyzed, NOAA may conduct a competitive procurement and subsequently award a Purchase Order. If at least two qualified small businesses are identified during this market research stage, then any competitive procurement that resulted would be conducted as a small business set-aside.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DOC/NOAA/CASC/NFFN7600-10-16846SLW/listing.html)
- Record
- SN02238259-W 20100814/100812235132-b1d02b74b339f727c8e6b514b2ac82df (fbodaily.com)
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