Solicitation
Metagenomics & Transcriptomic Services
Department of the Interior · U.S. Geological Survey
AI summaryThe U.S. Geological Survey (USGS, Interior Department) wants a lab to run DNA and RNA sequencing for water-research samples. Work is ordered through a blanket purchase agreement (BPA: a standing agreement for later orders) capped at $300,000, estimated to run September 28, 2026 (passed) to September 27, 2031. The response due date is October 28, 2026, 2:30 PM Eastern (an amendment moved it to Nov 3, 2026, 2:30 PM EST); SAM.gov lists a total small business set-aside, yet Amendment 0001 says full and open competition. More in the summary
AI summary Beta
Summary of the version posted Oct 15, 2026. The notice was amended Oct 27, 2026. The due date moved from Oct 28, 2026 to Nov 3, 2026. Check what else changed on SAM.gov. This summary may miss requirements: 1 of 4 attachments weren't read (B08_Attachment_B_Pricing_Schedule_transcriptomic_services_0001.xlsx). Check the attachments on SAM.gov.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS, Interior Department) wants a lab to run DNA and RNA sequencing for water-research samples. Work is ordered through a blanket purchase agreement (BPA: a standing agreement for later orders) capped at $300,000, estimated to run September 28, 2026 (passed) to September 27, 2031. The response due date is October 28, 2026, 2:30 PM Eastern; SAM.gov lists a total small business set-aside, yet Amendment 0001 says full and open competition.
Who can bid
- Set-aside is unclear: SAM.gov lists a total small business set-aside, but Amendment 0001 says the solicitation is reopened for full and open competition
- Active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) when you submit the quote and at award
- References from three customers within the last three years
How to submit: Email to yvette_sornberger@ios.doi.gov, due October 28, 2026, 2:30 PM Eastern. What to include is under Full summary below. Check the solicitation's instructions on SAM.gov.
Things to watch (10)
- Serious: Set-aside conflict: small business only on SAM.gov, full and open in the amendment. SAM.gov lists a total small business set-aside, while Amendment 0001 reopens the solicitation for full and open competition; ask the contracting officer who may bid before you spend time on a quote.
- Worth checking: Price schedule (Attachment B) attached but not read. The Excel pricing schedule you must fill in was not read here, so the line items and units you must price are not in this brief; open it on SAM.gov.
- Worth checking: BPA is not a guaranteed contract. No work is promised: the BPA can be canceled by either side, the Government need not place orders, and each call order is capped at $100,000.
Show all 10Show fewer
- Worth checking: Three customer references plus subcontractor past performance. A new lab without three customers in the last three years has a weak Factor I, the most important factor; a proposed subcontractor's past performance must also be shown.
- Worth checking: Data delivery time is 60 business days in one place and 60 days in another. The technical requirements say 60 business days after receiving samples; the supporting information says 60 days. Ask the contracting officer which applies.
- Worth checking: Sequencing on four platforms plus data systems. A bidder must be able to run Illumina, AVITI, Oxford Nanopore and PacBio work as projects require, and also provide a LIMS and bioinformatics help.
- Minor: Response due date moved by Amendment 0001. The amendment sets October 28, 2026, 2:30 PM Eastern; the solicitation text still shows September 16, 2026, 2:30 PM Eastern, which the amendment replaces.
- Minor: Quality target and failure limit. Each run should have 75% of quality scores over 30, bad work is redone free within 30 days, and the Government may seek consideration for more than 2 sequencing failures a year.
- Minor: Sample delivery end date reads September 30, 3031. The statement of work gives an end date in the year 3031, while the BPA runs to September 27, 2031; confirm the intended date.
- Minor: Department of Labor wage determination applies. The contractor must follow the wage determination for the state and county where the services are performed, to be added at award.
Read from the notice and 3 attachments. 1 of 4 not read. Show which files.
- Sol_140G0226Q0145_Amd_0001.pdf (read)
- Sol_140G0226Q0145.pdf (read)
- B08_Attachment_A_-_Statement_of_Work_0001.pdf (read)
- B08_Attachment_B_Pricing_Schedule_transcriptomic_services_0001.xlsx: not read (the AI doesn't read this file type yet): open it on SAM.gov
Full summary
What they want
- Prepare sequencing libraries (barcoding, normalization, quantitation, pooling) from DNA and RNA that USGS staff extract and send
- Run shotgun metagenomic, whole genome and RNA sequencing on Illumina, AVITI, Oxford Nanopore or PacBio machines, as each project requires
- Run quality control checks after library prep and tell USGS about any samples that fail; USGS may still choose to proceed
- Deliver demultiplexed raw data plus a spreadsheet of sample IDs, barcodes, reads, quality scores and yield, with a methods document
- Make data available by secure FTP (file transfer) server or an external hard drive, for at least 60 days after delivery
- Offer or recommend bioinformatics analysis (genome assembly, transcriptome assembly, variant analysis, comparative genomics)
- Provide a web-based laboratory information management system (LIMS) where USGS uploads sample information
- Give advice on experiment planning and answer technical questions on methods and data
- Contract type
- Blanket purchase agreement (BPA), with each BPA call order awarded firm-fixed-price (FFP: one set price, whatever the work ends up costing)
- Period of performance
- BPA estimated 09/28/2026 to 09/27/2031 (five years); Amendment 0001 says the period of performance will be updated at the time of award. Either side can cancel with 30 days' written notice. Each call order sets its own period.
- Place of performance
- Not stated on SAM.gov. The delivery location listed is USGS Upper Midwest Water Science Center, 5840 Enterprise Drive, Lansing, MI 48911-4107.
- Estimated value
- BPA not-to-exceed amount of $300,000.00; individual call orders up to $100,000.00 each (Government ceiling, not an estimate of orders)
- How they'll choose
- Best value: technical (non-priced) factors in descending order of importance, and non-priced factors are significantly more important than cost
- Offers due
- October 28, 2026, 2:30 PM Eastern (from the version posted Oct 15, 2026; amended since)
- How to submit
- Email to yvette_sornberger@ios.doi.gov
What they'll judge offers on
- Factor I, Past Performance and Customer Representation: qualifications and experience of key personnel, staffing and effort for timely deliveries, and references from three customers within the last three years (plus past performance of any proposed subcontractor)
- Factor II, Product and Product Availability: current or future capability for metagenomics, whole genome sequencing and RNA-seq, shown with lab inventory, equipment lists or standard capability statements
- Price (cost): less important than the non-priced factors
What to include when you submit
- Address each evaluation factor; failing to include the documentation needed for evaluation may get the quote rejected.
- Send three customer references from the last three years, each with a point of contact name, phone number, email address and company address.
- If you propose a subcontractor for any of the work, include the subcontractor's past performance information.
- Describe the qualifications and experience of the key personnel (customer representative) and the personnel and effort proposed for timely, accurate deliveries.
- Show sequencing capability with documents such as lab inventory data, equipment and instrument lists, or standard operating capability statements.
- Fill in Attachment B, the price schedule, as a Microsoft Excel file.
- Be active in SAM, put "Unique Entity Identifier" and your unique entity ID (UEI) in the name and address block of the cover page, and complete the representations and certifications.
- Acknowledge Amendment 0001 before the response due date (Standard Form 30 items 8 and 15, or a letter or email naming the solicitation and amendment numbers).
- If you cannot invoice through Treasury's Invoice Processing Platform (IPP), send a written waiver request with your quote.
Not in the notice text
- Attachment B, the Excel price schedule (B08_Attachment_B_Pricing_Schedule_transcriptomic_services_0001.xlsx), is attached on SAM.gov but was not read; the items and units to price are in it.
- Who may bid: SAM.gov says total small business set-aside, Amendment 0001 says full and open competition.
- The place of performance is not given on SAM.gov; the documents give only the USGS delivery location in Lansing, Michigan.
- The final BPA period of performance: Amendment 0001 says it will be updated at the time of award.
- The question deadline in the solicitation is September 10, 2026; Amendment 0001 gives no new question date.
- How many samples or sequencing runs USGS expects is not stated; projects vary in sample size and runs.
Eligibility and how to respond
- Set aside for small businesses: only a business that counts as small under this notice's NAICS code can bid as the prime contractor. More open small business set-asides under NAICS 541380
- How to submit, from the AI summary: Email to yvette_sornberger@ios.doi.gov. Check it in the notice before you send anything.
- SAM.gov has no description for this notice beyond its title. The work is described in its attachments, listed under Notice details.
- Service contracts usually set minimum pay rates (the Service Contract Act). Price the labor with the SCA price calculator.
Notice details
- Posted
- Oct 27, 2026
- Notice type
- Solicitation
- Office
- Ofc of Acquisition Grants-Denver, CO
- Product/service code
- B516 · Special Studies/Analysis – Animal/Fisheries
- Business type
- Engineering, architecture & research (FedReady's grouping, from NAICS 541380)
- Versions
3 versions have been posted, newest first.
- Oct 27, 2026 · Amendment 0002 (this version)Due Nov 3, 2026 (changed)
- Oct 15, 2026 · Amendment 0001Due Oct 28, 2026
- Oct 8, 2026 · SolicitationDue Oct 28, 2026
- Attachments
Past awards and competition
Who has won work like this before, the likely incumbent, and what similar contracts paid, from USAspending.gov.
Before you respond
- How to respond to a solicitation (8 steps)
- How to read a government solicitation
- How to price a government contract
- Set-aside contracts explained
Terms on this notice: Solicitation, Set-aside
Full notice text from SAM.gov
METAGENOMICS & TRANSCRIPTOMIC SERVICES
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