B529--Prostate Cancer-Specific Sequencing Services
Overview
Buyer
Place of Performance
NAICS
PSC
Set Aside
Original Source
Timeline
Qualification Details
Fit reasons
- NAICS alignment with historical contract wins in similar service areas.
- Scope strongly matches core technical capabilities and delivery model.
Risks
- Past performance thresholds may require one additional teaming partner.
- Potential clarification needed on staffing minimums before bid/no-bid.
Next steps
Validate eligibility requirements, assign capture owner, and schedule partner outreach to confirm teaming strategy before submission planning.
Quick Summary
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), specifically the Regional Procurement Office (RPO) - East, has issued a Pre-Solicitation Notice announcing its intent to award a sole source contract to The Broad Institute, Inc. for prostate cancer-specific sequencing services. These services are critical for a VA Merit award study led by Dr. Franklin W. Huang at the San Francisco VA Healthcare System (SFVAHCS). Interested parties must contact the Contracting Officer by April 6, 2026.
Purpose & Background
This notice outlines the VA's intent to procure specialized sequencing services for Dr. Huang's VA Merit award study, which has tumor sequencing requirements across Aim 1 and Aim 3. The Broad Institute's prostate cancer-specific sequencing protocol is deemed essential due to its unique optimization for challenging prostate tissue samples, ensuring data yield and quality for Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) and downstream analysis. Using an unproven protocol would risk data failure, significant cost duplication, and delays to the 4-year prospective enrollment schedule for veteran patients.
Scope of Work
The vendor will perform prostate cancer-specific sequencing for SFVAHCS over a three-year period. Key tasks include:
- Performing PCR+ Human WGS - 30x v3_FFPE_DRAGEN for 150 samples.
- Performing PCR+ Human WGS - 60x v3_FFPE_DRAGEN for 150 samples.
- Ensuring anonymization and secure handling of all samples.
- Providing tumor and normal genome sequencing specific to prostate cancer tissue.
- Delivering FASTQ, BAM, and VCF files, along with quality metrics (e.g., Q30, coverage uniformity).
- Utilizing an FFPE-compatible workflow and secure data transfer.
Contract & Timeline
- Type: Pre-Solicitation Notice (Intent to Sole Source)
- Duration: One (1) year base period with two (2) option years.
- Set-Aside: None (Sole Source)
- NAICS: 541380 (Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences) with a $19M size standard.
- PSC: B529 (Scientific Data Studies)
- Response Due: April 6, 2026, 3:59 PM ET
- Published: March 30, 2026
Rationale for Sole Source
The government's rationale for a sole source award is based on FAR 6.302.1-1 (Only One Responsible Source). The Broad Institute, Inc. possesses a unique and corroborated prostate cancer-specific sequencing protocol that is critical for the success of the research aims, particularly given the tissue specificity challenges and the impact on downstream research (Aim 3). No other known source can satisfy these requirements without jeopardizing the study's integrity, incurring substantial costs, and causing significant delays.
Action Items
Interested persons who believe they can meet the agency's requirements may contact the Contracting Officer, Ms. Millicent Covert, via email at millicent.covert@va.gov. The determination to conduct a competitive procurement based on responses to this notice is solely at the Contracting Officer's discretion. Calls will not be accepted.