Notice of Intent to negotiate sole source contract with Texas A&M University Corpus Christi
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 U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Southeast Fisheries Science Center has issued a Special Notice of Intent to award a sole source, firm fixed-price contract to Texas A&M University Corpus Christi. The purpose is to develop a high-quality reference genome for the sandbar shark, which is critical for population assessment research. Firms that believe they can fully meet this requirement must submit substantiating documentation by June 26, 2026.
Scope of Work
This requirement focuses on the efficient discovery of markers for accurate kinship assignment by developing a high-quality genome for the sandbar shark, which currently does not exist. The work involves:
- High-coverage DNA sequencing of a single male sandbar shark.
- Extraction of high molecular weight DNA from heart tissue.
- Utilization of Pacific Biosciences (PacBio) long-read sequencing for accurate sequence scaffolds, assembled with canu software.
- Chromosome conformation capture (Hi-C) sequencing to assemble PacBio scaffolds into a near chromosome-scale assembly.
- Optical density mapping to ensure proper chromosome assembly.
- Resequencing the genomes of 20 individuals at moderate-depth (~20x) using Illumina DNA Prep Kit and NovaSeq platform, to characterize genomic architecture differences.
This research is necessary to further studies on determining sandbar shark population size using close-kin mark recapture and age structure using epigenetics, aligning with NOAA Fisheries' priority to advance Omics in population assessment.
Contract & Timeline
- Type: Special Notice (Notice of Intent to Sole Source)
- Intended Contract Type: Firm Fixed Price
- Set-Aside: None (Sole Source)
- NAICS: 541380 (Animal And Fisheries Studies) - Small Business Size Standard: $19M
- Response Due: June 26, 2026 (15 days from June 11, 2026)
- Published: June 11, 2026
- Place of Performance: Panama City, FL
Evaluation
This notice is not a request for competitive proposals. Responses will be evaluated solely to determine if the procurement can be conducted on a competitive basis. The Government believes that only Texas A&M University Corpus Christi, specifically Dr. David S. Portnoy, possesses the extensive experience, access to historical samples, and unique knowledge required for this specialized genetic analysis.
Additional Notes
Oral communications are not acceptable. Submissions must be in writing and emailed to amy.gilliland@noaa.gov. A determination by the Government not to compete this requirement is solely at its discretion.