The Department of Veterans Affairs, Bronx VA Medical Center Research Department has a requirement for RNA Sequencing services to support research studies of the Bronx VA Medical Center. The purpose of this Sources Sought notice is to determine responsible sources that can provide this type of service, and to determine the correct set-aside to be used for the resulting solicitation. The specimens that are needed to be analyzed by RNA-sequencing assay are prone to degradation at temperatures higher than -80 C, and should be kept frozen on dry ice. Therefore, the potential contractor must be located in the New York Metropolitan area, allowing for the specimens to be delivered to the contractor by the VA personnel.
The method employed in these studies involves ultra-high through-put Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) of DNA and RNA. NGS is performed in specialized genomics facilities/ centers using specialized instruments. The goal of this particular contract is to analyze RNA expression in 30 specimens using NGS. The method is called RNA-seq. The results of these RNA-seq studies will be used to gain a better understanding of gene expression abnormalities associated with mild blast-related Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), and to further identify biomarkers of TBI.
The VA will perform RNA extraction from 30 specimens. The RNA samples will be delivered to the contractor by the VA. The contractor shall first perform quality control (QC) analysis of the delivered samples using a Bioanalyzer. The contractor shall then perform whole genome sequencing analysis (RNA-seq) for the 30 samples. The sequencing shall be performed using paired-end 125bp method, as well as sequencing of small RNAs. The contractor shall provide initial bioinformatics analysis of the data.
This notice is not a request for competitive proposals, however; any responsible source who believes it is capable of meeting the requirement may submit a capability statement to the contracting office no later than January 7, 2016 (4:00PM, EST). Capability statements shall be submitted via email to the Contracting Officer at
[email protected]. No telephone responses will be accepted. The anticipated NAICS Code to be used for this requirement will be 541711. A set-aside determination will be decided based on responses received.
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