SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE
This is a Sources Sought Notice only. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding the availability and capability of qualified small businesses, including Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSBs) and Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (VOSBs), to perform the work described below. Responses to this notice will be used by the Government to make appropriate acquisition decisions.
Title: Strand-Specific RNA Sequencing (RNA-Seq) Services for Gene Expression Profiling of Human Choroid Plexus Tissue
Acquisition ID#: 36C24126Q0705
NAICS Code: 541714 Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology)
Product Service Code (PSC): Q301 Medical - Reference Laboratory Testing
Contracting Office: VA Bedford Healthcare System, Bedford, Massachusetts
Anticipated Period of Performance: 1 year from date of award
1. Purpose
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is conducting market research to identify qualified sources capable of providing strand-specific RNA sequencing services in support of a neurodegenerative disease research program. This notice is issued in accordance with FAR Part 10 to determine whether qualified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSBs), Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (VOSBs), or other small businesses exist that can perform this requirement, in order to make an appropriate small business set-aside or full-and-open competition determination.
The determination of whether this acquisition will be set aside for SDVOSBs/VOSBs, set aside for other small businesses, or conducted as a full-and-open competition will be made based on the responses received to this notice. Responding firms are strongly encouraged to clearly identify their socioeconomic status and certifications, as this information will directly inform that determination.
No solicitation exists at this time. This notice does not obligate the Government to issue a solicitation or award a contract.
2. Background
The Bedford, Massachusetts VAMC requires strand-specific RNA sequencing services to support gene expression profiling of post-mortem human choroid plexus tissue as part of a research program investigating Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), Alzheimer's Disease (AD), and TDP-43 proteinopathy. Data generated under this effort will be integrated with separately acquired DNA methylation and proteomic data from the same sample set.
3. Summary of Requirement
The contractor shall provide:
Sample handling and quality control (QC) assessment of submitted total RNA samples
Library preparation with rRNA depletion and QC assessment
Illumina paired-end sequencing at approximately 60 million read pairs per sample (2x150bp configuration), strand-specific (directional) protocol
Raw data alignment and quality reporting
Physical delivery of raw sequencing data (FASTQ files) via hard drive
Quantity: 269 de-identified human post-mortem choroid plexus total RNA samples
Key technical specifications:
rRNA depletion library preparation
Illumina paired-end sequencing (2x150bp), ~60 million reads per sample
Strand-specific (directional) sequencing protocol
Quality guarantee: 85% of bases at Phred quality score Q30
Sample acceptance criteria: RIN >6.0 ( 7.0 preferred); A260/A280 = 1.8 2.2; DNA-free; 150 ng minimum input at 6 ng/µL concentration
Turnaround: 23 28 business days from sample receipt to final deliverable
Samples shipped from: VA Bedford Healthcare System, on dry ice via overnight courier Data delivered to: VA Principal Investigator
4. Data Handling
Deliverables (FASTQ files, quality reports) contain no PHI or PII all samples are de-identified post-mortem research specimens. No VA network or system access is required to perform this work. Data delivery is via physical hard drive.
5. Information Requested
Interested parties are requested to submit the following information no later than August 12, 2026, 11:00 AM EST:
Company Information:
Company name, address, and point of contact (name, email, phone)
Unique Entity ID (UEI) and CAGE code
Business size under NAICS 621511 (state applicable size standard)
Socioeconomic status/certifications (e.g., SDVOSB, VOSB, WOSB, HUBZone, 8(a)) include certification number and issuing authority (e.g., VetCert)
Capability Statement addressing:
Demonstrated experience performing strand-specific RNA-seq with rRNA depletion at comparable scale ( 250 samples) and read depth ( 60M reads/sample, 2x150bp paired-end)
Illumina sequencing platform(s) available and laboratory location(s) where work would be performed
Experience processing post-mortem or degraded human tissue-derived RNA samples
Whether services would be performed entirely in-house or would involve subcontractors/third-party facilities (identify any subcontractors and their socioeconomic status)
Estimated turnaround time for QC, library prep, sequencing, and data delivery for a 269-sample batch
Quality guarantee offered (e.g., % bases Q30) and standard sample acceptance criteria
Any applicable Federal Supply Schedule (FSS), National Acquisition Center (NAC), or Strategic Acquisition Center (SAC) contract vehicle under which this service could be procured.
6. Submission Instructions
Responses shall be submitted electronically to:
Chelsea Cortright, Contract Specialist Chelsea.Cortright@va.gov
Responses should be no more than 5 pages, in PDF or Word format. Please reference Acquisition ID# 36C24126Q0705 in the subject line.
7. Disclaimer
This Sources Sought Notice is for informational and market research purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation. The Government will not pay for any information submitted in response to this notice, nor will it compensate any respondent for costs incurred in preparing a response. Submission of information is voluntary. The Government reserves the right to cancel this requirement, reissue a solicitation as a set-aside or full-and-open competition, or take no further action, at its sole discretion, based on the results of this market research.
