The Veteran s Administration (VA) Office of Research and Development, Regional Procurement Office East in Pittsburgh, PA intends to negotiate on a sole source basis with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center based in Seattle, WA on behalf of the VA Puget Sound Health Care System. The requirement is to provide DNA Extraction research assistance services for planned VA medical studies. The Seattle Epidemiologic Research and Information Center (ERIC) works to improve the health and health care of Veterans by promoting the principles and practice of state-of-the-art epidemiologic research within the VA. The Seattle ERIC is one of several Epidemiology Centers that are part of the Cooperative Studies Program (CSP) in the Office of Research and Development (ORD) at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The Seattle ERIC has been collecting saliva samples from select Vietnam-Era Twin (VET) Registry members who do not currently have specimens in the VET Registry s biorepository as part of the Biospecimen Collection project. This project is an effort to bolster the biorepository as a resource for future research. This project s consent form asks participants to give the VET Registry permission to: Collect biospecimens and use them in future research, Indefinitely store biospecimens in the VET Registry biospecimen repository, and Use biospecimens and data related to those samples in future research. The project will use barcoded Oragene saliva sample collection kits. DNA will be extracted from those samples to perform genetic analyses. Genetic information obtained from the analysis will be deposited into the VET Registry data repository and remaining specimens will be banked at Boston CSP Coordinating Center (CC) laboratories. Specific services include: Seattle ERIC will relinquish ownership of the copies of shipping manifests sent to contractor: Contractor shall receive, gather, store, back up, maintain, use, disclose and dispose of shipping manifests and any VA information only in compliance with the terms of the contract. Shipping manifests and any other data will be used only for those purposes in the contract and shall not be used in any other way without the prior written agreement of the VA. Contractor shall not retain, use, sell, or disseminate copies of shipping manifests or any other deliverable that contains information. Contractor will perform: Aliquoting of saliva samples Quantification of saliva samples DNA Extraction No genetic or genomic data will be extracted or generated. Quantification of extracted DNA Plating of extracted DNA Contractor will send all usable, extracted DNA to MAVERIC for inclusion in the VET Registry s biorepository. Prior to termination or completion of this contract, contractor shall not destroy (a) specimens or information received from the Seattle ERIC/VA (including shipping manifests) or (b) specimens or information created using specimens or information received from the Seattle ERIC/VA without prior written approval by the VA. At the time of this contract s completion or termination, contractor shall, at the Seattle ERIC s sole discretion, return or destroy data and specimens as described under Section 6 ( Security Requirements ), Paragraphs D & E. The requirement will take place at a VA facility in Seattle, WA. The sole source is pursuant to FAR 6.302-1 Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements. This notice of intent 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 and supporting documentation to the contracting office no later than Thursday, Sept 15, 2022, (10:00 AM, EST). Interest/capability statements may be sent to Michael Haydo at
[email protected]. No telephone responses will be accepted. A determination not to compete the proposed requirement based upon the responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government.