Special Notice for Analytical Service for Halogenated Organic Compounds in Marine Mammal Tissues

Analytical Service for Halogenated Organic Compounds in Marine Mammal Tissues NOTICE OF INTENT TO NEGOTIATE A SINGLE-SOURCE CONTRACTSpecial Notice: FD-2026-372 NOAA/NMFS/NWFSC The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Office of Management and Budget (OMB) intends to negotiate and award a purchase order, on a sole source basis, under the authority of FAR 12.102(a) and 41 USC 1901, with Texas A&M University The requirement is to procure the following: This requirement is for: Services, non-personal, to provide all labor, equipment and materials (unless otherwise provided herein) necessary for Analytical Service for Halogenated Organic Compounds in Marine Mammal Tissues for up to 35 marine mammal tissues, in accordance with the statement of work NO SET ASIDE IS TO BE USED FOR THIS SOLE SOURCE REQUIREMENT. THE APPLICABLE SIZE STANDARD IS NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRY CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS) CODET 541380 with a Small business size standard of $19M.This Sole Source Determination is based on NOAAA's requirement that Texas A&M University is the only Vendor that provides the required Services.Halogenated organic compounds (HOC) have been discovered widely in terrestrial and marine environments. The sources of HOC are either natural or anthropogenic. Well-known anthropogenic HOC include legacy persistent organic compounds such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and chlorinated pesticides (e.g., dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and metabolites (DDTs)). Thousands of naturally occurring HOC, often called halogenated natural products (HNPs), with diverse physicochemical properties, were also reported in the literature. Many HNPs originate from marine sources, and reported producers range from bacteria, micro- and macro-algae, sponges, to sea worms. Notably, several classes of HNPs are persistent and can bioaccumulate through the food web because they were detected at elevated concentrations in higher marine organisms. For example, reported concentrations of HNPs such as halogenated methyl and dimethyl bipyrroles, methoxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers, polybrominated hexahydroxanthene derivatives in the blubbers and livers of cetaceans were comparable to or even higher than PCBs, PBDEs, and DDTs. Recent studies also found that the HOC profiles in high trophic level predators can be linked to their habitats.The analytical service covers the extraction, instrumental analysis, and data processing for HOC profiling of provided marine mammal tissue samples. The service should also cover the total extractable organohalides measurement for the sample extracts. Advanced high-resolution mass spectrometry should be used in HOC profiling for compound identifications. Compound identification should be conducted via algorithms specifically designed for HOC. To broaden the detection of HOC, either gas chromatography (GC) or ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC), or both, should be used in the analysis. The use of different ionization approaches (e.g. electron-impact, chemical ionization for GC platform; electrospray-ionization or atmospheric-pressure chemical ionization for UPLC platform) are allowed to enhance the detection. Quality control samples such as method blank, standard reference materials (SRM), and duplicate samples should be included to ensure no false-identification and the reproducibility. The SRM matrix should be similar to the provided field samples. The deliverables are analytical reports detailing analytical data of the field samples and quality control samples, associated with narratives explaining unusual analytical results. Period of performance is date of award to 12 months. Currently NWFSC doesn t have established methods and instruments for HOC profiling. The Environmental Chemistry Program at NWFSC previously collaborated with the Geochemical and Environmental Research Group of Texas A&M University on measuring and profiling per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a class of HOC, in complex marine mammal tissues including blubber, muscle, and various organs (liver, kidney, intestine) from Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW), transient killer whales, and other Arctic marine mammals, yielding many unique and invaluable datasets. In addition, the Geochemical and Environmental Research Group of Texas A&M University has the necessary personnel that specializes in using advanced analytical chemistry (e.g., ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry) and novel compound identification algorithms to characterize HOC in complex environmental organic mixtures. Geochemical and Environmental Research Group of Texas A&M University has well-established, proven protocols and experience for extracting, cleaning up, and analyzing HOC in complex marine mammal tissues. Geochemical and Environmental Research Group of Texas A&M University specialized, advanced analysis is vital to ensure high-quality data and, most importantly, the data continuity that makes comparisons between different marine mammal tissues from different species fair and meaningful. This can significantly contribute to the application of using HOC as novel habitat tracers for protected species. Geochemical and Environmental Research Group of Texas A&M University is uniquely qualified for this analytical service on HOC profiling and compound identification. They have well-established analytical capabilities on complex biota tissues from marine mammals and aquatic species, and other environmental matrices spanning water, soils, and sediments. They have previously worked on the HOC analysis of many marine mammal tissues from NWFSC and contributed critical dataset. They have proven scholars on HOC research.Geochemical and Environmental Research Group of Texas A&M University specialized analytical capabilities and great knowledge on fate and transport of HOC in the ecosystem and marine environment could maximize the outcome of this analytical service. Market research via internet searches indicates that no commercial analytical service vendors provide non-targeted analysis for HOC profiling and compound identification. ***THIS PRESOLICITATION NOTICE IS NOT A REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS AND NO SOLICITATION PACKAGE IS AVAILABLE. HOWEVER, FIRMS THAT BELIEVE THEY CAN FULLY MEET THE GOVERNMENT'S REQUIREMENTS MAY SUBMIT SUBSTANTIATING DOCUMENTATION OR A REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IN WRITING TO THE IDENTIFIED POINT OF CONTACT WITHIN 15 DAYS AFTER PUBLICATION OF THIS PRE-SOLICITATION NOTICE. SUCH REQUESTS AND DOCUMENTATION WILL BE EVALUATED SOLELY FOR THE PURPOSE OF DETERMINING WHETHER OR NOT TO CONDUCT THIS PROCUREMENT ON A COMPETITIVE BASIS. A DETERMINATION BY THE GOVERNMENT NOT TO CONDUCT A COMPETITIVE PROCUREMENT, BASED UPON RESPONSES TO THIS NOTICE, IS SOLELY WITHIN THE DISCRETION OF THE GOVERNMENT. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE IN RESPONSE TO THIS NOTICE.