Intent to Sole Source to University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine Zoological Pathology Program for Specialized Veterinary Diagnostic Services

Introduction: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s Western Acquisition Division intends to negotiate, on a sole-source basis, under the authority of FAR 13.106-1(b)(1), with the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine Zoological Pathology Program. This sole-source determination is based on NOAA's requirement that the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine Zoological Pathology Program is the sole entity capable of meeting the specified requirements and objectives.

Description: The NMFS Office of Protected Resources is procuring specialized veterinary diagnostic services from the University of Illinois, College of Veterinary Medicine, Zoological Pathology Program to support the Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program (MMHSRP). These services are crucial for diagnosing and understanding health trends, diseases, and causes of morbidity and mortality in marine mammal populations, particularly during Unusual Mortality Events (UMEs).

The contractor will provide tissue processing, histopathology, pathogen testing (including PCR and whole genome sequencing), and expert consultations. The laboratory must have the capacity for rapid turnaround, quality assurance, and surge capacity during disease outbreaks, with at least 10 years of experience in marine mammal diagnostics. This work supports NOAA's conservation mandates under the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act.

Objective: This notice of intent 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 supporting documentation in writing to the identified point of contact (below) within the allotted timeframe after publication. Such documentation will be evaluated solely to determine whether 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 government's discretion. Oral communications are NOT acceptable in response to this notice. Capability statements are due no later than Thursday, AUG 22, at 12:00 EST. All correspondence sent via email must contain a subject line that includes "143015-24-0049." To ensure receipt, attachments must be less than 20 MB in total.

It is the offeror's responsibility to confirm receipt with the government before the due date and time. Capability statements should be submitted by email ONLY as a Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF attachment to:

Jacob Gray Email: jacob.gray@noaa.gov Phone: 210.400.9512