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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention intends to award a sole source firm fixed price purchase order to University of Cantabria for services using the Salmonella accessory genome to pinpoint the source of human illness from chicken. The intended contractor has unique scientific expertise, leads a multidisciplinary group which has the technical knowledge and skill sets needed, and the computational support structure to successfully accomplish the tasks as written in the SOW. The primary investigator is Full Professor of Genetics in the Department of Molecular Biology, University of Cantabria, and has published more than 210 papers in several fields of bacterial genetics and genomics. He is a member of the research institute IBBTEC and his research group has long-standing experience analyzing bacterial genomics, with a special focus on mobile genetic elements and their adaptive potential. It is composed by 10 researchers. They are currently analyzing whole bacterial genomes with a focus on plasmid genomics, producing a taxonomic classification of plasmids for better understanding of the dissemination of antibiotic resistances. This group also has experience using Jaccard Index Network Analysis (JINA), a new way of assorting genomes, using Jaccard Index-groups, that allows genome clustering by the sharing of acquired genetic elements, rather than accumulation of chromosomal mutations. The group has unique experience in NGS analysis, bacterial genomics and metagenomics, development of bioinformatics pipelines and handling of computational data, including JINA, as demonstrated by publications in PLOS Genetics, Microbiome, Bioinformatics and Science Advances, among others.

This contract action is for supplies or services for which the Government intends to solicit and negotiate with only one source under the authority of FAR 13.106-1(b) (SAP) and 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1). Interested persons may identify their interest and capability to respond to the requirement.

This notice of intent is not a request for competitive quotations; however, all responses received within two days of the issuance of this notice will be reviewed by the government. A determination by the government not to compete this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the government. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. Any response should be emailed to kwp9@cdc.gov by COB 22 September 2023.