B--RFI - Grizzly sample analysis

This is a Request For Information - This synopsis is for information and planning purposes only and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government. No contract will be awarded as a result of this Sources Sought announcement. The United States Geological Survey (USGS), Office of Acquisition and Grants (OAG) is soliciting information from qualified sources; the results of this announcement will be evaluated to determine if there are businesses capable of performing the proposed work.Responses must include complete description of capabilities to be provided and contain sufficient technical information to allow agency analysis to establish bona fide capabilities.This is not a request for quotation, and the Government does not intend to pay for information received. A determination by the Government not to compete this requirement, based upon responses to this notice, is solely within the discretion of the Government. Respondents will not be notified of the results of any

Government evaluation of the information received. All questions and submissions in response to this notice must be submitted electronically via email to Charlan Fejarang at cjfejarang@usgs.gov by 12:00pm PT on Friday, February 3, 2023.Capability statements shall only be accepted through electronic mail addressed to cjfejarang@usgs.gov.Description of Product or Service Required:Determination of individual identity (and species and sex when warranted) from hair or tissue samples obtained from the USGS from grizzly bear captures and mortalities using microsatellites. Analyses of grizzly bear hair, tissue and/or blood samples from the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) using the following 20 microsatellite markers: G1A, G1D, G10B, G10C, G10H, G10J, G10L, G10M, G10P, G10U, G10X, MU5O, MU59, CXX2O, CXX110, MU23, P07, MU5l, A06, and CPH9. Conduct assignment test to determine if genetic evidence indicates any GYE sampled individuals, (or their parents) originated in the NCDE population. The assignment test requires comparisons between GYE and results completed by Wildlife Genetics International (WGI) for the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE) population.To complete the assignment test and determine if there is a detectable exchange of genetic material from the NCDE to the GYE grizzly population requires 2 procedures; 1) DNA genotyping of the GYE samples using the same microsatellite markers used for the NCDE population and 2) completion of the assignment tests that uses results of genotyping and identifies evidence of genetic exchange between the 2 populations of interest.Genetic analysis results shall be as error free as possible, as demonstrated based on review by independent expert(s). Inconsistencies in marker (i.e., microsatellite) results could lead to misidentifying individual genotypes, and thus the population the sample originated from. Sources of potential genotyping error included 1) interactions between DNA molecules such as mutation at the microsatellite site that results in non-amplification, 2) sample quality and quantity which may result in non-amplification or may cause allelic dropout, 3) equipment precision and/or reliability, and 4) human factors. It is absolutely critical that subsequent analyses of GYE samples be consistent with high standards and quality achieved for the NCDE and GYE results obtained to this point. Mistakes (i.e., errors in genotyping) have the potential to impact the viability of the grizzly bears in the GYE and/or cause considerable unnecessary expenditures. Viability of the GYE population may be compromised if errors occur that indicate NCDE genetic exchange with the GYE population when in fact none occurred and no augmentation is done. Unnecessary expenditures would be incurred by our DOI partners (primarily U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) if NCDE bears are caught and transported to the GYE for the purpose of augmenting genetic diversity when in fact evidence for such was present but was undetected because of errors in genotyping. Thus, it is imperative that results of these analyses be as error free as possible.