This is a SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE ONLY . This is NOT a solicitation for proposals or quotes and does not obligate the Government to award a contract. This notice is for informational and planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a solicitation or an obligation or commitment by the Government, nor is it a Request for Proposal (RFQ) at this time. Responses to this Notice must be in writing. The purpose of this Sources Sought Notice is to conduct market research to determine, in particular, the capability of Small Business firms to provide the supplies/services described below. Documentation of technical expertise must be presented in sufficient detail for the Government to determine that your company possesses the necessary experience to compete for this acquisition. Responses to this notice shall include the following: (a) company name; (b) address; (c) point of contact; (d) phone, fax and email; (e ) DUNS Number; (f) Cage Code; (g) socioeconomic category (i.e., small business, Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business, Veteran Owned Small Business, etc.); (h) a technical/capability statement as well as your existing customers (i) any GSA Schedule numbers and expiration dates and (j) if you accept credit cards. ARS will accept responses from ALL socioeconomic categories in order to gain a more complete understanding of the market for these supplies. The USDA, ARS, Clay Center, NE location has a need for Scientific Evaluation Data Processing . The unique requirements of the service are: Scientists at the Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC) are developing scientific information and new technology to solve high priority problems for the U.S. beef, sheep, and swine industries. The proposed vendor should provide predictable, economically important genetic evaluation information to USMARC by converting performance records into relevant decision-making tools called Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs). EBVs are necessary for genetic selections in sheep operations. The proposed vendor will relay EBV information to USMARC. EBVs are science-based, industry-tested measurements of heritable traits that can be tracked and measured. For those familiar with Expected Progeny Differences (EPDs) used in cattle, EBVs are very similar. EPDs denotes the breeding value of an individual animal’s progeny whereas EBVs denote the value of the individual animal. More simply, EBVs equal EPDs times two. The NAICS Code for the expected acquisition is 518210. Any subsequent procurement will be conducted as a commercial item purchase in accordance with FAR Part 12 and as a Simplified Acquisition Procedure in accordance with FAR Part 13. Please email capability statements to Christopher C. Turner at
[email protected] by 0900 Mountain Time on Monday, December 21, 2020. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted. Please note "Scientific Evaluation Data Processing Sources Sought Notice" in the subject line of the email. This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that the response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organizations qualifications to deliver the services. Respondents are also advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information or provide feedback about any of the information received. After review of the responses received, the Government may issue a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation in Federal Business Opportunities. No proprietary, sensitive, confidential or classified information shall be included with your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation.