A market survey is being conducted to determine if there are adequate Small Business, SBA-certified HUBZone, SBA-certified 8(a), Women-Owned, or Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) contractors available for a proposed project who meet the specific criteria outlined below. This is not a solicitation Announcement or Request for Proposal. It does not constitute any commitment by the Government. No award will result from this notice. The purpose is to conduct market research to gain knowledge of potentially qualified sources. Responses to this Sources Sought Notice will be used by the Government to make an appropriate acquisition decision. The USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) will not award a contract on the basis of responses or pay for the preparation of any information submitted. Respondents will not be notified of the results of this notice. After completing an analysis of the responses, the Government will determine whether to limit competition to 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, Women-Owned, or other small business firms, or to proceed with issuing an unrestricted solicitation, inviting full and open competition. Requirements: The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service 800 Buchanan Street, Albany, CA has issued this source sought announcement in order to determine if there are existing businesses sources capable of providing an ultra-high-pressure homogenizer. The complete requirement is: ARS Albany, CA is extending our food allergen studies by generating novel antibodies using yeast as a tool. We will need to extract DNA and recombinant proteins from yeast. It is vital to lyse the yeast cell effectively without inactivating, denaturing, or degrading the extracted material. This instrument must meet the following core requirements: • Effectively lyse bacterial and yeast cells with controllable sample exposure to cavitation, shear, and adjustable back-pressure. • Lyse different cells without denaturing proteins that are less stable and can loss activity at ~40 ℃. • Requires no more than 39” x 12” x 20” (W x Dx H) of bench space. Companies who have the experience, as well as an interest in doing business with ARS, should submit a Capabilities Statement which, for this notice, is not expected to be a proposal, but rather short statements regarding the company’s ability to demonstrate their expertise and experience in relation to the areas specified in this notice. Companies should also indicate whether they are a Small Business, SBA-certified HUBZone, SBA-certified 8(a), SDVOSB, or Women-Owned Small Business. Responses should be submitted by 08/02/2021 BY 5:00pm EST to the attention of Mr. Paige Francis at
[email protected] . Please ensure to use the sources sought notification number on the posting to ensure proper tracking.