SOLICITATION NOTICE
66 -- PULSE FIELD GEL ELECTROPHORESIS SYSTEM (PFGE)
- Notice Date
- 6/10/2002
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- Contracting Office
- Contracts Management Division 26 W. Martin Luther King Drive Cincinnati, OH 45268
- ZIP Code
- 45268
- Solicitation Number
- PR-CI-02-10673
- Response Due
- 7/10/2002
- Archive Date
- 8/9/2002
- Point of Contact
- ANGELA S. THOMPSON, Contract Specialist, Phone: 513/487-2005, E-Mail: thompson.angie@epa.gov
- E-Mail Address
-
Email your questions to ANGELA S. THOMPSON
(thompson.angie@epa.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- The U.S. EPA, ORD, National Risk Management Research Lab., Water Supply and Water Resources Division (WSWRD), Cincinnati, OH, intends to negotiate on a sole source basis with BIO-RAD Life Science Group under the authority of FAR 6.302-1, for the procurement of a Pulse Field Electrophoresis System. The WSWRD conducts research to support regulations for watershed TMDLs and to develop strategies for controlling waterborne fecal contaminants. Accurate microbiological characterization in watersheds is paramount to safe recreational waters. Nucleic acid based techniques are being applied to watersheds to monitor sources of fecal pollution. Several of these techniques depend on generating DNA band patterns that are in turn used as fingerprints of both bacterial isolates and whole microbial communities. WSWRD scientists are currently developing new 16S rDNA methods based on the generation of nucleic acid fingerprints. In essence, several of these methods consist in the analysis of band patterns using agarose and polyacrylamide electrophoresis gels. The latter approach is considered a phylogenetic typing method. In order to evaluate the sensitivity and resolution of new techniques, it is necessary to compare them to the restriction digest analysis of bacterial genomic DNA fragments separated via Pulse Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE). PFGE is the current standard in bacterial subtyping approach and as a consequence will be used in ongoing research to characterize environmental isolates, including pathogens, from watershed impacted with fecal contamination as well as from drinking water systems. We have identified a two component PFGE system capable of generating fingerprints for indicatorbacteria in a fast, accurate, and reproducible manner. This package is available through BioRad Inc., and the components that we require are the CHEF Mapper XA and the Gel Doc 2000. The CHEF Mapper includes internally programmed conditions for optimizing separation of DNA between any two DNA fragment sizes between 100 bp to 10 Mbp. Therefore, the CHEF-Mapper allows greater flexibility in the development of electrophoretic separation conditions and nonlinear ramping. After electrophoresis, the gels are stained with fluorescent dye (e.g., ethidium bromide), and PFGE patterns are digitized in a TIFF format (uncompressed .tif file) by using a Gel-Doc 2000. This system is used in clinical and academic settings. Furthermore, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) uses a similar system to monitor outbreaks (e.g.,) and to create the databases that we will use in bacterial subtyping studies. In order to generate data that can be compared with the scientific literature and with the efforts from other laboratories we need to acquire a system that is compatible with the databases generated by CDC. We have reviewed the scientific literature and by far the BioRad systems are the mostly used for microbial subtyping. The primary reason is the fact that they provide two component system capable of performing the DNA fragment separation and the analysis simultaneously. This system will be primarily used as part of the source tracking research performed by MCCB scientists. However, PFGE methods are applicable to a number of areas pertaining to the microbial examination of water systems via molecular techniques. This notice is not a request for quotations. However, any firm believing itself capable of meeting EPA requirements may submit requisite technical documentation to establish the potential of meeting the specifications. Such documentation must be submitted to the POC within 15 days of electronic posting of this notice. A determination not to compete the proposed requirement based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement or to proceed on a sole source basis. This acquisition is being processed under FAR Part 13, Simplified Acquisition Procedures.
- Web Link
-
The Environmental Protection Agency
(http://www.epa.gov/oam/solicit)
- Record
- SN00090959-W 20020612/020610213653 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps.gov Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
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