Department of Commerce, NOAA, 200 World Trade Center, Room 209, Norfolk, VA 23510-1624

B -- PROVIDE GENETIC PROFILE OF WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALES SOL RFQ 98-77 DUE 091498 POC Carolyn Collins, Contract Specialist, (757) 441-6886 WEB: Carolyn.Collins@noaa.gov, http://www/easc/noaa.gov. E-MAIL: Lyynne Phipps, Contract Specialist. The Dept of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) intends to issue a sole source contract to the Center for Coastal Studies Inc, Provincetown, MA. The contractor shall be responsible for providing genetic profiles of Western North Atlantic Right Whales. Contractor shall provide a summary of (I) sex and mtDNA sequence profiles for all newly sampled individuals, as well as an interpretive summary of these characteristics of the entire sampled population; (ii) genotyping of all sampled individuals at twelve microsatellite loci, with an analysis of paternity, pedigree, inbreeding and effective population size; (iii) analysis of the relationship between MHC diversity and female reproductive success/juvenile survival; (iv) incorporation of genetic data into the North Atlantic Right Whale Catalogue. A final report in scientific paper format, and suitable for submission to a refereed journal, shall be submitted within 60 days of the end of the contract period. The statutory authorityfor other than full and open competition is 41 USC 253(c)(1), Only One Responsible Source. The Center for Coastal Studies, Inc is the only known source to possess the unique expertise and qualifications to provide the work. Companies who can provide the above listed services must indicate their interest within 5 days of this announcement. Any party interest in receiving a copy of the RFQ shall provide written notice to the Contracting Office. Copies of Request for Quote (RFQ) 98-77 will only be provided in response to written or faxed requests received directly from the requestor. RFQ to be issued on or about August 27, 1998. Requests for copies of the RFQ may be faxed to (757) 441-3786. Telephone requests will not be accepted. All responses from responsible sources will be considered. This is a simplified acquisition with a value of less than $100,000. See Note 22, 26. Posted 09/01/98 (W-SN244606). (0244)

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