NOI- CONSULTATION AND DATA STORAGE
Overview
Buyer
Place of Performance
NAICS
PSC
Set Aside
Original Source
Timeline
Qualification Details
Fit reasons
- NAICS alignment with historical contract wins in similar service areas.
- Scope strongly matches core technical capabilities and delivery model.
Risks
- Past performance thresholds may require one additional teaming partner.
- Potential clarification needed on staffing minimums before bid/no-bid.
Next steps
Validate eligibility requirements, assign capture owner, and schedule partner outreach to confirm teaming strategy before submission planning.
Quick Summary
The National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), intends to award a sole-source contract to Dr. Claire Marchal (IN SILICHROM LTD) for consultation and data storage services. This effort involves analyzing and integrating diverse molecular genomic data from human and mouse retinas to understand gene regulatory networks and design novel treatments for blinding retinal and macular degenerative diseases. Responses from interested parties are due May 3, 2026, at 09:00 AM ET.
Scope of Work
The contractor will be responsible for:
- Pre-processing raw data from Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) methods and public datasets.
- Integrating data using state-of-the-art statistical modeling.
- Generating genomic regulatory networks.
- Developing user-friendly tools for biologists to explore the data.
- Identifying retina-specific genomic features and exploring their biological and medical significance.
- Attending regular project meetings and participating in peer-review journal publications, with a draft manuscript expected by the end of the performance period.
Contract & Timeline
- Type: Pre-solicitation Non-Competitive (Notice of Intent to Sole Source)
- NAICS: 5413980 (All Other Testing Laboratory Services, and Technical Services) with a $19 Million size standard.
- Set-Aside: This acquisition is NOT set aside for small businesses.
- Regulatory Authority: FAR subpart 13.5 (Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items) and FAR subpart 12 (Acquisition of Commercial Items).
- Statutory Authority: FAR 6.302-1 (Only one responsible source).
- Period of Performance: May 20, 2026, to May 19, 2027.
- Response Due: May 3, 2026, 09:00 AM ET.
- Published: April 16, 2026.
Sole Source Determination
The government's decision to award without full and open competition is based on market research indicating Dr. Marchal's extensive and proven experience in developing novel bioinformatics tools, particularly in the analysis of 3-dimensional chromatin architecture and specialized Hi-C sequencing data. Dr. Marchal has developed an optimized computational method and data analysis pipeline for integrating Hi-C data with other datasets to generate gene regulatory networks (GRNs), which was deemed unique and essential for this requirement. Market research, including reviews of GSA Advantage, Dynamic Small Business Search, and previous government acquisitions, did not identify other sources capable of meeting all requirements.
Response Requirements
This synopsis is not a request for competitive proposals. However, interested parties may submit capability statements to demonstrate their ability to fulfill the requirement. Responses should include unit price, list price, shipping/handling costs, delivery period, prompt payment discount terms, F.O.B. Point, Dun & Bradstreet Number (DUNS), Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and certification of business size. All offerors must have an active registration in SAM.gov. Responses must reference solicitation number PCAS 02668 and be submitted electronically to Vishnuvajjala Hanumanth Rao at VISHNUH@MAIL.NIH.GOV.