This is a Request for Information Notice only. This is not a request for proposal, but a survey to locate potential sources. This Request for Information does not constitute an Invitation for Bids, Request for Proposals or Request for Quotations, and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue an order or otherwise pay for the information solicited, nor is it a guarantee of a forthcoming solicitation or contract. It is for market research purposes only. Respondents will not be notified of the results of the evaluation.
The purpose of this Request for Information Notice is to gain knowledge of interest, capabilities, and qualifications of various members of industry, to include the Small Business Community: Small Business, Section 8(a), Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUB-Zone), Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB), and Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB). The Government must ensure there is adequate competition among the potential pool of responsible contractors. Small business, Section 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, WOSB, & EDWOSB businesses are highly encouraged to participate.
NAICS Code: 541380 Testing Laboratories and Services
NAICS Size Standard: $19.0 Million
Subject: Request for Information for Clumped isotope geochemical samples
Request for Information Closing Response Date: September 11, 2025, at 3:00 PM pacific time
Contact Point: Dayna Parkin, dparkin@usgs.gov
Objective: To find sources that are qualified to meet the supplies/services as listed below. Not that the specific requirements are subject to change prior to the release of any solicitation.
The Geology, Energy, and Minerals Science Center (GEMSC) has a need for clumped isotope geochemical analyses of carbonate mineral samples including but not limited to rocks, sediments, veins, or fossil specimens. These analyses will support GEMSC projects that study energy and minerals resources and the geologic processes that lead to their occurrence.
The purpose of this requirement is to establish a five-year contract with a laboratory that can perform clumped isotope analyses with state-of-the-art analytical precision, adhering to community-accepted InterCarb standardization practices. These analyses must be conducted in a timely manner and properly documented. The USGS anticipates awarding a five-year Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) with a total value not to exceed $49,999.00 for the entire BPA. The resulting data will support USGS research and will be disseminated through data releases, USGS publications, and peer-reviewed journal articles.
Technical Requirements:
1 - Carbonate mineral samples are expected to be measured for clumped isotopic compositions (47 and 48), stable carbon isotopic compositions (13C) and oxygen isotopic compositions (18O) to determine the temperature and fluid isotopic composition at time of mineral precipitation and/or the thermal history of the sample. Preference will be given to laboratories that can measure small samples (<500µg carbonate mineral powder replicates) on instruments optimized for high precision clumped isotope analyses (for example, the Nu Perspective, ThermoFisher MAT253 Plus, or equivalent models) and equipped with peripheral units for semi-automated sample digestion and analysis (for example the Nu Carb or equivalent models).
Laboratories must be capable of analyzing different carbonate minerals such as calcite or dolomite, and ideally magnesite samples. If laboratories do not have the analytical capability to measure magnesite samples for 47, then laboratory instruments must be equipped to measure CO2 gas samples from sealed glass ampules that the USGS may prepare from magnesite samples.
Samples must be measured alongside InterCarb ETH standards for data calibration. Samples must also be measured alongside ¿check standards¿ which could include in-house carbonate standards with established 47, 48, 18O, and 13C values. Data must be corrected for acid fractionation and reported in conformance with accepted InterCarb research community standards and practices. Values for 47 should be reported as standardized to the carbon dioxide equilibrium scale (I-CDES90). Temperature data should be reported based on accepted 47-temperature calibrations, such as Anderson et al. (2021).
Older data will be combined with newly acquired data. It is critical that consistent analytical procedures and data formatting be used to ensure that the data are robust and statistically significant, and that we obtain consistent results for overall comparisons with data obtained over the course of the contract.
2 - Criteria for USGS acceptance of the measured data include the following. For each sample, measurements of isotopic composition must be replicated on at least 3 separate analysis sessions on the mass spectrometer to ensure calculation of valid summary statistics. Sample replicate-level and sample summary-level results must be reported along with standard measurement quality data (check standards and calibration standards) to ensure data quality. In addition to mean values of isotopic compositions, sample level data uncertainty must be reported. This is preferred to be reported as the 95% confidence interval of the mean on both internal and external error. If after 3 successful replicate analyses of a given sample the 47 internal standard error (95% confidence interval on the mean) is greater than 0.04%, additional replicates are to be run if additional sample powder remains.
B - Deliverables:
1 - Measured data, supporting summary reports, and residual unconsumed material are expected to be sent to the USGS. Deliverables will include replicate-level and sample-summary level data tables in excel or .csv file formats. These files will contain sample and standard measurement data. If unexpected complications on the mass spectrometer or peripheral instruments may hinder timely analyses, communication with the USGS point of contact is expected. Data found to be unacceptable according to the above expectations will be analyzed again at no cost to the government.
Excess sample materials (powders, rock chips, etc.) will be returned to the requester when indicated on the original submission. If requested with initial delivery, all excess sample material shall be returned and received by the requester to be considered complete for the purposes of payment.
Analyses are expected to occur in a specialized isotope geochemical laboratory. No third-party vendors or subcontracting of these analyses are permitted. Analysis needs to be run at place of the awardee¿s institution.
Level of Knowledge or Skills Required: The principal investigator (PI) of the laboratory must hold a doctorate degree in geochemistry or related field or have 5+ years of experience measuring clumped isotope analyses. The PI must have a history of publishing relevant clumped isotope datasets at high precision in peer review journal articles. The PI must not be the sole analyzer of samples in the laboratory. The primary operator/analyzer in the laboratory must have at least one year experience measuring clumped isotope data from geologic samples with a preference for analysis by laboratory technicians/managers with an advanced degree (MS/MA or PhD) in the geosciences, chemistry, or related field. Preference will be given to laboratories staffed by full-time technicians or managers, qualified and capable of analyzing, standardizing, summarizing, and transmitting data to the USGS.
Interested small business firms shall submit (1) NAME, ADDRESS, and PHONE NUMBER OF THE FIRM (including UEI (Unique Entity Identifier); (2) a CAPABILITY STATEMENT including (a) RECENT (within the last three fiscal years) RELEVANT (similar projects to this requirement) performance history (identify the name of the owner and there point(s) of contact with telephone and fax numbers, e-mail addresses; and (b) in what capacity (e.g., prime, subcontractor etc.) they performed the work; and (3) their SIZE STATUS.
Your company must have a UEI number and be registered on-line at the System for Award Management (SAM). You will also be required to provide your small business status information either via the On-line Representations and Certifications also located at the SAM.gov website before an award to your company can be made. You on-line registration will cover any/all of your offers to the Federal Government and only needs updated annually.
All responses must be submitted NLT September 11, 2025, at 3:00 PM pacific time via e-mail to: dparkin@usgs.gov. At this time, the Government is not accepting questions pertaining to the Request for Information notice.
Responses to this Request for Information notice will be used by the Government to make appropriate acquisition decisions. All interested sources must respond to future RFQ announcements separately from responses to this market survey. Any RFQ that may be issued will be posted on SAM.gov. It is the responsibility of the potential responders to monitor the site for additional information pertaining to this announcement.
