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

B -- GENETIC CHARACTERIZATION OF THE WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALE SOL EASC RFQ 97-69 DUE 090497 POC Michele McCoy, 757-441-6879 WEB: EASC Homepage, http://www.easc.noaa.gov. E-MAIL: Michele McCoy, Contract Specialist, Michele.A.McCoy@noaa.gov. This is a notice of intent to issue RFQ EASC 97-69 on a sole source basis under statutory authority 41 USC 253 (c)(1), Only one responsible source, to Center for Coastal Studies, Provincetown, MA. Contractor shall provide genetic characterization of the Western North Atlantic Right Whale. Performance under this contract requires the contractor to extract DNA from all new samples, continue to compile the genetic profile for each sampled individual including sex identification and matriline assignment, and complete the preliminary microsatellite work for the identification of parent/offspring relationships. A preliminary survey of 20 right whales for polymorhpisms at the Major Histocompatibility Complex locus DQB shall be conducted. Progress and annual reports shall be submitted 6/1/98 and 12/1/98. The period of performance is 9/26/97 to 9/25/98. All responsible sources may submit a quote that will be considered by the agency. Written or faxed requests for the RFQ will not be honored. Telephone requests will not be accepted. See Note 22. (0233)

Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0011 19970825\B-0002.SOL)