Scientific Equipment Usage   2

Background
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is issuing a sole source contract to the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center (DDPSC) located in St. Louis, MO.

The purpose of this contract is to procure services related to the use of greenhouse facilities, growth chambers, light rooms, and scientific equipment for research conducted by USDA scientists co-located at DDPSC. This initiative supports the USDA's mission to conduct research in plant genetics and related fields.

Work Details
The contractor will provide access to various scientific equipment and facilities necessary for conducting biochemical, molecular, and physiological experiments on plants and plant tissues. The services required include:

1. Plant Growth and Care: Provision of greenhouses and growth chambers with features such as RO water availability, in-line fertigation, air conditioning options, dry down and seed storage rooms, extended height greenhouses for tall plants, varied sizes of growth chambers with tiered shelving, high light or altered CO2 levels, temperature variations, and automated irrigation/fertilization systems.

2. Phenotyping Capacity: Access to instruments like LiCor 6400-XT and 6800, Ditech Plant phenotyping system, photo booth, seed counter, Lemnatec Scanalyzer phenotyping system including imaging loops and consumable costs. Consultation rates for phenotyping advice are also required.

3. Proteomic and Mass Spectrometry: Access to mass spectrometers including Thermo Q-Exactive and Orbitrap Lumos high-resolution instruments along with SCIEX QTRAP6500 and Agilent 5970 instruments. Services should include chromatography systems for compound separation, amino acid analysis, liquid chromatography separations, gas chromatography mass spectrometry capabilities, gel electrophoresis services, hormone analysis, protein identification services from gels or solutions, sample preparation assistance with options for self-service use.

4. Transformation and Tissue Culture: Access to light rooms for transformation processes.

Place of Performance
The services will be performed at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center located at 975 North Warson Road, St. Louis, MO.