68 -- Dynabeads REVISED

The USDA Agricultural Research Service at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center in Clay Center, Nebraska, plans to award a sole source contract to Invitrogen Corporation for the supply of specific anti-E. coli O-antigen paramagnetic bead preparations. These products, targeting pathogenic zoonotic strains E. coli O157, O111, and O26, are essential for bacterial culture and isolation used in ongoing agricultural field research projects. Invitrongen holds patents on these items and is the exclusive manufacturer of Dynabeads Bacterial Microbiology and Protozoan products, as well as the sole distributor of the associated BeadRetriever Systems and Protocols in North America. Interested parties were invited to submit qualification statements by July 10, 2007, to be considered for this procurement. The contract is identified under solicitation number 754380735068-01, posted on June 27, 2007, and relates to NAICS code 325413, which covers custom compounding of drugs. The contract specialist overseeing this procurement is Lee A. Shea, who can be contacted via email or phone for further details. This sole source arrangement highlights the proprietary nature of the products and the critical role they play in the USDA’s efforts to study and manage pathogenic E. coli strains in agricultural environments.