Agilent 4150 GSA Purchase

***NOAA'S ACQUISITION & GRANTS OFFICE, EASTERN ACQUISITION DIVISION-NORFOLK, NATIONAL OCEAN SERVICE (NOS) NATIONAL CENTERS FOR COASTAL OCEAN SCIENCE (NCCOS), COOPERATIVE OXFORD LABORATORY (COL) NEGOTIATED, ON A SOLE SOURCE BASIS, UNDER AUTHORITY OF RFO FAR 12.102(a), WITH GOVERNMENT SCIENTIFIC SOURCE, INC OUT OF RESTON, VA FOR AN AGILENT 450 TAPESTATION THAT IS ON THEIR GSA CONTRACT ***THE SOLE SOURCE DETERMINATION IS BASED ON THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION'S (NOAA) REQUIREMENT THAT THE AGILENT 4150 TAPESTATION CAPABILITIES ARE UNIQUE TO THE WORK PERFORMED AT THE COL; NO ALTERNATIVE INSTRUMENT HAS BEEN FOUND TO MEET THE SPECIFICATIONS OF THE AGILENT 4150. FOR SEQUENCING PURPOSES, A QUALITY CONTROL CHECK IS TYPICALLY PERFORMED PRIOR TO LOADING POOLED LIBRARIES INTO THE MISEQ REAGENT CARTRIDGE. THIS QUALITY CHECK IS TO ENSURE THAT THE POOLED LIBRARIES ARE THE RIGHT SIZE (IN BASE PAIRS) FOR THE DESIRED RUN, AND CAN EASILY INDICATE IF A PROBLEM DURING LIBRARY PREPARATION HAS OCCURRED. IT IS OTHERWISE IMPOSSIBLE TO TELL IF LIBRARY PREP HAS FAILED. THE AGILENT TAPESTATION PROVIDES A STREAMLINED AND QUICK WAY TO CHECK THE SIZE OF YOUR POOLED LIBRARIES. THIS CAN PREVENT THE WASTING OF A MISEQ CARTRIDGE AND FLOW CELL ON A FAILED POOLED SAMPLE, WHICH CAN SAVE AROUND $3,000.00 FOR A SINGULAR FAILED RUN. THE ADDITION OF THIS EQUIPMENT TO THE COL WILL PROVIDE RESEARCHERS WITH A WAY TO ACCURATELY CHECK THE SIZE OF THE POOLED LIBRARY SAMPLE. GOVERNMENT SCIENTIFIC SOURCE, INC IS THE SOLE GSA CONTRACT HOLDER WITH THE AGILENT 4150 ON THEIR GSA CONTRACT. NO OTHER VENDORS WERE FOUND ON GSA WHEN SEARCHING AGILENT 4150.