B--Intent to Award Notice: University of Minnesota

The U.S. Geological Survey’s Florence Bascom Geoscience Center intends to award a non‑competitive, firm‑fixed‑price purchase order to the University of Minnesota (Duluth) for specialized geochemical analyses of freeze‑cored water and sediment samples supporting the “Drought and Flood Extremes of the Continental United States: Past to Present” research project. The work includes stable isotope, elemental abundance, mineralogy, and major ion measurements on frozen cores, leveraging UMD’s unique capability to scan frozen samples without thawing. The contract spans an initial year (9/21/2026‑9/20/2027) with four one‑year option extensions, totaling five years of service. The award will be made non‑competitively under FAR provisions. • Perform high‑precision stable isotope, elemental, mineralogical, and ion analyses on frozen lake cores. • Utilize UMD’s proprietary x‑ray fluorescence scanning method for frozen samples (6‑8 hr per core). • Provide in‑kind support: expert staff time, student assistance, and facility/equipment access. • Deliver results to Reston, VA; maintain frozen chain of custody within 200‑mile radius. • Contract is firm‑fixed‑price, requires SAM registration, and is limited to the University of Minnesota as the sole source.