INTENT TO AWARD TO A SINGLE SOURCE - OPENTRONS ROBOT
NOAA · NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION
Capture briefs (a one-page, shareable copy of this page) are part of Pro. The CSV here holds the notice, its timeline and past awards.
Where this opportunity stands
Every notice posted under solicitation 26-471 in this department, oldest first.
- Aug 24, 2026 · this noticeSpecial Notice
Next steps for this stage
Standard steps for the notice type; not advice about this buyer.
- Answer the notice: this is when the requirement can still be shaped.
- Contact the contracting officer named on the notice.
- Check who won similar work; they are the likely bidders.
What the notice says
***THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION�S (NOAA) ACQUISITION & GRANTS OFFICE, WESTERN ACQUISITION DIVISION-BOULDER, (AGENCY), INTENDS TO NEGOTIATE AND AWARD A PURCHASE ORDER, ON A SOLE SOURCE BASIS, UNDER AUTHORITY OF FAR 6.103-1, WITH OPENTRONS FOR AN OPENTRONS FLEX LIQUID HANDLER ROBOT AND 3 YEARS OF SERVICE TO AUTOMATE EDNA METABARCODING WORKFLOWS TO BE DELIVERED/PERFORMED AT THE NATIONAL SYSTEMATICS LABORATORY, SMITHSONIAN MUSEUM SUPPORT CENTER, 4210 SILVER HILL ROAD, SUITLAND, MARYLAND 20746. ***THE SOLE SOURCE DETERMINATION IS BASED ON NOAA�S REQUIREMENT THAT OPENTRONS IS … (show all)
THE ONLY VENDOR THAT MANUFACTURES AND DISTRIBUTES THIS OPENTRONS FLEX LIQUID HANDLER ROBOT. OPENTRONS IS THE ONLY VENDOR THAT SATISFIES THE LAB�S CRITICAL TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS, SPECIFICALLY THE NEED FOR AN OPEN-SOURCE PYTHON API FRAMEWORK FOR SHARING CUSTOM GENOMICS PROTOCOLS, END-USER MODULARITY THAT ALLOWS FOR TOOLLESS EQUIPMENT SWAPPABILITY, AND AN INTUITIVE INTERFACE DESIGNED FOR BIOLOGISTS RATHER THAN ROBOTICS ENGINEERS. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: DATE OF AWARD TO 3 YEARS FROM DATE OF AWARD. ***THIS PRESOLICITATION NOTICE IS NOT A REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS AND NO SOLICITATION PACKAGE IS AVAILABLE. HOWEVER, FIRMS THAT BELIEVE THEY CAN FULLY MEET THE GOVERNMENT'S REQUIREMENTS MAY SUBMIT SUBSTANTIATING DOCUMENTATION OR A REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IN WRITING TO THE IDENTIFIED POINT OF CONTACT WITHIN 15 DAYS AFTER PUBLICATION OF THIS PRE-SOLICITATION NOTICE. SUCH REQUESTS AND DOCUMENTATION WILL BE EVALUATED SOLELY FOR THE PURPOSE OF DETERMINING WHETHER OR NOT TO CONDUCT THIS PROCUREMENT ON A COMPETITIVE BASIS. A DETERMINATION BY THE GOVERNMENT NOT TO CONDUCT A COMPETITIVE PROCUREMENT, BASED UPON RESPONSES TO THIS NOTICE, IS SOLELY WITHIN THE DISCRETION OF THE GOVERNMENT. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE IN RESPONSE TO THIS NOTICE.
Who won similar work
14 award notices on SAM.gov in the last 24 months. Match: Same agency (NOAA), same NAICS 334516.
| Winner | Awards | Value | Last |
|---|---|---|---|
| GOVERNMENT SCIENTIFIC SOURCE INC | 2 | $70K | Jul 6, 2026 |
| AGILENT TECHNOLOGIES INC · $A | 2 | $11K | Sep 23, 2025 |
| LIFE TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION · $TMO | 1 | $205K | Aug 25, 2026 |
| DARTMOUTH OCEAN TECHNOLOGIES INC | 1 | $114K | Sep 23, 2026 |
| EPPENDORF NORTH AMERICA, INC. | 1 | $99K | Sep 14, 2026 |
| OCEANS DESIGN INC. | 1 | $77K | Mar 20, 2026 |
| LOLIGO SYSTEMS APS TOLDBODEN 3 2 D VIBORG 8800 DNK | 1 | $73K | Jan 7, 2025 |
| EDGEONE LLC | 1 | $68K | Aug 19, 2026 |
| FRANKLIN YOUNG INTERNATIONAL, INCORPORATED | 1 | $60K | Sep 23, 2025 |
| LOLIGO SYSTEMS APS TOLDBODEN 3 2 D VIBORG DK880 DNK | 1 | $41K | Sep 21, 2026 |
Value counts single-winner awards. "Shared" awards are multiple-award contracts that list every winner with the same total ceiling; that ceiling is not one company's win, so it is not added in.
- Sep 23, 2026DARTMOUTH OCEAN TECHNOLOGIES INC$114K66--eDNA Autosampler and Supplies
- Sep 21, 2026LOLIGO SYSTEMS APS TOLDBODEN 3 2 D VIBORG DK880 DNK$41K66--Aquatic Multi-Channel Respirometry System Upgrade
- Sep 14, 2026EPPENDORF NORTH AMERICA, INC.$99K66--Purchase of Liquid Handling Robot
- Aug 25, 2026LIFE TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION$205K66--Sequal Prep Normalization Plates
- Aug 19, 2026EDGEONE LLC$68K66--EdgeTech acoustic release hardware and components
- Jul 6, 2026GOVERNMENT SCIENTIFIC SOURCE INC$15K66--96-Well Pipette System
- Jun 25, 2026GOVERNMENT SCIENTIFIC SOURCE INC$55K66--LOG080-Purchase of a new 4150 Tape Station and thr
- Mar 20, 2026OCEANS DESIGN INC.$77K46--Seawater filter and U/V sterilization systems for
- Sep 23, 2025AGILENT TECHNOLOGIES INC$7KJ--TapeStation 4200 annual maintenance
- Sep 23, 2025FRANKLIN YOUNG INTERNATIONAL, INCORPORATED$60K66--LOG150 The purchase of twenty (20) Qiagen DNeasy 9
Competitive landscape
For the 8 most frequent past winners above. Lobbying is matched by the company's exact name or exact ticker; agencies are as named on the filings.
- 0 of these past winners lobbied Natl Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) since 2024 (0 filings)
- 0 of their lobbyists list a past Natl Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) job
- $50K from their corporate PACs since 2024 to members of House Committee on Appropriations, House Committee on Natural Resources, House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
- 0 foreign-agent (FARA) registrations
Policy around it
Bills the past winners named while lobbying this agency's issues, rules from the department, and executive orders that name the agency, last 12 months.
- 0 bills named on the past winners' lobbying filings
- 304 rules from the department in the last 12 months
- 0 executive orders naming the agency in the last 12 months
Market
For past winners matched exactly to a listed company. Insider trades are open-market buys and sells (Form 4) in the last 90 days, shown as facts; our own study found insiders do not reliably buy ahead of awards.
- 2 of the past winners are listed companies
- 0 insider buys and 8 insider sells at them in the last 90 days
Sources: SAM.gov notices and award notices; Senate LDA lobbying filings; FEC filings; FARA; Federal Register; congress.gov; SEC Form 4. Every row above links to its record.
Companies are matched to tickers by exact name only. A company we could not match shows no market rows; that is a miss, not a finding.