CRREL seeks lab to analyze iron in Alaska permafrost meltwater, quotes due July 21

Iron mobilized by thawing permafrost in Alaska will be the subject of a new federal analysis contract, with the U.S. Army's Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) at Fort Wainwright near Fairbanks seeking a lab to run isotope tests on up to 40 water samples collected from thaw areas during summer 2026 field campaigns. Quotes are due July 21.

The work carries consequences for subsistence fishing communities and others who depend on Alaska waterways: when permafrost thaws, it can release iron into meltwater that flows into streams, affecting aquatic ecosystems. The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium conducts environmental health research in partnership with tribes and tribal organizations, using community-based participatory research approaches.

The firm-fixed-price contract, issued as an unrestricted Request for Quote under NAICS code 541380, requires multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS), a technique that separates and measures iron isotopes to trace the element's source and movement through water systems. CRREL will collect the water samples during a summer 2026 field campaign and ship them to the contractor under cold conditions; the work is to be performed at the contractor's facility, with no travel required. The solicitation lists the period of performance as Sept. 3, 2026, through March 2, 2027, with processed data due by March 1, 2027; a separate section of the solicitation states the period as contract award through March 1, 2027. Contract Specialist Latosha Rodgers can be reached at [email protected].