Background
Scope of Request for Information (RFI)
Proposal Requirements
Sample Provision and Testing
Eligibility and Evaluation Criteria
Rights of Awarding
Submission Procedure
Contact Details
Background
The National Environment Agency (NEA) currently relies on traditional morphological identification methods conducted by trained taxonomic experts and manual counting techniques to monitor adult and larval mosquito populations. These conventional approaches are labour-intensive, time-consuming, and require significant specialised expertise. NEA's scientists use microscopes to audit and verify identification results of dead adult mosquitoes collected from Gravitraps that have been processed by contractors. Similarly, live mosquito larvae samples collected by field officers are transported to laboratories for manual species identification, with results required for enforcement actions and court proceedings.
NEA seeks advanced technologies that can deliver rapid, automated identification capabilities with proven high levels of accuracy and reliability to detect the species and gender for dead adult mosquitoes and to detect the live mosquito larvae species collected in samples, while maintaining the rigorous standards required for regulatory enforcement.
Desired Outcomes
With automated mosquito identification systems, NEA will be able to effectively gather reliable intelligence on mosquito species and populations. This will enable NEA to optimise resource allocation, maximise operational efficiency, enhance surveillance capabilities, and strengthen Singapore's vector control capabilities whilst ensuring robust evidence collection for regulatory enforcement. Such systems will assist NEA in conducting more targeted vector control operations and reduce the need for extensive manual identification efforts, leading to increased productivity in the industry.
Scope of Request for Information (RFI)
This RFI consists of two challenge statements as follows:
Challenge Statement A: Automated Identification of Species and Sex of Adult Mosquito Samples from Gravitrap
Develop an automated identification solution for adult mosquitoes caught in Gravitraps, with the following key functionalities:
(i) Provide rapid, accurate identification of adult mosquito species and sex from Gravitrap collections in laboratory settings,
(ii) Maintain or enhance the evidential standards required for effective mosquito surveillance whilst providing processing speeds that significantly exceed current manual methods,
(iii) Process samples extracted from sticky linings and transported in vials to laboratories,
(iv) Provide a user-friendly interface for users to visualise, understand, process and output data and information into commonly used digital file formats for further analysis.
Challenge Statement B: Portable Field Identification of Mosquito Larvae Species Under Variable Environmental Conditions
Develop a portable, field-deployable identification system for mosquito larvae, with the following key functionalities:
(i) Enable field inspectors to carry the technology on-site for immediate identification of mosquito larvae species under variable environmental conditions,
(ii) Provide results suitable for submission as court evidence,
(iii) Function effectively in challenging field conditions including poor lighting, deep pools of water, obstructed views, and narrow access areas,
(iv) Process live mosquito larvae samples collected from breeding sites,
(v) Provide a user-friendly interface for users to visualise, understand, process and output data and information into commonly used digital file formats for further analysis.
Proposal Requirements
Each respondent's proposal may address either Challenge Statement A or Challenge Statement B, or both Challenge Statements. Please specify clearly in your proposal the challenge statement being addressed. If your technology addresses both challenge statements, please submit separate proposals for each solution with clear indication of which challenge each response addresses.
All proposals should include, but not be limited to, the following information:
(i) Detailed descriptions of the proposed solutions and how they address the requirements of the Challenge Statement(s),
(ii) Technology overview including current Technology Readiness Level (TRL) and innovation aspects,
(iii) Hardware and software architecture specifications,
(iv) Expected performance levels, processing time per sample, and reliability metrics,
(v) Sample handling capabilities for challenging samples including damaged specimens,
(vi) Demonstration plan with testing methodology and timeline,
(vii) Cost-effectiveness analysis over projected lifespans,
(viii) Composition of the project team and their expertise and experience.
Sample Provision and Testing
NEA will provide mosquito samples to shortlisted respondents for technology testing and capability demonstration. Shortlisted respondents must demonstrate their technology capabilities using exclusively the samples provided by NEA and submit comprehensive results including accuracy metrics and technical methodologies at no monetary costs to NEA.
For adult mosquito samples: 300 laboratory-grown samples and 300 field-collected samples per shortlisted respondent.
For mosquito larvae samples: 150 laboratory-grown samples per shortlisted respondent. No field-collected samples will be provided due to challenges maintaining samples at larvae stage within required timeframe.
Eligibility and Evaluation Criteria
This RFI is open to all interested parties with relevant technological capabilities. Respondents will be evaluated against the following criteria:
- Technology solution (identification capabilities, innovativeness, and maturity)
- Envisaged performance and reliability (identification accuracy)
- Demonstration plan (comprehensive testing methodology and timeline)
- Cost effectiveness (anticipated cost-benefit analysis)
- Credentials (track record and relevant experience)
Rights of Awarding
NEA reserves the right to select proposals to be shortlisted. For the avoidance of doubt, NEA also reserves the right not to shortlist any respondent or invite any respondent to subsequent Request for Proposal (RFP) or any other procurement activities.
Submission Procedure
Proposals must be submitted with the information requested in the RFI document (please refer to the RFI document below) together with all supporting documents. The proposal should be completed in English within 30 A4 pages (excluding supporting documents) and submitted in both Microsoft Word and PDF formats.
Submissions shall be sent to vectorcontrol_innovation@nea.gov.sg with the subject title: "NEA Mosquito ID RFI" by 30 June 2026, 11:00 hours (Singapore Time, GMT+8).
Please click on the following link for more information.
1. RFI on Automated Mosquito Identification Technologies [PDF]
2. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) [PDF]