The Norwegian Environment Agency would like, via this procurement, to enter into a contract for gene bank services for the reception and storage of biological material from wild salmon from the Hardanger region. The assignment is for gene bank services for 15-17 stocks of salmon and sea trout. The gene bank shall be operated and the assignment shall be carried out in a responsible and reliable way, in accordance with all the public requirements and best practice for operation. The service shall be provided from a facility that is geographically located in the west of Norway, on the stretch from Rogaland up to and including Sogn og Fjordane. To the degree that the tenderer does not have the technical facilities /installations that fulfill all the requirements, they must be established as a first part of the contract. There are a number of requirements regarding the facility and its operation. The operation of a gene bank requires a number of licences and public permits, which must partly be in place during the competition. The contract will be valid for 10 years, with an option for an extension for a further 5 years.