Animal Care, Diet Preparation, and Veterinary Care Services

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) intends to solicit proposals under solicitation number FDA 11-223-SOL-00006 for an initiative called "Animal Care, Diet Preparation, and Veterinary Care Services." This synopsis is being issued for planning purposes, so that interested vendors have advanced notice that the solicitation will be forthcoming and will likely be issued on or around November 18, 2010. The solicitation will be issued as a Request for Proposal (RFP). The RFP shall call for the Contractor to provide animal care, diet preparation, and veterinary care services equivalent to or exceeding the accepted standards and practices of the Laboratory Animal Care industry at the National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR) in Jefferson, Arkansas. The requirement has been set aside for small business and will be open competitively to all small business firms that wish to compete. Once the solicitation has been issued, all responsible sources may submit a bid, proposal, or quotation which shall be considered by the agency. It is anticipated that the solicitation will result in a Firm Fixed Price contract being awarded to a single source. It is anticipated that the contract will contain a one year base period with four (4) additional one year option periods. Award of the contract will be made to the responsible offeror whose proposal, as it conforms to the solicitation requirements, represents the best value to the Government in terms price and non-price technical factors. The anticipated award date of the contract is on or around April 6, 2011. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this requirement is 541711, "Research and Development in Biotechnology" which carries a small business size standard of 500 employees. Firms will be required to demonstrate experience and understanding of the animal care, diet preparation, and veterinary care-related tasks as defined in the forthcoming solicitation. The work shall be performed on-site at NCTR in Jefferson, AR. 72079 Continuous, ongoing services will be needed daily, thus Contractor employees should already be located and live year-round in the vicinity. The requirement entails that the Contractor provide animal care, diet preparation, and veterinary care services equivalent to or exceeding the accepted standards and practices of the Laboratory Animal Care industry to the National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR). Services shall include collaboration with NCTR Principle Investigators and other NCTR Contractors during planning and development of research protocols, provision of Animal Care/Diet Preparation/Veterinary Care support services to conduct IACUC-approved research protocols, and provision of data for preparation of scientific manuscripts. As requested by the COTR and approved by the Contracting Officer, the Contractor shall serve on committees (e.g., IACUC, Safety, etc.) and participate in seminars, workshops, and training programs on topics appropriate to fulfill NCTR's goals. The primary services that the Contractor will be performing under the contract are as follows: 1) Provide animal husbandry services including, but not limited to feeding, watering, maintaining a clean environment, operating cage processing areas, making and recording observations, and breeding laboratory animals; 2) Provide technical services in support of animal research protocols; 3) Provide veterinary medical services for the nonhuman primate colony primarily and for other species secondarily; 4) Provide diet preparation services including, but not limited to receiving, storing, processing, and distributing animal diets as well as preparing diets, water, gavage solutions, and topical mixtures containing specific amounts of test articles. Other important aspects of this Contract requiring Contractor resources include Quality Control, Occupational Safety and Health, Employee Training, Inventory Control, Equipment Management, and Data Management. In addition, the Contractor shall provide management and administrative support to ensure effective and efficient utilization of staff, participate in NCTR's time keeping system, provide for planning and scheduling of work, ensure the highest quality of work, and effectively carry out the business aspects of this contract. The solicitation will be available by INTERNET ACCESS ONLY. All solicitation documents and amendments thereto will be posted on the FEDBIZOPPS at http://www.fedbizopps.gov/ The Solicitation will be available for review on the website on or around 18 November 2010; the closing date of the solicitation will be thirty days after posting. It shall be the contractor's responsibility to regularly check the website for any amendments or related postings to the solicitation. The Contractor must already be registered with the Central Contractor Register (CCR) https://www.bpn.gov/ccr/default.aspx before a selection and award can take place. No contract award will be made to any contractor that is not already registered or in the process of registering. The CCR can be reached at +1 (555) 000-0000 or via its website. Inquiries regarding this posting should be directed to the Contracting Officer, Aaron A. Glazier, at +1 (555) 000-0000.