This Small Business Sources Sought Notice (SBSSN) is for information and planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation on the part of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) on behalf of the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR). The NHLBI on behalf of NCRR is seeking capability statements from all eligible small business concerns [particularly Small Disadvantaged Businesses (SDB), Woman-owned Small Businesses (WOSB), Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) Small Businesses, Veteran-owned Small Businesses (VOSB), and Service-Disabled Veteran-owned Small Businesses (SDVOSB)] under the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code 541940 with a business size standard of $7 Million. Based on the responses received from this Small Business Sources Sought Notice, the proposed acquisition may be solicited as a Total Small Business Set-Aside. All eligible small business concerns responding to this Sources Sought Notice must have the capabilities to provide the services described below. The National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), one component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is interested in receiving capability statements from organizations interested in providing lifetime care of chimpanzees (Federally Supported Chimpanzee Sanctuary System) which would include an overall sanctuary system that will house approximately up to 130 chimpanzees retired from active federally-supported research . The contract will be for care and maintenance only. There will be no funds or additional contracts for construction of facilities. The Contractor must operate the sanctuary site in compliance with: a) The Animal Welfare Act (P.L. 89-544, as amended) Rules and Regulations published in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Title 9 (Animals and Animal Products), Chapter 1, Subchapter A (Animal Welfare), Parts 1, 2, and 3 (AWRs); b) Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (PHS Policy); c) Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (NRC 2010)(Guide); d) Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (5th Edition, CDC-NIH, 2009) (BMBL); e) Occupational Health and Safety in the Care of Vertebrate Animals Used in Testing, Research and Training (NRC 1997); e) Chimpanzees in Research, Strategies for their Ethical Care, Management, and Use (NRC 1997); f) AVMA Guidelines on Euthanasia, June 2007; g) The Psychological Well-Being of Nonhuman Primates, (ILAR) 1998; h) 29 CFR 1910.1030, Bloodborne Pathogen Standard; and i) 42 CFR part 9, Standards of Care for Chimpanzees Held in the Federally Supported Chimpanzee Sanctuary System; Final Rule. In order for NIH to assess small business organizations capable of responding to a Request for Proposals, we are requesting capability statements be submitted by interested organizations. Please address the following as part of your capability statement 1: Nonhuman primate management experience and stability: (a) Describe when your organization was established; (b) its management structure; (c) the staff that would be assigned to the project; (d) their experience in managing and caring for chimpanzees; (e) evidence of financial stability and resources that can be brought to the project; 2. Matching Funds: Provide evidence of your organizations ability to make nonfederal contributions towards the yearly operational expenses; 3. Capacity to hold chimpanzees: potential offerors must demonstrate the ability to house and care for at least 130 chimpanzees; 4. Working with diverse groups: Describe your willingness to work with the animal protection community, NIH, and a wide variety of interested parties. In addition, describe your experience or plans using a board of directors experienced in captive chimpanzee management, animal protection, behavioral primatology, business management, laboratory animal medicine, accreditation of animal facilities and biohazard containment; 5. EXTERNAL PROFESSIONAL OVERSIGHT: describe experience or plans for using an external professional oversight body that will include individuals with expertise in the science of managing captive chimpanzees (including primate veterinary care) and fund raising. Anticipated Period of Performance: The anticipated period of performance for this award is July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2017. Capability Statement/Information Sought: To be deemed capable, your organization must submit a written capability statement. Small businesses that believe that they have the ability to satisfy all of the above stated Project Requirements, and who meet the stated size standard, are encouraged to submit a capability statement. On the first page of the capability statement, clearly state the small business concern's size status and type(s), name, address, point of contact, and DUNS number. The remainder of the capability statement should be tailored to the project requirements stated above. Information Submission Instructions: All capability statements sent in response to this SMALL BUSINESS SOURCES SOUGHT notice must be submitted electronically (via e-mail) to Kristiane E. Cooper, Contracting Officer, at cooperke@mail.nih.gov, in either MS Word, WordPerfect or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF), by 4:00pm Eastern time on August 10, 2011. All responses must be received by the specified due date and time in order to be considered. ANY RESPONSES RECEIVED AFTER THE SPECIFIED DATA AND TIME WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. Capability statements should not exceed fifteen (15), single-sided pages (including all attachments, resumes, charts, etc.), presented in single-spaced, 12-point font size minimum. Disclaimer: This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization's qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses received, a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in Federal Business Opportunities. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation. Confidentiality: No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s).
