NEW CTX Veterinary Support Services for Zebrafish Vivarium

The Central Texas Veterans Health Care System at Temple, Texas is seeking veterinary support services for its zebrafish vivarium core facility located in Research Building 205. The requirement is for a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine with specialized experience in laboratory animal science, specifically in zebrafish husbandry and care, to serve as the attending veterinarian and an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee member. The scope of work includes remote oversight with two annual site visits, semi-annual program and facility inspections, pre-review of animal use protocols, review of monthly colony health reports, virtual training sessions with VA investigators, and assistance with submissions to OLAW and AAALAC. The contractor is expected to provide a total of 55 hours of annual service, ensuring compliance with VHA Directive 1200.07, AAALAC standards, and federal and institutional policies on animal care, including water quality, quarantine, anesthesia, and euthanasia procedures. The contract is structured as a firm-fixed price award with a base year running from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027, and four optional one-year extension periods through June 30, 2031, with the government retaining the right to extend performance by up to six months if needed. This acquisition is a 100% small business set-aside under NAICS code 541940 (Veterinary Services), with a size standard of $10 million in annual revenue. Offerors must be currently registered and verified in the System for Award Management and the Small Business Administration’s certification portal, and must submit representations and certifications in SAM prior to offer submission. Proposals must be submitted in two separate volumes—one technical and one pricing—with the technical volume anonymized except for the vendor name on the first page. All solicitations must be submitted via email to the designated POCs by June 23, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. CDT, and must include a signed SF 1449, complete pricing schedule, and applicable representations. The evaluation will use simplified acquisition procedures involving a comparative, side-by-side trade-off analysis of technical capability and price, with the award going to the offeror providing the best value to the government. Contractor personnel must undergo background investigations per VA Directive 0710 and comply with personal identity verification requirements, including maintaining records for PIV cards, and are subject to security prohibitions on unmanned