NIH Animal Feed and Bedding_short term

PRE-SOLICITATION NOTICE NOI-NIAID-2086718 NAICS - 311119 This is a Notice of Intent, not a request for proposal. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) intends to negotiate on an other than full and open competition basis with Animal Specialties and Provisions South, LLC to procure laboratory animal feed and bedding for the Comparative Medicine Branch (CMB), Bethesda, MD and surrounding campuses. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) intends to procure on a sole source basis from Animal Specialties and Provisions South, LLC a three (3) month estimated supply of feed and bedding for the CMB and the laboratory animals currently on site. The order period is 07/20/2021 - 10/20/2021. The order is for multiple deliveries during the order period. Deliveries are to be scheduled weekly, to 5 distinct delivery locations on the Bethesda, MD NIH campus. Deliveries are needed on Mondays (BLDG 14BS) and Thursdays (BLDGs: TW3, TW2 4 and 33) per individual delivery request submitted the week prior. Purina Mills lab animal diets and bedding materials will be procured for, but not limited to, rodents, rabbits, ferrets and chickens. This order covers the bona fide need for feed and bedding for the remainder of the 2021 fiscal year and the period mid-July through mid-October subject to system blackout dates. Animal Specialties and Provisions South, LLC is the current vendor of feed, bedding and enrichment to the NIAID vivariums. The exact recipe used to achieve these controlled nutritional formulas is specific to and patented by Purina Mills No other vendor can manufacture the exact same feed. Purina Mills specific patented formulation of diets have been used for long term research studies which are still ongoing. All scientific variables must be reduced to ensure repeatable and reliable results. Since changing feed and bedding introduces a variable that may adversely affect research results, and since Animal Specialties and Provisions South, LLC is the sole east coast distributor of Purina Mills diets for laboratory animals, Animal Specialties and Provisions South, LLC is the sole source. Feed and bedding could not be ordered from any other vendor without prior testing to ensure exact nutritional formulation and consistency over time were identical to the existing vendor. This would take many months and be very expensive to the Government. Complete scientific review from the Principal Investigator and the facility veterinarian would be required and testing a new brand of feed would not guarantee the time and money would be well spent as it may fail to pass the nutritional or quality tests. It is therefore in the best interest of the Government to award to Animal Specialties and Provisions South, LLC as a sole source. Place of Performance: NIH, 9000 Rockville Pike, BLDGs TW2, TW3, 14BS, 33 and 4 Bethesda, MD 20892, United States. FOB: Destination The statutory authority for this sole source requirement is 41 U.S.C. 1901 (a) (1) as implemented by FAR 13.106-1 only one responsible source and no other supply of service will satisfy agency requirements. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. All responsible sources that could provide comparable services may submit a capability statement that will be considered by email (subject line to reference NOI-NIAID-2086718 to Dana Monroe at contact@example.gov by 5:00pm PDST Sunday, July 18, 2021. All responses received by the closing date of this synopsis will be considered by the Government. A determination not to compete this requirement, based upon responses to this notice, is solely within the discretion of the Government.