OLAW IACUC Administrator's Best Practices Meetings

It is the intent of the National Library of Medicine Office of Acquisitions to procure conference planning and support services for the "IACUC Administrator's Best Practices Meetings" on a sole source basis from the IACUC Administrator's Association Inc. At this time, the NLM Office of Acquisition has no longer considered a full-and open competition for this requirement because other vendors have not proved themselves capable of providing content structured to meet the needs of IACUC Administrators, focus on timely topics of interest (holding protocols, field housing, grant congruency review), or opportunities to address representatives from OLAW, USDA, and AAALAC International. The circumstances permitting other than full and open competition-single/sole source are in accordance with FAR 13.106-1 in which purchases not exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold, may be solicited from one source if the contracting officer determines that the circumstances of the contract action deem only one source reasonably available. BACKGROUND The Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW), OER, NIH, is responsible for the general administration and implementation of the PHS Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, and does this through a variety of educational and assurance mechanisms. One such mechanism is the support of educational workshops and conferences. There is a particular need for basic training of incoming Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) members in the practical implementation of the PHS Policy and in advanced and complex topics affecting IACUCs, and for educational opportunities that address how to achieve and coordinate compliance with the major oversight systems, including OLAW/PHS. Specific Tasks Independently, and not as an agent of the Government, the vendor will present approximately two "IACUC Administrator's Best Practices Meetings" each year. The vendor will make a concerted effort to solicit appropriate participation of women, racial/ethnic minorities and persons with disabilities, and other individuals who have been traditionally underrepresented in science, in accord with the NIH Policy "Guidelines on Inclusion of Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in NIH Sponsored Intramural and Extramural Scientific Meetings and Conferences." (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not95-123.html) Each Meeting will be held at an accessible site, as outlined by section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and, as applicable, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 that permits convenient accessibility for attendees. Participants with disabilities will be permitted to voluntarily identify any special needs. Each Meeting will be open to all individuals completing the appropriate registration form and paying any registration fees, until such time as physical capacity for the sessions is reached. The program will focus on topics of interest to IACUC administrators with a particular emphasis on the requirements of the PHS Policy. They will provide a basic yet comprehensive overview of the laws, regulations, and policies that govern the humane care and use of laboratory animals supplemented with examples and possible approaches for successful and effective administration. There will be opportunities for participants to consider and discuss complex challenges to complying with PHS Policy. DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED The purpose of this procurement is to acquire conference planning and support for the "IACUC Administrator's Best Practices Meetings". The specific current tasks include assistance on the following: The "IACUC Administrator's Best Practices Meeting" is a unique working meeting of which IACUC staff and animal program operations personnel from across the country present and share best practices in the humane care and use of laboratory animals. The meeting format will facilitate development of methodologies to satisfy the requirements of the animal welfare laws and policies and include the opportunity to direct questions to representatives from OLAW, USDA, and AAALAC International. Topics for discussion will include practices for ensuring protocol and grant congruency, operating successful Occupational Health and Safety Programs, tracking animals used in research, and IACUC monitoring of approved protocols. Proceedings of the two-day program will be available to attendees. Period of Performance: It is anticipated that the period of performance for this requirement will be for approximately one year with four additional 12-month option periods from the date of award. The award is anticipated to be made on August 31, 2016. Place of Performance: Primarily on-site at the following location - 6705 Rockledge Drive, Bethesda, MD 20817