Operation and Maintenance of a Chimpanzee Care Center

The National Institutes of Health, under the Department of Health and Human Services, has established a contract for the operation and maintenance of the Chimpanzee Care Center located at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Bastrop, Texas. While the facility previously supported biomedical research, all such activities ceased in 2012 following a 2015 agency decision to eliminate biomedical research on NIH-owned chimpanzees. The current scope of work focuses exclusively on providing lifetime care for a population of 30 to 40 chimpanzees that were deemed unable to relocate to the Federal Sanctuary due to the high probability that such a move would severely and irreversibly damage their physical and behavioral health. Under solicitation 75N97021C00001, the NIH has implemented a sole source extension to ensure there is no interruption in the essential care provided to these animals. This extension, justified by unusual and compelling urgency resulting from federal workforce reductions and acquisition restructuring, increased the contract value by approximately 402,667 dollars. This action ensures continued compliance with the CHIMP Act while the agency works to finalize a successor contract for the ongoing management of the facility and the welfare of the resident chimpanzees.