R405--Rodent Health Surveillance Monitoring Program (VA-22-00000635)

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. This is a Request for Quote (RFQ) and the solicitation number is 36C24E21Q0117. The government anticipates awarding a firm-fixed price contract resulting from this combined synopsis/solicitation. This solicitation is issued as Full and Open Competition. It is the responsibility of the contractor to be familiar with the applicable clauses and provisions. The clauses may be accessed in full text at www.acquisition.gov. STATEMENT OF NEED (SON) CONTRACT DESCRIPTION AND REQUIREMENTS The Puget Sound VA Healthcare System Seattle has a requirement to purchase rodent surveillance and monitoring services for the Veterinary Medical Unit (VMU). A firm-fixed price contract will be awarded for the purchase of the requirement in accordance with all terms, conditions, provisions, specifications, and schedule of this solicitation herein. Quotes shall contain the Offeror s best terms for cost/price and technical capabilities of the services. The government reserves the right to award without discussions. 1.1 REQUIREMENT STATEMENT OF WORK TITLE: Rodent Health Surveillance Monitoring Program BACKGROUND: The Veterinary Medical Unit (VMU) at VA Puget Sound Health Care System Research and Development Service is a flagship core service serving over 25 Principal Investigators operating 90 approved Institutional Animal Care and Use (IACUC) research protocols. The VMU operates under an Assurance with Public Health Service (PHS #A3832-01) and is fully accredited by Association for Assessment and Accreditation for Laboratory Animal Care, International. The VMU also complies with the Animal Welfare Act and is licensed with the United States Department of Agriculture. The VMU operates and provides animal models (Rodent Species, Mus musculus, and Rattus norvegicus) in full compliance with the above regulatory and auditing agencies. In order to operate within the guidelines (The Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, Eighth Edition, National Research Council of the National Academies) set forth by these agencies, the VMU is mandated to have an IACUC-approved Rodent Health Surveillance Monitoring Program which oversees the health and well-being of all the research animals within the colony. In other words, this work is driven by Federal policy. The Rodent Health Surveillance Program requires testing of biological samples from animals (feces and swabs from fur), as well as samples of animal room dust (from the animal rack exhaust plenum), on a quarterly basis and if a disease outbreak occurs. A health monitoring program has been in existence since the basic science research facility was established and has evolved over that time with improvements in animal testing and disease diagnosis. During this time, the VMU has maintained a healthy research colony providing Principal Investigators with predictable and reliable animal models creating reproducible research outcomes. SCOPE: Under Federal guidance, the Surveillance Program is to diagnose, treat, and control disease by testing animals and environmental samples for viral, bacterial, and parasitic infections in order to protect and maintain the health and well-being of the animal colony and provide reliable research outcomes to Principal Investigators. There are animal research colonies within two different buildings within the VMU at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System. In order to monitor disease surveillance in these animal colonies, biological samples and environmental dust samples are collected and submitted to an outside, certified animal diagnostic laboratory with PHS Approval and AAALAC, International Full Accreditation. The VMU then receives these test results on a regular schedule; furthermore, these test results are then shared with receiving institutions (animals within the VMU research colony are irreplaceable strains that have been selectively bred or genetically modified and shipped all over the world to research collaborators); in order for those collaborators to receive these animals, the VMU must provide Rodent Health Surveillance Monitoring Quarterly Test results to their respective institutions prior to shipment, and these test results must be from an outside, certified laboratory. The testing laboratory must provide testing that is applicable and unique to the research program at VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Veterinary Medical Unit for diseases that are specific or endemic to this area and to this colony. The latest development in these testing procedures utilizes PRIA (PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) Rodent Infectious Agents) testing on the animals. The testing laboratory must use accurate, state of the art testing methods. Currently the state-of-the-art testing method is real time PCR. Furthermore, the testing laboratory must test for all of the viruses, bacteria, and parasites that are of particular importance to this facility; this includes but is not limited to the following: Mouse Parvo Virus (MPV), Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus (LCMV), Mouse Hepatitis Virus, Sendai Virus, Epizootic Diarrhea of Infant Mouse (EDIM) Virus, Theilers mouse encephalitis virus (TMEV). Ectromelia virus, Pneumonia virus of mice (PVM), REO virus, Helicobacter, Mycoplasma pulmonis, Myobia musculi, Mycoptes musculinis, Radfordia affinis, Radfordia ensifera, Syphacia obvelata, Syphacia muris, Rat parvo virus, Sialodacryoadenitis virus (SDAV) Any of these diseases are devastating to a research animal colony and can halt animal transfers between institutions. In order to maintain a Specific Pathogen Free (SPF) colony, the VMU is required to test for these (and more) diseases, have those tests be performed by a certified, AAALAC-International accredited laboratory that provides consistent, accurate, and timely test results. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: Base Year + 4 Option Years SPECIFIC TASKS: According the IACUC-approved VMU Standard Operating Procedure the specific tasks required are as follows: Task 1: Regular ventilated rack exhaust dust environmental sampling testing OR fur swab and fecal pellet samples and test results whereby rack swab samples or pelt swab, and fecal samples are submitted to the testing laboratory for specific tests that are of specific importance and significance to the VMU mouse and rat colonies. Quantity determined by number of rooms occupied by mice and rats in the facility at the time of testing. Based on the number of rooms housing each species, we estimate that we will need to perform up to 35 mouse quarterly PRIA tests, 15 mouse annual tests, 15 rat quarterly PRIA tests and 7 Rat annual PRIA tests PER YEAR. Tests for mice: Quarterly mouse PRIA= MVM, MPV, MHV, EDIM, Pinworms, Fur mites Annual mouse PRIA = annual plus TMEV, REO virus, PVM, Sendai, Ectromilia, LCMV Helicobacter, M. pulmonis Tests for rats: Annual Rat PRIA=RPV, SDAV, M pulmonis, Pinworms, Fur mites Annual rat PRIA = annual + PVM, Sendai Task 2: Testing laboratory will provide the following supplies for sample submission: Non-alginate oral swab Body swab Sample collection tubes Shipping envelopes Task 3 - Enterprise Management Controls Subtask 1 - Quality Assurance The testing laboratory provides the VMU with their Quality Assurance outcome reports on an annual basis and as asked by the Veterinary Medical Officer at VA Puget Sound Health Care System. These reports include testing equipment certifications, disease outbreaks, and disease monitoring. Subtask 2 Technical Support The testing laboratory provides expert technical support representatives to assist the Veterinary Medical Officer and Unit Team in test outcomes, interpretation, and monitoring follow-up. The Technical Support Specialists are Doctors of Veterinary Medicine who are Board-Certified in Laboratory Animal Medicine and Veterinary Pathology. Subtask 3 - Test Results as Deliverables Test Results are Delivered within two weeks of sample arrival at testing facility, to VA Puget Sound Health Care System Veterinary Medical Unit following Sample Submission to the testing laboratory. PERFORMANCE MONITORING: Testing laboratory provides the Contracting Officer Representative (COR), annually and on an as requested basis, the results of the following: 1. The accreditation status of AAALAC, International most recent site visit. 2. Quarterly sentinel results of their own animal colonies. 3. Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) certifications of all testing equipment. SECURITY REQUIREMENTS: The testing laboratory will have no access to the Puget Sound VA Health Care System VMU computer systems or databases. No testing laboratory employee has VMU access. VMU access is monitored monthly as well as randomly. The Veterinary Medical Officer oversees which individuals have access to this Bio-secure area. The evaluation of quotes and the determination as to the equality of the products shall be the responsibility of the Government and shall be based on information provided by the Offeror. The Government is not responsible for locating or securing any information not provided in the quotation by the Offeror. To ensure that sufficient information is available, the Offeror must furnish, as a part of the quote, all descriptive material necessary for the purchasing activity to determine whether the products meet the salient characteristics of this requirement. Vendors proposing to modify a product to make it conform to the requirements of this announcement shall include a clear description of the proposed modification and clearly mark any descriptive material to show the proposed modification. Offers that do not have descriptive material will not be considered for award. Instructions to the Offeror Basis for award resulting from this RFQ will made to the Best Value Offer that provides a complete package pursuant to the preparation requirements set forth in 52.212-1. FAR 52.212-2 (Evaluation- Commercial Items) will be incorporated in full text into the RFQ and will be evaluated on the following factors. Evaluations will be in accordance with FAR 13 Simplified procedures. Evaluation Factors for Award: Factor 1 - Technical Capabilities All offerors must meet or exceed all requirements and salient features as listed in the Statement of Need. Factor 2 - Past Performance - Past Performance will be based on the most current PPIPRS Report. Factor 3 - Price The following FAR provision and clauses apply to this solicitation and are incorporated by reference. The solicitation document, incorporated provision and clauses are those in effect through the Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2005-89, Effective July 2, 2015. It is the responsibility of the contractor to be familiar with the applicable clauses and provisions. The clauses may be accessed in full text at www.acquistion.gov. This contract incorporates one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors Commercial FAR 52.212-2 Evaluation- Commercial Items FAR 52.212-3 Offeror Representations and Certifications FAR 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions FAR 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required To Implement Statutes Or Executive Orders Commercial Item FAR 52.219-6 Notice of Total Small Business Set-Aside (Nov 2011) FAR 52.219-8 Utilization of Small Business Concerns (Oct 2014) FAR 52.233-3 Protest After Award (Aug 1996) FAR 52.211-6 Brand Name or Equal FAR 52.233-2 Service of Protest Quotes shall be submitted via email to contact@example.gov and Offerors must reference Solicitation 36C24E21Q0117 in the subject line of the email. No telephone requests for information will be considered. Incomplete packages will be considered nonresponsive. All offers must be received by 11:59 Noon EST, Monday, September 27, 2021.