Rodents, Rabbits, Quails, Chicks

The City of El Paso is soliciting bids for the supply of live rodents, rabbits, quails, and chicks to support feeding operations at its zoo, under solicitation number 2026-0335. Bidders must provide quantities per year across a three-year period: approximately 1,000 to 1,500 rodents, 200 to 300 rabbits, 400 to 600 quails, and 800 to 1,200 chicks, with all pricing including shipping and handling. The contract will be awarded to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder, with no formal evaluation factors or scoring criteria disclosed, suggesting a lowest-price technically acceptable approach. The bid submission deadline is June 10, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. Mountain Standard Time, with responses due to the Purchasing & Strategic Sourcing Department at 300 N. Campbell, 1st Floor, El Paso, TX 79901-1153, or via the city’s online portal. A non-mandatory pre-bid conference is scheduled for May 20, 2026, and questions must be submitted by May 27, 2026, with answers published on June 3, 2026. The award is anticipated in August 2026, and the city reserves the right to amend the solicitation schedule as needed. Offerors must comply with several mandatory certifications and disclosures, including a completed Form W-9 for taxpayer identification, failure of which may trigger a 20% payment withholding. Bidders must submit a Certificate of Organization, Form 1295 from the Texas Ethics Commission disclosing interested parties, and an affidavit addressing debarment status, past contract terminations, and absence of indebtedness to federal agencies. Subcontractor involvement must be fully disclosed, and any changes require prior written approval. The bidder must affirm that no material organizational or personnel changes will occur within 12 months of award that could impact performance. The solicitation does not specify FOB terms, packaging standards, inspection locations, or performance metrics beyond basic animal weight classifications. There is no stated contract value, as pricing fields are left blank for bidder completion, and no socioeconomic set-asides, CAGE codes, or Unique Entity IDs are required, though compliance with Texas state procurement laws is enforced. All submissions must be complete and submitted by