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Contract Opportunity

This is a Sources Sought notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding the availability and capability of all qualified sources to perform a potential requirement.

This notice is issued to help determine the availability of qualified companies technically capable of meeting the Government requirement to determine the method of acquisition. It is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. Responses will not be considered as proposals or quotes. No award will be made as a result of this notice. The Government will NOT be responsible for any costs incurred by the respondents to this notice. This notice is strictly for research and information purposes only. Small businesses are encouraged to respond.

Background: The National Institute on Aging (NIA) supports several colonies of aged rats and mice for use in research on aging. The purpose of this contract is to provide independent surveillance of the health status of NIA-supported, contractor-maintained colonies of aged rats and mice. This contract will provide monitoring which is independent of and in addition to the health monitoring that the colony contractor provides.

Purpose and Objectives: The objective of this project is to provide independent surveillance of the health status of rodents maintained in contractor facilities for the aged rodent colonies.

Project requirements: The objective of this project is to provide independent surveillance of the health status of rodents maintained in contractor facilities for the aged rodent colonies.

As part of the assessment, the Contractor shall:

a. Describe general conditions of all animals, weight, and any visible lesions or symptoms.

b. Conduct a gross pathology examination on all animals using procedures that will maximize the chance for detection of the agents listed below.

c. Evaluate eighty percent (80%) of the animals with the Basic Profile (below) and the other twenty percent (20%) with the Comprehensive Profile (below), which includes the Basic Profile plus additional tests listed under Comprehensive Profile. All tests are applied to both rats and mice unless indicated specific to either rats (R) or mice (M).

d. Collect the data in a format approved by the COR.

Serology

Basic Profile: Comprehensive Profile:

MHV (M) Includes Basic Profile plus:

Ectromelia virus (M) Reovirus(es)

Mouse parvovirus(es) (M) Polyomavirus (M)

Theiler's (M) Adenoviruses

PVM LDV (M)

LCMV (M) TMEV (R)

Rotavirus (M) Hantavirus (R)

Sendai

Rat Parvoviruses (R)

Rat coronavirus (R)

Pneumocystis carinii (R)

Microbiology

Basic Profile: Comprehensive Profile:

Mycoplasma pulmonis Includes Basic Profile plus:

Corynebacterium kutscheri CAR bacillus (histopathology)

Streptococcus pneumoniae Pasteurella pneumotropica

Citrobacter freundii (4280) Bacillus piliformis (histopathology)

Pseudomonas sp. Helicobacter

Salmonella enteritidis

Parasitology

Basic Profile: Comprehensive Profile:

Spironucleus muris Same as Basic Profile

Giardia sp.

Cryptosporidium sp.

Syphacia sp.

Hymenolepis sp.

Mites

Histopathology

Basic Profile: Comprehensive Profile:

GI tract: Includes Basic Profile plus:

Small intestine Spleen

Cecum Thymus

Colon Heart

Respiratory tract: Kidney

Nasal passages Reproductive organs:

Middle ears Ovaries

Lungs Uterus

Trachea Testes

Liver Prepuce

Brain

Skin

Salivary gland

Harderian gland

Anticipated period of performance: It is anticipated that an IDIQ with a five-year ordering period will be awarded.

Other important considerations:

Disposal of Tissue/Slides

Excess tissue can be disposed of upon completion of the analysis. Slides and embedded tissue blocks shall be held (archived in room temperature storage) for a period of one (1) year, after which they may be discarded unless otherwise specified by the COR. The Contractor shall be prepared to accept delivery of archived slides and tissue blocks from the previous contract and store them for the remainder of the one-year archival period. At the end of the contract period, the Contractor shall ship the archived slides and blocks to a new Contractor upon written direction from the COR. If the contract expires and the Government no longer requires these services, the tissues shall be discarded, and the slides shall be returned to the COR. However, if a contract is awarded continuing these services, the slides and tissues shall be sent to the new contractor.

Capability statement /information sought.

Companies that believe they possess the capabilities to provide the required services should submit documentation of their ability to meet each of the project requirements to the Contracting Officer. The capability statement must specifically address each of the project requirements separately. Additionally, the capability statement should include 1) the total number of employees, 2) the professional qualifications of personnel as it relates to the requirements outlined, 3) any contractor GSA Schedule contracts and/or other government-wide acquisition contracts (GWACs) by which all of the requirements may be met, if applicable, and 4) any other information considered relevant to this program. Capability statements must also include the Company Name, Unique Entity ID from SAM.gov, Physical Address, and Point of Contact Information. The response must include the respondents’ technical and administrative points of contact, including names, titles, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses.

Interested companies are required to identify their type of business, applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code, and size standards in accordance with the Small Business Administration. The government requests that no proprietary or confidential business data be submitted in a response to this notice. However, responses that indicate the information therein is proprietary will be properly safeguarded for Government use only. Capability statements must include the name and telephone number of a point of contact having authority and knowledge to discuss responses with Government representatives. Capability statements in response to this market survey that do not provide sufficient information for evaluation will be considered non-responsive. When submitting this information, please reference the solicitation notice number.

One (1) copy of the response is required and must be in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format using 11-point or 12-point font, 8-1/2” x 11” paper size, with 1” top, bottom, left and right margins, and with single or double spacing.

The information submitted must be in and outline format that addresses each of the elements of the project requirement and in the capability statement /information sought paragraphs stated herein. A cover page and an executive summary may be included but is not required.

The response is limited to ten (10) page limit. The 10-page limit does not include the cover page, executive summary, or references, if requested.

All responses to this notice must be submitted electronically to the Contract Specialist and Contracting Officer. Facsimile responses are NOT accepted.

The response must be submitted to Eric McKay, Contracting Officer, at e-mail address eric.mckay@nih.gov.

The response must be received on or before February 29, 2024, at 4:00 pm, Eastern Time.

“Disclaimer and Important Notes: This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization’s qualifications to perform the work.

Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses received, a presolicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in www.sam.gov. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation.

Confidentiality: No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s).

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