I._STATEMENT_OF_WORK.docx

I. STATEMENT OF WORK/SPECIFICATION

Metal Cattle Ear Tag, U. S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal Plan Health Inspection Service’s (APHIS) Veterinary Services (VS).

SERVICE

To Provide Metal Cattle Ear Tags for USDA’s Traceability Program

SCOPE

Provide official metal clip tags and taggers to States and Tribes that will administer the devices to producers and accredited veterinarians in accordance with their animal disease traceability plan.

PERFORMANCE PERIOD:

Award Date through 5 years.

TYPE OF CONTRACT

The contract type is a fixed price, Indefinite-Delivery-Indefinite-Quantity contract.

SPECIFICATIONS

The USDA, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Veterinary Services (VS), Riverdale, MD, intends to acquire National Uniform Ear tagging System (NUES) eartags and official vaccination ear tags. Both of these eartags are metal clip in design and use the NUES number. The vaccination tags, orange in color, are used specifically for brucellosis and vaccination. The silver or “brite” tag is used for general official identification of livestock. For clarification, the following codes will be used to identify the side of the tag being described:

Side 1 -- flat surface with NUES number Side 2 -- flat surface with dimple for lock bar Side 3 -- self-piercing tip

METAL AND PAINT SPECIFICATIONS

The eartag shall be made of SAE 1008 nickel-zinc plated steel with a minimum coating thickness per side of 0.000075 inches with a planished finish. The thickness of the metal shall be a minimum of 0.042 inches. The metal shall provide 75 hours of protection in a salt spray test using the international standard ASTM-B-117 specifications. ASTM-B-117 describes the required testing procedure and parameters. The steel shall not break or crack upon closure of the eartag. The tags shall have a number 5 slit edge with no burrs. The width of the tag shall be 5/16 to 12/32 of an inch. The end of Side 2 shall be rounded, not squared. The edges of the tag shall be parallel to each other.

The Vaccination tag shall be painted with baked-on enamel or plastic coat of pure orange. The paint shall not contain lead. The paint shall not mar during the application process.

The Silver or Brite tag is a nickel-zinc plated steel. No paint is applied to this tag.

CLOSURE SPECIFICATIONS

The tags shall be of self-piercing and self-locking design. The tag shall have a sharpened tip (Side 3) that will penetrate the animal's ear during the process of closing. Side 3 shall lock/curl under the bar on Side 2 and shall not protrude more than 11/32 of an inch above the inside surface plane of Side 2 after locking. The inside dimension height of the tag after closure shall be 7/16 to 1/2 of an inch at the locking end, measured at 90 degrees to the lock bar. The inside dimension length of the tag after closure shall be 1 7/16 to 1 1/2 inches. Side 1 shall not bend upon closure.

All taggers/applicators must meet the manufacturers specifications for accurate application of the metal eartags described in this SOW.

STAMPING SPECIFICATIONS

The tags shall be stamped with the alpha-numeric serial number and be consecutively numbered as indicated on individual delivery orders issued against the contract. These are roll-over numbers and must not be duplicated until the series is completed at which time the numbering will start over. The numbers and letters are assigned by each state and they will change from delivery order to delivery order. All nine characters of the NUES number shall be stamped on the outer surface between the radius of the curvature of the tine (Side 3) and the radius of the curvature between Side 1 and Side 2 (Example 2).

All characters embedded (stamped) into the metal shall be aligned on the same plane with the top and bottom edges of the characters being parallel with each other, i.e., 93ABC-1234. The edge of the characters shall be at least 1/16 of an inch from the slit edge of Side 1.

All characters shall be Helvetica bold 10 point very large font lettering style unless otherwise approved by APHIS. All characters are embedded (stamped) 0.25 mm +/- 0.01 mm into the metal. All characters shall be 3/16 of an inch high and a minimum of 6.5 characters per linear inch (9 characters per 1 7/16 inches). There shall be a minimum of 0.04 of an inch space between characters.

The letters "US" shall be enclosed in the US Route shield in addition to the legends specified in the schedule of items.

ADDITIONAL SPECIFICATIONS (OPTIONAL)

The options listed below will be considered by USDA for inclusion in the contract. Vendors shall provide pricing for including the listed additional specifications. One third of the first article sample must include tags which include the optional specifications listed in the SOW.

1. Request that the offeror provide pricing and list of all colors available for use on identification tags with the exception of red, orange, and pink. The paint requirements for these tags will be the same as the requirements for the vaccination tag.

2. Request that the offeror provide pricing and their capability for two dimensional symbology known as Data Matrix on the tags. The Data Matrix shall be a two-dimensional representation of the NUES number stamped on the tag and would be imprinted on the outer surface of side 2 between the stamping of the US shield and the letters “VS”. The Data Matrix should be able to be imprinted on all tag types covered under this contract to include tags with a planish finish, baked on enamel finish or plastic coated finish. The Data Matrix must be readable on all appropriate color combinations as agreed to by vendor and USDA.

3. Request that the offeror provide pricing for including direct shipments of tags to producers and the option of packaging a single strip of 25 tags.

PACKAGING

Tags shall be packaged on a durable carrier consisting of at least two sides forming a “V” which align with the inside dimensions of the open tag, to support 25 tags in numerical sequence. The carrier shall prevent tags from falling off either end. Tags shall be packaged on carriers of 25 tags each, in numerical sequence, with four (4) carriers packaged in a Unit Package, 10 unit packages in an Intermediate Package carton.

QUALITY CONTROL

Offeror's shall include a quality control plan with their offers. Failure to provide a quality control plan with the offer may render an offeror nonresponsive and ineligible for award. The plan shall explain the offeror's quality control system and clearly demonstrate the manufacturer's ability to consistently adhere to contract specifications and contract delivery requirements.

Each production lot shipped/delivered must include a quality inspection report that shows the number and type of quality assurance checks performed, the date and time when they were performed, and identify tags that were reworked or rejected. Failure to provide this report will be the basis for rejection of the entire shipment and the contractor will be responsible for all shipping cost involved.

FIRST ARTICLE TESTING

First article testing may be required upon Contracting Officers discretion after award of contract. When required, contractor must send 300 Sample Tags and 1-3 Taggers within 30 days of contract award. The following criterion will be used to evaluate samples:

FAT 1. Readability of the stamped characters. All stamped characters shall be easily read. First article samples serial numbers shall be ascending order with all required characters present.

FAT 2. Quality of the metal. First article samples shall be accompanied by a certified statement from the manufacturer (and a third party evaluator) regarding the type of metal and coating used. The certified statement shall state the results of the salt spray test on the metal used.

FAT 3. Effectiveness of the closure.

FAT 4. Quality of the paint. First article samples shall be accompanied by a certified statement from the manufacture for the type/specification of paint used.

Each of the four categories of performance set forth above shall have a maximum failure rate per category of 3 out of the 300 samples submitted for each item. Failure of more than 3 units in any one category will result in rejection of the First Article Sample.

100 Silver Or 125 Silver 100 Orange VAC 125 Orange VAC 50 Optional Color 50 Optional Color (other than Orange) 50 2D Part Mark (on color of silver tag)

All first article samples must be shipped to:

Daisy M. Witherspoon Management and Program Analyst

USDA-APHIS-SPRS-NPIC/ADT

4700 River Road, Unit 41, Suite 4B-02.06 Riverdale, MD 20737 Direct: 301-851-3496 E-mail: daisy.m.witherspoon@aphis.usda.gov

MARKING OF UNIT PACKAGES and INTERMEDIATE PACKAGES

Each unit package shall be individually package marked (see example 3). Unit packages of the same National Stock Number may then be packaged together for ease of shipment into intermediate shipping containers (see example 4).

Each unit package and each intermediate package shall be marked on the top side of the box with the following information in the following order:

l. Complete National Stock Number

2. Item Description

3. Sequence Number of tags

4. Quantity in the Package and Unit of issue

5. Contract Number

6. Purchase Order Number (if applicable)

7. Hazardous Material Identification (These items require special marking in accordance with Military Standard l29K, June 1988)

The marking surface of a unit package shall be the outermost the unit package.

All Packages shall have the tag letter prefix and range of sequence numbers applied in both text format and bar code format. Bar codes are to be of Code 3 of 9 symbology, generally of medium density (3.0 to 9.4 characters per inch). The extended 3 of 9 character set is NOT to be utilized. All the bar codes and human readable interpretation (HRI) shall meet the specifications contained in MIL-STD 1189B, Standard Department of Defense Bar Code Symbology. The HRI shall be an exact interpretation of the bar code data and shall not contain spaces or start/stop characters. The required location for the HRI is below the barcode markings.

The lettering for all marking on all sizes of containers shall be in capital letters of equal height, shall be clearly legible and shall be proportionate to the available marking space on the container. When marking space permits, markings shall be not less than ¼ inch nor more than 1 inch in height. Unless otherwise specified in the procurement or contract document, identification, contract data, and address markings shall be not less than .095 inches (approximately 3/32 of an inch).

MARKING OF EXTERIOR PACKAGES

The exterior package shall be marked with the same information in Items 1 through 7 above plus the contractor's name and address (including zip code) and the gross weight and cube of the exterior container.

All markings shall be legible and are to be located such that the markings may be easily read from a distance of five feet when stored on shelves or stacked in the warehouse. All markings shall be located so as not to be destroyed when the pack is opened for inspection. Markings shall be placed so as not to be obscured by the strapping or closure tape.

On boxes and crates under 10 cubic feet, exterior markings shall be applied to the upper left two-thirds of the side of the container having the largest marking surface area. The address label for shipment shall be applied on the same side of the container. If the container is too small to accommodate the address label on the identification marking side, it shall be applied on the opposite side of the container.

If a shipment is palletized, the pallet size must be a standard size. The maximum stacking height shall not exceed 54". The shipment shall be palletized in numerical order, shrink-wrapped and double strapped with metal or nylon straps. Markings should be standardized as to letter type and size. The minimum height for numbers and letters is 3/8".

DO NOT DOUBLE STACK PALLETS. Tags that are produced in alpha and numerical sequence shall be arranged on the pallet in descending order (metal ear tags, no more than 60 mx per pallet (mx = thousand).) Warehouse personal must be able to read the label of each box to verify each sequence.

DELIVERIES:

All deliveries must be sent to the following address:

USDA, APHIS, VS, SPRS, LC

3500 E 149th St Dock # 1 Kansas City, MO 64147

PACKING SLIP DOCUMENTATION

Each stand-alone package (a stand-alone package is defined as the outermost container of a shipment) shall be individually marked and include a packing slip on the outside, which identifies the item packaged. Additionally, all stand-alone packages shall contain an internal packing slip to insure proper documentation in the event of loss of the external packing slip.

Each packing slip must be clearly legible and include the following information:

1. National Stock Number

2. Item Description

3. Sequence number of tags

4. Quantity of the Units of issue contained inside

5. Contract Number

6. Delivery Order Number

7. Hazardous Material Identification (These items require special marking in accordance with Military Standard-129, June 1988)

8. Package number and total number of packages (e.g. 1 of 5)

If desired, the contract number and purchase order number may be marked in the heading of the packing slip in order to avoid repetition. The packing slip shall be securely attached to the end or side of the container, and sealed in a waterproof container conforming to MIL PPP-E540, Class 1. They shall be secured to the exterior of the palletized load or containers in the most protected location with tape, or pressure sensitive adhesive backing applied to containers other than wood. On wood containers, tacks or staples shall be used.

Each individual box of tags must contain or display accurate manufacturer instructions explaining the proper storage, and application of the tags.

The Manufacturer will provide a simple 60 second “YouTube” style video demonstrating the correct application of the tag. This video can be made available on the manufacturer’s web site and/or provided to USDA to make it available to agricultural officials, field staffs, markets, tagging stations, and producers.

TRANSSHIPMENTS

All Master cartons shall be constructed to withstand shipment from the manufacturer to the Warehouse destination and back out to the Customer or End Users. Master cartons shall meet Federal Express and United Parcel Service shipping requirements. Boxes shall be sealed in two directions (length and girth), with reinforced tape.

Government Contacts:

Lisa A. Brown Logistics Chief-NVS

USDA, APHIS, SPRS

4700 River Road, 5B-02.17 Riverdale, MD 20737

(301) 851.3553 Email: Lisa.a.brown@aphis.usda.gov

Contracting Officer Technical Representative

Melody Allison Supply Technician

USDA, APHIS, VS, SPRS, LC

3500 E 149th St, Ste 300 Kansas City, MO 64147

Example 1

Example 2

Example 3

Example 4

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