140L5725R0004_Attachment_1_-_SOW.pdf

Wild Horse & Burro Axtell Off-Range Corral (ORC) Veterinary Contract Statement of Work

1. Background:

a. Wild horses and burros on public lands, administered by the Bureau of Land

Management (BLM) and Forest Service, are protected, managed, and controlled under provisions of the Wild Horse and Burro (WH&B) Act of December 15, 1971, as amended (16 US. 1331-1340). As resource conditions warrant, excess wild horses and burros are removed from the public lands and placed in facilities for preparation and holding. Animals are then placed in private maintenance through the BLM adoption and sales programs, or into off-range pastures throughout the country.

b. The Axtell ORC, located in Axtell, Utah, is two facilities that are adjacent to each other owned. Each facility is operated under separate BLM contracts, one for burros and the other for horses.

c. The burro facility is unique in that it is the only BLM contract burro facility in existence. Burros graze annually on pastures from approximately May to October, and then supplemental fed in pastures or corrals. A series of corrals and a working area is dedicated to the burros for their management and care. The burro facility (pastures & corrals) has the capacity of holding up to 1,500 animals.

d. The horse facility has its own working barn where animals are cared for and prepared for adoption and/or sale. This facility is covered allowing work to occur year-round for veterinary care and other needs as they occur. Horses are only kept in corrals and are not allowed to graze in open pastures. The horse facility has the capacity of holding up to 2,250 animals.

e. The two facilities have a mission that is four fold in nature: (1) receive animals from gathers and evaluate them individually for off-range care, (2) preparation of animals for adoption or sale, (3) extended care for the animals that may be limited to a period of a few months to several years, and (4) sorting, preparation and shipping of animals to other ORC’s, off-range pastures, adoption events, or competition sites across the country.

f. The Facility receives wild horses and burros from other BLM and Contract facilities across the western U.S., from Adoption events, or directly from the range after they have been gathered. The horses are delivered by goose-neck trailer (approximately 12 horses in each load) or in single-straight deck semi-trailers with up to 40 horses in one load.

g. The BLM WH&B helicopter gathering season runs year-round for burros and is limited to approximately July 1 through March 1 for horses. The number of animals in the facilities can fluctuate depending on National Program needs. Gathering animals by way of bait and water trapping occurs year-round for both horses and burros, thus the facilities can receive animals from gathers any time of the year. Those wild horses and burros needing to be prepared for adoption or sale coincides with the gathering season and excess animal removed from the range. Numbers of animals in the facilities will vary greatly depending on numbers of animals shipped in from gathers from within Utah and surrounding states.

2. Objective:

a. The primary objective of this contract is to provide veterinarian services to wild horses and burros on an “as needed” basis at the two Axtell ORC’s, located in Axtell, Utah.

b. The period of performance for this requirement is August 16, 2025 to August 15, 2026, with the Government’s option to exercise up to four 1- year option periods.

3. General Services:

a. The Contractor may provide services to include, but are not limited to:

• Farm Call

• Emergency Care (1-hour response time upon receiving a phone call request)

• Coggins Test – for Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA)

• Castration/Cryptorchid Castration

• Health Certificates for Shipping

• Animal Health Corral Inspections

• Individual Animal ID & Inspections

• Micro-chip

• Antibiotic Injections

• Wound Care

b. Average number of horses and burros needing various veterinary services is estimated to be 2,500 animals. A minimum of one or more weekly visit to the facilities can be anticipated. When animals are being prepared for adoption and/or sale, 2-3 days a week should be anticipated until all the animals have been prepared. Also, at times of gelding male animals, 2-3 days a week should be anticipated until all animals have been gelded.

c. Contractor to provide all needed supplies for services and will include this in the price estimate submission. Vaccines will be provided by the BLM unless otherwise requested from the BLM, at which time the price of the vaccines will be reimbursed.

BLM and ORC contract personnel will provide assistance when there is a need to restrain animals for Veterinarian care. BLM will use agency identified procedures, in order to protect the health and welfare of all associated personnel and the equine being treated. The BLM reserves the right to perform any services in the care and treatment of equine, under the guidance of the Veterinarian at the Contract Officer’s Representative / Assistant Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR/ACOR) discretion. For example: after Veterinarian examination, BLM may administer penicillin and/or vaccines.

d. The performance of all services shall be at the discretion of the COR/ACOR.

However, BLM personnel reserve the right to complete any of the above tasks, except drawing blood for EIA testing and castrations.

4. Specific Veterinary Services to be performed are as follows:

a. Contractor shall dispose of all infections waste material in accordance with the

County Health and OSHA (1910.1030) regulations.

b. When the use of needles is required (i.e. vaccinating, drawing blood) a sterile needle shall be used for each animal. The contractor shall provide containers and will dispose of all sharps and syringes in accordance with County Health and OSHA regulations.

c. Upon request by the COR/ACOR, inspect wild horse or burros upon their arrival at the

Facility - often within 12-24 hours after arrival. An inspection report shall be prepared by the veterinarian which shall be provided to the COR/ACOR at the end of that specific inspection period.

d. Draw blood samples from each wild horse or burro that arrive at the facilities and prepare and ship those samples to the State Animal Disease Control Lab for testing of Equine Infectious Anemia. Blood to be handled in accordance with County District Health and OSHA regulations. Prepare a Coggins form for each animal sampled and provide test results to the COR/ACOR. This Service is performed annually and periodically throughout the year and can be a significant workload when performed on as many as 1,500-2,000 animals at one single point in time.

e. Control internal parasites by use of de-worming products to be administered by

BLM personnel under the advice of veterinarian. (Product to be mutually agreed upon).

f. Insert micro-chips (provided by BLM) for all animals that arrive at the facilities.

g. Farm Call: Diagnose, treat, and advise BLM treatment and continued treatment (e.g., administration of penicillin).

h. Issue and prepare health certificates for interstate shipment of horses and burros.

i. Collect tissue samples from postmortem examinations as directed by the COR/ACOR.

j. Geld stallions or jacks by the accepted method prescribed by the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP). Veterinarian shall furnish scalpel, emasculator or the Henderson Castration Tool. The address and phone number of the

AAEP is 4075 Iron Works Pike, Lexington, KY 40511: (606)233-0147.

k. Shall advise BLM and present to the COR, throughout the life of this contract, a pro-active health care plan for the approach to be used in maintaining good health containing and preventing the spread of disease in equines.

l. Shall perform individual inspections of horses when requested as they are worked through the facility chutes.

5. Responsibilities of BLM or ORC Contractor:

a. BLM will provide all equipment (i.e., chute, corrals, whip flags, ropes, etc.)

necessary to perform these veterinarian services to ensure safety to the animals and all personnel whether government or contract.

b. BLM representative will provide the following information to the Contractor:

1. Number of horses to be prepped and what services are required, and scheduled days to perform the work.

c. BLM or its ORC Contractor will provide for the maintenance and upkeep of the equipment used by the contractor for use in doing any veterinarian work at the facility. The Contractor should notify the COR/ACOR of any observed equipment problems that need attention.

6. Government Furnished Equipment/Materials/Supplies:

a. Hydraulic Chute and alley system including corral panels and gates.

b. Ropes, whip flags and any other equipment needed to move and/or restrain animals properly.

7. Post Award Conference:

A post-award conference will be held at the Axtell Facilities on the first day veterinary services are required after contract award. The primary veterinarian and any secondary veterinarians shall attend. This conference may span several working days and is intended to inform the veterinarian(s) of the operation protocols.

8. Performance and Invoicing:

Performance under this contract shall be subject to the following procedure:

a. The Contractor shall incur costs under this contract only in the performance of services in accordance with the statement of work. No other costs are authorized without the express prior written consent of the Contracting Officer.

b. Services under this contract are a fixed unit price. All service requirements will be scheduled through the COR/ACOR.

c. Contractor will be paid for actual services rendered up to the maximum quantities and unit rates listed in the resulting contracts bid schedule. Unused funds will be deobligated at the end of each service year.

d. Invoices will be submitted monthly.

9. Key Personnel

The Contractor shall identify key personnel, see the table below. The personnel listed are considered essential to the work being performed hereunder. The Contractor shall make no substitutions of key personnel unless the substitution is necessitated by illness, death, or termination of employment. The Contractor shall submit a written request, to include justification and proposed substitution to the Contracting Officer 15 working days in advance.

The Contractor shall provide a detailed explanation of the circumstances necessitating the proposed substitution, complete information as required by the below table, and any additional information requested by the Contracting Officer. Proposed substitutions should have comparable qualifications to those being replaced. No change in personnel shall be made by the Contractor without the prior written consent of the Contracting Officer. However, in urgent situations, as determined or agreed to by the Contracting Officer and/or COR, a verbal request to substitute key personnel may be approved. The Contracting Officer will notify the Contractor within 10 calendars after receipt of all required information of the decision on substitutions. In the event the proposed substitution of key personnel does not meet or exceed qualifications of the personnel being replaced, the Government reserves the right to disapprove and require another substitution of acceptable replacements for the individuals specified.

Name Position/Labor Category License Number Primary Veterinarian Backup Veterinarian Emergency Veterinarian