36C25219Q0790-002.pdf

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

Justification for Brand Name Awards IAW FAR 13.106-1 For

Over Micro-Purchase Threshold but Not Exceeding the SAT ($250K)

Acquisition Plan Action ID:__ 36C252-19-AP-2944- Mouse Feeding Cage for Research 2237 Number: 607-19-3-8475-0202

1. Contracting Activity: Department of Veterans Affairs, SAOC-VISN 12, Great Lakes Acquisition

Center, 115 South 84th Street, Suite 101, Milwaukee, WI 53214.

2. Organizational Activity: Department of Veterans Affairs, William S. Middleton VA Medical Center, 2500 Overlook Terrace, Madison, WI 53705-2286

3. Brief Description of Supplies/ Services required and the intended use/Estimated Amount: The

William S. Middleton VA Medical Center Animal Research Facility in Madison, WI is requesting one

(1) BIODAQ Brand Name Only Model E3 12 Cage Mouse System - Food Intake Only. This specialty cage mouse system has its own proprietary software and laptop that will control each individual mouse cage within this system. This computer controlled programmable automatic feeder system for laboratory mice will measure food consumption. A computer will control food hoppers mounted to the side of mouse housing cages; in response to a user-defined program, gates allowing access to the food will be able to open and close multiple times per day. Gates may be computer controlled either by time and/or by the amount of food consumed, which will be continually measured using precision scales and recorded by the computer. The food hoppers will hold food sufficient for multiple days. The food hoppers may be mounted 2 per cage to allow diets to be compared or to be offered at different times of day and/or in different amounts. The research grant is requesting the Animal Research Facility at the VA to study how dietary composition affects obesity and diabetes in mice with the goal of finding new, translatable interventions for Veterans. The ability to accurately measure food consumption, as we need to be able to distinguish changes in weight that are due to reduced caloric intake from those due to changes in energy expenditure and metabolism are absolutely what requires the Research Facility to require the unique characteristics of the BIODAQ Brand Name Only Model E3 12 Cage Mouse System - Food Intake Only System.

4. Unique characteristics that limit availability to only one source, with the reason no other supplies or services can be used: The William S Middleton VA Medical Center Animal Research Department is requesting (1) BIODAQ Brand Name Only Model E3 12 Cage Mouse System - Food Intake Only because of contains high accuracy, computer-monitored scales attached to computer-controlled food hoppers mounted to special mouse cages. This equipment will allow us to house mice for prolonged periods of time while measuring exactly how much they eat and when, which will be key for the diet studies we are pursuing. The requested equipment will also permit us to control how much animals eat using computer controlled “gates” on the food hoppers – important as dietary protein is satiating, and this system will allow us to accurately and reproducibly pair-feed mice while conducting our diet studies. The computer-controlled gates will allow us to permit/restrict animal access to food at different times of the day or night without disturbing other animals in the facility.

Finally, the cages can be utilized in double-hopper mode, allowing us to compare the palatability of diets, which is likely to be of importance in designing interventions that will be adhered to by https://www.acquisition.gov/?q=/browse/far/13

Veterans. While low-cost While low-cost automated feeders are available for home/pet use, the key advantages of the described BioDAQ E3 12 Cage Mouse System include the (1) Ability to open/close food access (“gate”) multiple times per day in response to programming involving the time of day as well as the weight of the food dispensed. (2) The ability to record both total food dispensed as well as when food was consumed to measure feeding patterns. (3) Ability of cage bottoms and additional equipment to meet animal housing regulatory requirements and local sanitation requirements. (4) Ability to mount feeders in “dual feeder” mode which will allow two different diets to be compared OR to be dispensed at different times of day. (5) System is resistant to user error with regard to feeder positioning and interference from the animals, which can with consumer-grade feeders often figure out how to bump the feeder into dispensing additional food or food at the wrong time of day. (6) The ability to setup the system such that diet can be supplied only one or two times per week and thereafter be reliably automatically dispensed. This system also has a one-year warranty and has 24/7 support that can help with the operation of this equipment.

5. Description of market research conducted and results or statement why it was not conducted:

Market research was conducted by the CO by starting to look within the VIP website. The CO searched under NAICS 334516 and keyword ‘BioDAQ’ and the CO found zero results. The CO then searched under FPDS-NG website for keywords “programmable cage mouse system” and “programmable mouse cages” and found no results. The CO also searched FPDS-NG under keyword “BioDAQ” and found that all results were awarded to Research Diets Incorporated. The CO also search the MSPV-NG for the part numbers from the quote and found zero results. The CO also searched the GSA Advantage website and only found computer results. The CO also searched the DSBS under 334516 and BioDAQ and no results came up. Based on this information, the CO placed a Sources Sought on FBO and received no results. Based on this information, The CO is requesting a FAR 13 (Brand Name Only procurement IAW FAR 12.101© and FAR 13.104 to allow the Government to obtain the best value.

Contracting Officer's Certification: Purchase is approved in accordance with FAR13.106-1(b). I certify that the foregoing justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

____________________________ ____9/16/2019______ Name- Shari Lee Date Title- Contracting Officer https://acquisition.gov/far/current/html/Subpart%2013_1.html#wp1125466