75N94026R00006_FY26_Mouse_Models_SOURCES_SOUGHT_NOTICE_3_9_26_NICHD_NIH_1.pdf

Sources Sought Notice

Agency/Office:

Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH)

The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

Sources Sought Notice No.:

75N94026R00006

Title:

Repository of Mouse Models for Down Syndrome

Type:

Research and Development (R&D) Sources Sought

NAICS Code:

541714 - Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology)

Response Date:

March 19, 2026, 4:00 PM Eastern Time

Primary Point of Contact:

Gisele Beaudoin, Contract Specialist gisele.beaudoin@nih.gov

Secondary Point of Contact:

Gannon White, Contracting Officer gannon.white@nih.gov

Description:

This is a Small Business Sources Sought (SBSS) Notice for Research & Development

(R&D). This SBSS notice is for market research and planning purposes only and shall not be interpreted as a solicitation or as an obligation on the part of the Government. 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 qualified small and small disadvantaged businesses to perform a potential R&D requirement.

The purpose of this synopsis is to identify small business organizations with requisite qualifications to provide the services stated herein. Based on capability statements received in response to this Sources Sought Announcement, this acquisition may be solicited as a small business set-aside. All small business organizations (SB, SOB, WOSB, HUBZone, VOSB, and

SDVOSB) are encouraged to respond to this notice. An organization that is not considered a small business under the applicable NAICS code should not submit a response to this notice.

Background and Project Requirements:

The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

(NICHD)/NIH seek capability statements from interested and qualified potential sources to mailto:gisele.beaudoin@nih.gov mailto:gannon.white@nih.gov produce, potentially acquire, maintain, and distribute mouse models for cytogenetic research, specifically models for Down syndrome (human trisomy for chromosome 21).

The Contractor shall maintain the specific acquisition, called the "Repository of Mouse Models for

Down Syndrome" (or "Mouse Repository") as elaborated below.

1. Breed various strains of mice to serve as models of Down syndrome that are of known genetic background and will produce genetically unbalanced gametes resulting in complete or partial trisomic embryos with special emphasis on mouse chromosomes that are syntenic to human chromosome 21 (Hsa21). On average, at least 30 breeding pairs must be maintained to preserve the breeding colony for a strain such as Ts65Dn and supply enough mice to meet investigator demands for this strain. Other murine models of Down syndrome that are part of this resource and are popular with investigators include, but are not limited to, Dup(16)Yey, TcMAC21, and Ts66Yah; these shall be maintained and made available as part of the Mouse Repository. An emphasis shall be placed on meeting the needs of the investigators in the Down syndrome research community. In particular, the Contractor shall ensure that there is an adequate supply of female mice for purposes of establishment of separate colonies by investigators with substantial resource needs. If the needs of the research community change such that a strain is no longer required to be in active production, or if issues arise with a particular mouse strain that make it unreasonable to continue supporting, the contractor will discuss concerns with the Contracting Officer

(CO), Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR), and other applicable and pertinent

NICHD and NIH staff prior to discontinuing the strain as part of the Mouse Repository.

NICHD anticipates approximately 1200-2400 mice per year would be supplied by the

Contractor to investigators and other entities. It is estimated that approximately 75-80% of those mice will be sent to federally funded investigators free of charge (except for shipping and handling) through NICHD Approval.

2. Acquire new strains. If new strains become available, the Contractor may consider adding to the Mouse Repository at least one new mouse strain of interest to the investigator community, in consultation with the Contracting Officer (CO), Contracting Officer’s

Representative (COR), and other applicable and pertinent NICHD and NIH staff.

3. Convene an external Scientific Advisory Board that will meet virtually on a quarterly basis to provide advice on phenotyping, availability, customer service, community needs, and distribution of mice in this Repository, as well as general feedback if issues arise.

4. Evaluate the fertility of both male and female mice for optimal methods of maintaining individual mouse strains in active production semiannually for newly added strains and those with documented breeding difficulties to the Mouse Repository.

5. Distribute the animal models to qualified investigators approved by the NICHD.

6. Test the animals periodically for pathogens as per standard protocols that are outlined in the standard operating procedures by the Contractor.

7. Characterize the clinical and neurobehavioral phenotypes of the mouse models to ensure integrity of the strains and to allow for comparative phenotypic information among different murine strains using a standardized battery of tests, or as specified by the COR.

8. Publicize the availability of mouse models indicating the type of strains in the colony as well as detailed information about the background strain, genotype, protocols for genotyping, husbandry conditions, phenotypic and neurobehavioral characteristics, and other details as specified by the COR.

To be deemed capable of providing the services needed for the repository, the offeror must submit a written capability statement that clearly demonstrates the following:

• Experience: Provide evidence of successfully breeding, maintaining, and distributing mice that produce partial trisomy with special emphasis on the Ts65Dn mouse strain as well as other high-priority strains. In addition, evidence of successfully cryopreserving embryos and implanting them into pseudo-pregnant mice to produce viable progeny should also be provided. Provide documentation of prior ability to maintain mice in a healthy, pathogen-free state.

• Facilities: The offeror must demonstrate that it has the requisite facilities and equipment for breeding, maintaining, and distributing mice that produce partial trisomy, including adequate computer documentation and processing of requests, and a system for timely completion of orders for mice.

• Other specific capabilities to be demonstrated are: the ability to identify, maintain, breed, and phenotype mice carrying balanced Robertsonian translocations, fusion chromosomes, and segmental duplications that will produce chromosome aneuploidies and partial trisomies involving mouse chromosomes 16, 10, and 17. The offeror must have reliable, cost-effective protocols for genotyping mice accurately.

Anticipated Period of Performance:

The Government anticipates awarding a cost-reimbursement contract type with a period of performance consisting of a one-year base period, and four (4) one-year option periods, for a total of five (5) years. The Government anticipates issuing a single award for this requirement.

Capability Statements/Information Requested:

NOTE: General “brochures” will not be considered. Small businesses that believe they have the ability to satisfy all of the Project Requirements as described above, and who meet the stated size standard, are encouraged to submit a capability statement which demonstrates their relevant expertise as described below. Respondents will not receive individualized feedback.

Capability Statements that are submitted in response to this announcement should clearly convey information regarding the respondent’s capabilities, including: (a) staff expertise, including their availability, experience, and formal and other training; (b) current in-house capability and capacity to perform the work; (c) prior completed projects of similar nature; (d) corporate experience and management capability; and (e) examples of prior completed Government contracts, references, and other related information.

Interested contractors must submit a capability statement describing their company’s experience and ability to perform this effort that includes the following: (1) a summary list of similar work previously performed; (2) the professional qualifications and specific experience of staff who may be assigned to the requirement; (3) resumes for proposed key personnel, including the Principal

Investigator, that reflect education and previous work relevant to the proposed requirement; (4) a general description of the facilities and other resources needed to perform the work; and (5) demonstrated ability to carry out the work.

Each response should include the following Business Information:

a. Unique Entity ID number

b. Company Name

c. Company Address

d. Company Points of Contact (both technical and administrative), including names, titles, addresses, telephone and fax numbers and Email addresses

e. Do you have a government-approved accounting system? If so, please identify the agency that approved the system.

f. Type of Company (i.e., large business, non-profit, educational institution, small business, 8(a), woman owned, veteran owned, etc.) as validated via the System for

Award Management (SAM).

All offerors must be registered in the SAM, located at http://www.sam.gov/

Information Submission Instructions:

All capability statements sent in response to this Small Business Sources Sought notice must be submitted electronically (via e-mail) to Mr. Gannon White, Contracting Officer, at gannon.white@nih.gov and Mrs. Gisele Beaudoin, Contract Specialist, at gisele.beaudoin@nih.gov in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF), by 4:00 pm Eastern Time March 19, 2026. Capability statements will not be accepted after the due date. Please reference Notice Number

“75N94026R00006” on all correspondence. All information furnished must be in writing. The

Government will not entertain questions regarding this Market Research; however, general questions may be emailed to the Contracting Officer and Contract Specialist mentioned above.

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 solicitation may be published in

Beta.sam.gov. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation. A determination by the Government not to compete this requirement based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government.

mailto:gannon.white@nih.gov mailto:gisele.beaudoin@nih.gov

Confidentiality:

No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response.

End of Sources Sought Notice