JA for Sole Source 9.12.25.pdf

Justification for Other than Full and Open Competition:

Sole Source at or Below the Simplified Acquisition Threshold Project Title: Sole Source – tick@lab rX Animal Research Facility (XL Edition) / Annual

Subscription

I. Identification of the agency and contracting activity

DHHS, NIH, ORS, DVR

Address of the requesting lab/office: Bethesda, MD

II. Description of the project, and supplies or services required to meet the agency’s needs

A. Project Background

The Division of Veterinary Resources (DVR) is the central National Institutes of Health (NIH) laboratory animal research support program contributing to the advancement of NIH biomedical research by providing animal care and a full range of essential and specialized veterinary services. In addition, DVR professional staff are available for consultation on all aspects of laboratory animal medicine and participate in collaborative research. Among these activities, DVR supports clinical care, diagnostic testing, environmental enrichment, genetic monitoring, health surveillance, animal holding, intensive care, nutrition, veterinary pharmacy, phenotyping mouse models, animal procurement, surgery and radiology and animal transportation.

DVR is responsible for the intake, care, and disposition of animals. To ensure regulatory compliance, accurate recordkeeping, and effective management, a robust software solution is required. After market research, competition and evaluation, a-tune software INC was identified as the only viable solution that fully met our operational, regulatory, and technical requirements.

Failure to procure this software annual service subscription would result in a loss to the Government. This service subscription supports DVR’s existing tick@lab software and is the only subscription that seamlessly integrates its services. DVR would experience loss of operational efficiency and data integrity, thereby producing the potential for non-compliance with animal welfare regulations. This contract directly supports human and animal safety and healthcare, which is mission-critical for NIH’s Intramural Research Program (IRP). This work/program is mandated by the Animal Welfare Act and the PHS Policy on the Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (the US Government Principles, the Guide, and the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Guidelines).

Cancelling it would risk the NIH failing to meet its obligation to ensure animal health and welfare, which would directly affect all animal programs in the Intramural Research Program (IRP) and would result in non-compliance with both federal policy and US law. Termination will lead to adverse effects on the health of research animals, compromising ongoing studies and leading to animal welfare concerns. Without the tick@lab software service subscription, DVR would incur a loss of cost efficiency due to the loss of significant time and financial resources already spent on staff training, data migration, and system reconfiguration, making not procuring a-tune software INC support impractical and cost-prohibitive.

B. Description of the supplies/services to be purchased

Description Catalog # Quantity Duration (Months) a-tune software INC./tick@lab software - 1 Year – Annual Service Subscription - Technical

N/A 1 12

• Name of manufacturer, producer, or distributor of each brand name product referenced (and address if not well known).

a-tune software INC.

8110 Cordova Rd, Suite 119 Cordova, TN 38016

USA

III. Identification of the statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition

41 USC 1901(a)(1) and FAR Part 6.302-1: Only one responsible source/Sole Source

IV. Demonstration that the proposed contractor(s) unique qualifications or the nature of the acquisition requires use of the authority cited.

HHS/NIH/Office of Research Services, Division of Veterinary Resources (DVR) is seeking on a sole source only basis, to purchase an annual service subscription of a-tune software INC./tick@lab software to maintain compliance and manage secure existing software for laboratory animal resource management and other veterinary research services.

A-tune software INC./tick@lab software is unique, and our market research found that no other web-based software could provide the same capabilities and features, including but not limited to system functionality, IT compliance, and vendor responsiveness as deciding factors. Tick@lab software allows DVR to comply with regulatory requirements by proving that security requirements are met.

The impact of not using sole source will restrict NIH from maintaining a quality animal records system that meets mission requirements and limit NIH’s ability to continue to build an animal records system repository.