A02 MECs_GP IVCs_29May26_5.29.docx

United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases Minimum Essential Characteristics (MECs) for Individually Ventilated Caging (IVC) and Cages

Requirements Overview:

The United States Army Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), Veterinary Medicine Division (VMD), requests procurement of:

· Two (2) Allentown®, LLC free-standing EcoFloTM Individually Ventilated Caging (IVC) air handling units (AHUs/AHU) - alternatively identified as blowers, blower systems or air delivery system

· Four (4) Allentown®, LLC individually-ventilated animal caging (IVC/IVCs) NexGen 1800 Tall racks with water manifolds, air supply and exhaust plenums, and casters

· Four (4) Allentown, LLC rack air manifolds to connect racks to tower AHU supply and exhaust

· 120 Allentown®, LLC cage card holders

· 120 Allentown®, LLC cages and lids with air filters

· 120 Allentown®, LLC hanging J-shape feeders

· 120 Allentown®, LLC stainless steel rear shelves for cages

· 240 Allentown®, LLC bottles and lids with sipper tubes with balls

· Allentown®, LLC accessories, including all hoses, clamps, manifolds, tee risers and any other components required to connect tower AHUs to racks, HEPA and pre filters to operate AHUs for the first twelve (12) months after delivery, snap rings, grommets, and any other connection accessories Meeting the following MECs:

Air Handling Units:

1. The Tower EcoFloTM AHUs must support operations to the Government’s currently owned Allentown®, LLC. IVC racks model NexGen 900 Mouse supporting rodents, and must be able to operate with the IVC racks described in herein.

2. The AHUs must perform. in a manner that ensures biocontainment integrity by preventing voided certifications for biocontainment, and monitors and controls IVC racks’ environment parameters are functioning properly and not compromised, e.g. airflow (air changes per hour (ACH)), pressure, filter loads, temperature, and humidity.

3. The AHUs must not void any biocontainment certifications of current Allentown®, LLC. rodent IVC racks.

4. The AHU system must include all hoses, components, and parts required to connect to and operate with currently owned Allentown®, LLC. IVC racks.

5. The AHUs frame and components must be permit sanitizing, sterilization, or decontamination through surface chemical sanitation procedures and vaporous and gaseous decontaminations, including but not limited to paraformaldehyde, hydrogen peroxide, and chlorine dioxide, used in Animal Biosafety Levels 2, 3, and 4 (ABSL-2,-3, and -4).

6. The AHUs must be between 50-72 inches high, less than 17 inches wide, and less than 27 inches deep to meet biocontainment footprints and allow personnel to safely and ergonomically enter and review adjustments on the touchscreen without needing a step stool or ladder.

7. The AHUs must weigh less than 110 pounds so personnel can safely transport the AHU to different locations to meet study and animal protocol support.

8. The AHUs must be free-standing on the floor, supported by a minimum or four (4) appropriately sized casters with a secure mounting, uniform bolt hole pattern ensuring stability with no external supports, such as a wall, and not interfere with movement between rooms. The casters must be replaceable.

9. The AHUs must be UL (Underwriter Laboratories) Listed and compatible with 115V, 15A power supply.

10. The AHUs must use an electronically commutated motor (ECM motor).

11. The AHUs must have low-noise and low-vibration performance with no vibrations transferred to the IVC racks to prevent anxiety-induced and stress-induced animal behaviors.

12. The AHUs must have a local built-in system control touchscreen that operates based on user-level adjustments.

13. The AHUs system control touchscreen must be at standing eye level, between 40-60 inches high.

14. The AHUs system control panel must provide visual means conveying operating status, filter status, supply and exhaust blowers’ status, alarms, and maintenance for users’ review at all times.

15. The AHUs system control panel must indicate the exact area and item causing the alarm status.

16. The AHUs system control screen must continue providing visual alarm status until cleared by authorized personnel.

17. The AHUs system control touchscreen must not emit light or only red-tinted light during user-programmed dark cycles, ensuring regular animal light-dark (LD) cycles, and return to normal brightness during light cycles for users’ review.

18. The AHUs system control touchscreen must allow user-level inputs and adjustments for

a. Airflow at rack level,

b. Positive or negative airflow per IVC rack at individual cage level, and

c. Muting audible alarms without removing visual alarm status.

19. The AHUs system control must monitor temperature and relative humidity of both the supply and exhaust airflow.

20. The AHUs system control panel must contain security features that prevent unauthorized alteration of settings or data.

21. Each AHU must contain both supply and exhaust capability in the one (1) unit.

22. The AHUs must have High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filtration to remove fine airborne particles that would impact animal studies.

23. The AHUs must provide HEPA filtered air to multiple racks per tower unit.

24. The vendor must provide appropriate accessories to permit HEPA filtered ventilation exhausted directly into the animal room or exhausted through a thimble or canopy air exhaust system in the animal room.

25. The vendor must supply all disposable components to fully operate user level maintenance for one (1) year commencing on the date of delivery.

26. The AHUs must be covered under a Manufacturer’s warranty for one (1) year commencing on the date of delivery.

27. The Contractor must provide onsite or virtual training, at the Government’s discretion, for up to seven (7) USAMRIID personnel.

28. The Vendor must provide two (2) hard-copy manuals.

Individually Ventilated Caging (IVC) racks:

29. The NexGen1800 Tall racks must permit connection to and operation of currently owned Allentown®, LLC. rack-mounted EcoFloTM blower units (models ETS110GR and EFV113GL) as well as the AHUs described herein.

30. The racks must hold caging on only one side.

31. Each rack must hold at least fifteen (15) cages, in an orientation with no more than 5 cages high.

32. The racks must not exceed 79 inches in total height, 25 inches in total depth, or 75 inches in total width, including casters but not including AHUs, to allow movement through facility doorways.

33. Each rack must have a stainless-steel automatic watering manifold system with removable watering valves for rodents, compatible with Avidity® automatic watering systems.

34. The racks must have sealed, rear air supply and exhaust plenums at least 4 inches in diameter with filters permitting PCR colony health testing.

35. The racks shall have high-temperature tolerant, glass-filled plastic runners upon which the cages rest when on the rack, to facilitate smooth, quiet, low-vibration movement of cages and lower stress to animals.

36. The vendor must supply all appropriate air supply and exhaust manifold connection components and parts to connect to AHUs described above and to currently owned rack mounted Allentown®, LLC EcoFloTM blowers.

37. The rack frame and components must be compatible with and permit sanitizing, sterilization, or decontamination through surface chemical sanitation procedures and vaporous and gaseous decontaminations, including but not limited to paraformaldehyde, hydrogen peroxide, and chlorine dioxide, used in Animal Biosafety Levels 2, 3, and 4 (ABSL-2,-3, and -4).

38. The rack frame and components shall be made of stainless steel that may be fully autoclavable for sterilization procedures used in ABSL-3, and -4.

39. The racks must not void any biocontainment certifications of current Allentown®, LLC. AHUs.

40. The IVC racks must have at least fourteen (14) inches of tier spacing to accommodate multiple heights of caging appropriate for ferrets, rats, or guinea pigs.

41. Each IVC rack shall have at least 4 casters, measuring between 5-6 inches in diameter and locking mechanisms to facilitate controlled movement throughout the facility.

42. The IVC racks shall permit positive or negative airflow control with respect to the room.

43. The IVC racks shall have single-handed cage docking and unlocking for safe and ergonomic control of caging in various ABSL Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) stances.

44. The IVC racks shall have integrated spring-operated cage locks with docking indicator to easily see cages that are not docked properly while personnel are in various PPE stances.

45. The IVC racks shall not include bumpers.

46. The IVC rack + AHU system should provide intra-cage air velocity sufficient to remove water vapor, carbon dioxide, and ammonia, but low enough to prevent discomfort and cold stress to the animals.

47. The cage system should not have a baffle system to effectively circulate airflow.

Caging:

48. Vendor shall include 120 cages to facilitate stocking all four (4) racks with 100% additional for a full change-out. These cages must be compatible with the IVC racks. Cages must be clear to permit full view of the animals inside the cages.

49. Vendor shall include 120 J-shaped stainless-steel feeders that hang inside the cage for guinea pigs. The cages shall have a slot to hold the feeders in place without slipping or falling into the cage.

50. Vendor shall include 240 clear bottles that hold 350mL to permit viewing amount of fluid present.

51. Vendor shall include 240 stainless steel spin-on bottle lids with 3.5 inch long sipper with ball.

52. Vendor shall include 120 card holders, measuring 3 x 5 inches, and attach onto the exterior of the cages in horizontal orientation and in a way that facilitates full view of the animals inside the cages.

53. Vendor shall include 120 clear plastic cage lids with filters and hinged retainers to permit ergonomic handling of cages and lid units.

54. Cage lids and base shall permit supply air entering the cage base and exhaust air to exit through the cage lid via self-sealing ports.

55. Air ports must utilize a metal snap ring to permit sanitation and autoclaving.

56. Cages must have airflow vents in the cage base to facilitate airflow from the rack, and to allow drainage in case of water leak.

57. Cage lids shall permit providing two (2) external water bottles through the lid without opening the cage.

58. Vendor shall include 120 partial-width metal shelf inserts with an access opening that fit within the cages to facilitate natural animal movements, enrichment, and maximize flexibility for housing multiple species.This shelf must be also compatible with the J-shaped feeders described as requirement 49.

59. Cage bottom and lid must fit tightly together and be able to seal together utilizing a silicone or similar material gasket to prevent air leakage without the use of locks.

60. Cages must be compatible with both automatic watering system and placement of water bottles.

61. Cages shall be designed for ease of handling in ABSL-2, -3, and -4 PPE stances, including handles on cage sides and cage weight distribution.

62. Cages and all components shall be resistant to breakage in case of drops from a height of 4-5 feet.

63. Cage design shall permit compact stacking with minimal to no disassembly for high autoclave throughput for cages, tops, and all components.

64. The caging and all components must be compatible with and permit sanitizing, sterilization, or decontamination through surface chemical sanitation procedures and vaporous and gaseous decontaminations, including but not limited to paraformaldehyde, hydrogen peroxide, and chlorine dioxide, and high temperature autoclaves used in Animal Biosafety Levels 2, 3, and 4 (ABSL-2,-3, and -4).

65. Cages shall have minimum floor space of 280 square inches, inner cage height at least 11 inches, and outer dimensions not less than 12 inches in height, 23 inches in width, and 16 inches in depth

Delivery:

Two (2) EcoFloTM IVC blower systems, four (4) NexGen 1800 Tall racks, 120 cages, 120 cage lids, 240 bottles and bottle lids, and accessories described herein shall be delivered to:

United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) 1425 Port Street Fort Detrick, MD 21702

Delivery of items shall be coordinated with:

Name: Alicia Cawlfield, DVM, MPH, DACVPM, DACLAM, PMP LTC, U.S. Army Veterinary Corps Chief, Husbandry Branch Veterinary Medicine Division, USAMRIID Email: Alicia.d.cawlfield.mil@health.mil Phone: (301) 619-0813