Animal Feed-Bedding Storage and Delivery.docx

Animal Feed/Bedding Procurement, Storage, & Delivery - 7403072

Contracting Office Address Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, Office of Acquisitions, OA Office of the Director, OD 6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 537-S, Bethesda, MD, 20892.

Introduction This is a notice issued on behalf of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Office of Acquisitions, OA Office of the Director, OD, DHHS, UNITED STATES. This is a Small Business Sources Sought notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this Sources Sought is to seek the availability and capability of small business concerns, including 8(a) small business and/or small qualified small business concerns [including Small Disadvantaged Businesses (SDB), Woman-owned Small Businesses (WOSB), Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) Small Businesses, Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (VOSB) and Service-Disabled Veteran-owned Small Businesses (SDVOSB] that are interested in and capable of performing the work described in the statement of work. Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible.

Small business concerns that believe they possess the capabilities necessary to undertake this work should submit complete documentation of their capabilities to the Contracting Officer. The capability statement should include 1)Name and address of the vendor, 2) Size and type of business, 3) Point of contact with the name, title, phone, fax, and email, 4) UEI number. 5) the professional qualifications of experts, and technical personnel as it relates to the above outlined requirements, any other information considered relevant to this service. The capability statement must not exceed 7 pages. Interested small business organizations are required to identify their size standards in accordance with the Small Business Administration. The government requests that no proprietary or confidential business data be submitted in a response to this notice. However, responses that indicate the information therein is proprietary will be properly safeguarded for Government use only. Capability statements must include the name and telephone numbers of a point of contact having authority and knowledge to discuss responses with Government representatives. Capability statements in response to this market survey that do not provide sufficient information for evaluation will be considered non-responsive. When submitting this information, please reference the solicitation notice number.

Purpose This Statement of Work (SOW) defines the laboratory animal feed and bedding requirements for the Building 49 Central Animal Facility (CAF) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland. The CAF maintains a dedicated feed and bedding resource to ensure these essential commodities remain available during normal operations, emergencies, disasters, and Government shutdowns, in order to support irreplaceable multidisciplinary animal research that is critical to the ongoing mission of eight NIH Institutes’ intramural research programs.

The Government requires feed and bedding of specific quality and quantity that meet defined NIH specifications and are subject to potentially prolonged manufacturing lead times and finite shelf life. The objective of this contract is to establish a stable, cost‑effective mechanism that ensures immediate accessibility of up to a ninety (90) day supply of feed and bedding and supports continuous rotation and replacement of product throughout each twelve (12) month contract period. The initial emergency/disaster reserve volumes for feed and bedding will be determined at the time of award; reserve levels for each category and product will be adjusted monthly based on available resources and program requirements.

The contract period shall consist of one (1) base year with four (4) one‑year option periods. In addition to establishing and maintaining a feed and bedding emergency and disaster resource, the contractor must provide high‑quality laboratory animal feed and bedding that meet the specifications in this Statement of Work and applicable NIH standards. Because both feed and bedding have definitive shelf lives and are critical research variables, the contractor shall maintain product integrity by delivering requested items from the reserve to the facility on a routine basis or upon request, and by reestablishing the reserve each month as directed by the Government. It is the contractor’s responsibility to manage the reserve to ensure continuous stock rotation and to protect the integrity of the emergency/disaster resource.

Background Building 49, Central Animal Facility (CAF), located on the NIH Bethesda campus, advances biomedical research by providing professional and technical support services for laboratory animal care and use and by housing laboratory animals in support of eight Institutes’ intramural research programs. To support these animals and the critical research they enable, CAF must ensure a consistent supply of feed and bedding, including during emergencies, disasters, and Government shutdowns. To minimize research variables attributable to feed and bedding, CAF also must ensure the quality and consistency of these supplies; these requirements are fully integrated into both Facility‑level and Institute‑level disaster preparedness plans.

The required feed and bedding products are highly specific to the needs of the research program, and those needs are as diverse as the scientific disciplines represented across NIH. Accurate results and meaningful conclusions can only be achieved when tight control is maintained over all materials and methods used in each study. Both feed and bedding are key environmental variables that must be controlled and managed over time; variations in diet formulation or bedding composition can confound experimental results and complicate interpretation.

There are three common feed manufacturing practices—open, closed, and fixed formulas. Because lots manufactured under open and closed formulas can vary in nutrient and contaminant concentrations by ingredient batch, Building 49 has determined that its research requirements must be supported with fixed‑formula Purina Lab and Test diets. In fixed‑formula diets, the identity and inclusion rates of ingredients remain constant from batch to batch, ingredients are routinely assayed, and formulation refinements are made as needed to minimize nutrient variation. This approach provides a constant nutritional baseline, controls unwanted nutritionally induced research variables, and includes assays for environmental contaminants to further reduce the possibility of unwanted variables introduced through the diet.

The Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (8th Edition) defines animal biosecurity as all measures taken to identify, contain, prevent, and eradicate infections that may cause disease, alter physiologic or behavioral responses, or otherwise render animals unsuitable for research. National animal health emergency guidance similarly defines biosecurity as a set of management practices designed to prevent the introduction and spread of disease agents. As part of CAF’s biosecurity program, ensuring an uninterrupted supply of high‑quality feed and bedding is a shared responsibility between the program and the selected contractor, who together must maintain the consistent availability of these essential supplies and services.

To meet these needs and to manage disaster‑related risks, CAF intends to partner with a laboratory animal feed and bedding vendor that has a proven track record of providing quality products and services and that can maintain up to a one‑year supply of designated feed and bedding at a warehouse located within approximately 60 miles of NIH in Bethesda, Maryland. The vendor must have a sound disaster plan and appropriate arrangements with state and federal agencies to support deliveries during emergencies; as a secondary backup, CAF will coordinate with the vendor to pick up required supplies directly if the vendor cannot transport them.

Scope of Work Independently, and not as an agent of the Government, the contractor shall furnish all personnel, materials, equipment, facilities, and services necessary to:

· Supply specified Purina/LabDiet™ fixed‑formula research diets (and any NIH‑approved equivalents) for Building 49 research animals.

· Supply specified hardwood and paper/cellulose bedding products equivalent to NEPCO® Aspen Chip, Absorption Corporation BioFresh™, NEPCO Beta Chip®, and other NIH‑approved bedding.

· Establish and maintain a controlled warehouse capable of holding up to approximately a one‑year supply of designated feed and bedding, with appropriate temperature, humidity, and pest control.

· Maintain an emergency/disaster reserve inventory, including routine rotation and monthly reserve adjustments as directed by the Government.

· Provide routine twice‑weekly deliveries and emergency deliveries of feed and bedding to Building 49.

· Maintain accurate inventory records and provide monthly inventory reports.

· Develop and implement an Operations Statement and Disaster Plan that meet the performance requirements of this SOW.

Technical Requirements

1. Feed Products The contractor shall provide Purina/LabDiet™ brand fixed‑formula animal feeds, or NIH‑approved equivalent fixed‑formula diets, for the species and diet types used in Building 49, including but not limited to those listed in Section B.3 (Supplies List). At a minimum:

· Diets shall be fixed‑formula, using the same ingredients at the same inclusion rates in every batch.

· Diets shall meet NIH Standards for Laboratory Animal Feed Processing and Mill Sanitation and NIH Standard for Nutrient and Chemical Contaminant Analyses of Laboratory Animal Diets.

· Ingredients shall be routinely assayed; manufacturing control points shall be validated; and lot samples shall be retained and tested for key nutrients and contaminants.

· Diets designated as irradiated and/or autoclavable must be processed and fortified to maintain nutritional adequacy after irradiation and autoclaving.

· No substitutions of diet brand, formulation, or product are permitted without prior written consent of the Government. The Government reserves the right to add, remove, or otherwise modify diet items to meet evolving program requirements.

2. Bedding Products The contractor shall provide hardwood and paper/cellulose bedding identical or equivalent to NEPCO® Aspen Chip, Absorption Corporation BioFresh™, NEPCO Beta Chip®, and other bedding products designated on the Building 49 feed and bedding schedule. At a minimum:

· Bedding shall meet the NIH Standard for Laboratory Animal Bedding Processing, Packaging, and Facility Sanitation.

· Bedding shall be screened to specified particle sizes, low in dust, and free of pests, pesticides, chemicals, and other contaminants.

· Bedding designated as autoclavable shall be packaged to withstand steam sterilization while permitting steam penetration and maintaining bag integrity.

No bedding substitutions are permitted without prior written consent of the Government. Bedding items may be added, removed, or otherwise modified at the Government’s discretion to meet evolving requirements.

3. Standards and Specifications The contractor shall comply with, and all feed and bedding shall conform to, at least the following standards, as updated:

Standards:

· National Institutes of Health Standard for Laboratory Animal Feed Processing and Mill Sanitation

· National Institutes of Health Standard for Laboratory Animal Bedding Processing, Packaging and Facility Sanitation

· National Institutes of Health Standard for Nutrient and Chemical Contaminant Analyses of Laboratory Animal Diets

Bedding Specifications:

· Salient Characteristics (specifications) for Laboratory Animal Bedding, Hardwood, Screened (in paper bags)

· Salient Characteristics (specifications) for Laboratory Animal Bedding, Corncob, Screened (in paper bags)

· Salient Characteristics (specifications) for Laboratory Animal Bedding, Softwood, Screened (in paper bags) Managed Formulation Diets

· Salient Characteristics (specifications) for Mouse Diet 5015

· Salient Characteristics (specifications) for Old World Non-human Primate Diet 5038

· Salient Characteristics (specifications) for New World Primate Diet 5040

· Salient Characteristics (specifications) for Pico Laboratory Animal Mouse Diet 5058

· Salient Characteristics (specifications) for Laboratory Rabbit Diet 5321

· Salient Characteristics (specifications) for Prolab RMH 1800 Diet

Warehouse, Biosecurity, and Reserve Management

1. Warehouse Requirements The contractor’s warehouse shall:

· Be located within approximately 45 miles of NIH Bethesda.

· Provide adequate vermin‑free space to store up to approximately a one‑year supply of designated feed and bedding.

· Protect supplies from contamination by animal pathogens, toxic or hazardous substances, and dust that may carry or harbor pathogens.

· Maintain controlled temperature and humidity appropriate to preserve feed and bedding quality (e.g., for most LabDiet cereal grain products, <72°F/21°C and ≤50% RH; for many TestDiet/custom products, refrigerated or cold storage as recommended).

· Use pallets, racks, or carts to keep feed and bedding off the floor; pallets must be clean and free of contaminants and damage.

The contractor shall maintain a documented pest‑control program with a qualified firm, including a regularly scheduled and documented program of monitoring and control. The contractor shall provide the name of the pest‑control firm and a description of its program, and shall provide QA documentation for manufacturing, monitoring, and storage practices, as well as monthly quality assurance results. Government personnel will inspect warehouse sites at least annually to verify compliance; deficiencies must be corrected within timeframes specified by the COR.

2. Emergency/Disaster Reserve Levels The level of emergency/disaster stock will depend on resources and funding available in the base and option years; however, at minimum a 30‑day supply for each feed and bedding product shall be maintained. Unless otherwise directed:

· Minimum reserve: 30 days of usage per product.

· Maximum reserve: 150 days for each feed product and 365 days for each bedding product (feed maximum adjusted for shorter expiration).

Quantities are estimates; the Government reserves the right to increase or decrease quantities at the unit prices established in the contract.

The contractor shall maintain and rotate reserve stock so that:

· Laboratory animal feed is delivered within 150 days of the date of manufacture, unless a different mill‑date window is agreed upon in writing by the Government for specific products.

· The shelf life of delivered feed and bedding at the facility is not less than 30 days.

During an emergency or disaster, the Government may direct use of products beyond the typical 150‑day feed window if necessary.

3. Inventory Management and Reporting The contractor shall:

· Maintain accurate inventory controls to support rotation and timely use of each product.

· Track for each lot: product name, manufacturer, lot/batch number, mill date, expiration/best‑by date, and quantity on hand.

· Provide a detailed inventory report to the COR at least monthly and more often if requested, showing inventory levels for each product, lot/mill dates, and evidence that reserve stock is being rotated to preserve product integrity.

Delivery and Performance Requirements

1. Routine Deliveries Unless otherwise specified:

· Routine deliveries shall be made to the Building 49 Central Animal Facility loading dock on Tuesdays and Thursdays, no earlier than 0700 and completed before 11:30 AM (excluding Federal holidays).

· Trucks arriving after the specified time may not be allowed to unload; deliveries scheduled on Federal holidays shall be made the next workday.

· All deliveries shall be on clean, standard 48" x 40" pallets; total pallet height (pallet plus goods) shall not exceed 55", and pallets shall be shrink‑wrapped.

· The contractor shall unload pallets from the delivery truck and place them on the designated loading dock; NIH staff will not unload trucks.

Each bag must be marked with the product name, manufacturer, net weight, ingredients, date of manufacture (month, day, year), and batch number; the manufacture date shall be visible when bags are stacked on pallets (codes alone are not acceptable).

2. Emergency Deliveries The contractor shall provide emergency deliveries and services upon Government request in the event of an emergency or disaster, in accordance with its Disaster Plan. If contractor transportation is unavailable, the contractor shall coordinate with the Government to allow direct pickup of required supplies from the warehouse.

3. Product Integrity and Damage

· The contractor shall protect feed and bedding from moisture, dust, and other contaminants throughout storage and delivery.

· Fewer than five percent (<5%) of bags of feed and bedding delivered may be torn, ripped, or damaged.

· The contractor shall provide credit and/or replacement, at its expense, for all broken, torn, ripped, or damaged items.

· The contractor shall provide return trips, at no additional cost, within 24 hours of the original required delivery date/time to correct incorrect product deliveries or replace damaged items.

Operations Statement and Disaster Plan

1. Operations Statement Within the timeframe specified in Section F (or as directed by the CO), the contractor shall submit a written Operations Statement describing:

· How product integrity is maintained (storage, handling, transport).

· How stock rotation is managed (e.g., FIFO, inventory checks).

· Inventory management systems and recordkeeping.

· Warehouse environmental controls and monitoring.

· Pest‑control program and documentation.

· Delivery and logistics procedures, including routine and emergency routing.

2. Disaster Plan The contractor shall submit and maintain a detailed Disaster Plan describing:

· How feed and bedding services will be sustained during emergencies or disasters.

· Backup transportation and routes, including alternative carriers.

· Coordination with state and federal agencies, where applicable.

· Procedures and contact information for 24/7 emergency communication.

Provisions for direct Government pickup if contractor delivery is not possible.

The Disaster Plan shall be reviewed at least annually with the COR and revised as necessary.

Other Conditions

· The contractor shall accept orders via phone or email and promptly notify the COR if any product is out of stock or if any feed/bedding composition changes; no substitutions are allowed without explicit written permission at the time of ordering.

· The Government reserves the right to inspect contractor and manufacturer facilities prior to award and at any time during contract performance to verify compliance with NIH standards for feed and bedding production and storage.

· Vendors are cautioned that any alternate proposal, unless explicitly requested by the Contracting Officer, or any changes, insertions, or omissions to the terms, conditions, specifications, or any other requirement may be considered non‑responsive and, at the discretion of the Contracting Officer, may result in rejection of the proposal.

SCHEDULE

Base Year: September 21, 2026 – September 20, 2027, Option Year I: September 21, 2027 – September 20, 2028, Option Year II: September 21, 2028 – September 20, 2029, Option Year III: September 21, 2029 – September 20, 2030, Option Year IV: September 21, 2030 – September 20, 2031, Total Estimate for Contract:

Point of Contact

Lynda Cole, Contract Specialist, Office of the Director, OD, Lynda.cole@nih.gov.

Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, Office of Acquisition, Office of the Director, 6701 Rockledge Dr., Rm 537-S, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA

Submission Instructions:

Interested parties shall submit capability statements via email to Lynda Cole at Lynda.cole@nih.gov. Due Monday, June 29, 2026 @ 5:00 pm EST.

All responses must be received by the specified due date and time in order to be considered.

This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in the response. No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your 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 provide the item. 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 review of the responses received, pre-solicitation and solicitation notices will be published in SAM.GOV. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation.