Attachment 1 - Statement of Work.pdf

STATEMENT OF WORK (SOW)

GENERAL INFORMATION

Title of Project:

Maintenance and Repair Services for Automated Rodent Cage Bedding Handling System

Statement of Need and Purpose:

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) Animal Health Care Section (AHCS) requires maintenance and repair services for its Roe Vacuum Bedding Removal System (VBRS) and Roe Vacuum Bedding Dispensing System (VBDS).

The automated rodent cage bedding handling system was manufactured by Roe Biomedical Products, Inc. (Roe) and consists of six components, which are listed below. This system is essential to the facility’s efficient handling of its daily and weekly rodent cage processing volume and it is thus equally essential that it be properly maintained.

All work shall be performed by a manufacturer-authorized service provider in accordance with the general and specific requirements outlined in this Statement of Work (SOW).

Background Information and Objective:

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the nation’s leading medical research agency and the primary Federal agency whose mission is to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and apply that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability.

The AHCS manages the Building 35 Shared Animal Facility (SAF) for the nine NIH institutes and centers that house rodents used as research subjects in support of approved animal study protocols (ASPs). The AHCS staff follow recommended principles that are outlined in the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (The Guide) to ensure that its provides for the animals' health and welfare in accordance with federal regulations.

The Roe Vacuum Bedding Removal System (VBRS) consists of two (2) soiled cage bedding dump stations both of which are located in the basement-level cagewash area, a bedding disposal discharge module which is located outside of the building and adjacent to the ground-level loading dock area, a system of 2” stainless steel vacuum conveyor lines which connect the dump stations with the bedding disposal discharge module, and a PLC controlled Ethernet interface.

The Roe Vacuum Bedding Dispensing System (VBDS) consists of a bulk bedding hopper, located in a storage area adjacent to the ground-level loading dock, two automated vacuum bedding dispenser units with cage inverters both of which are located on the clean side of the basement-level cagewash area, a system of 2” stainless steel vacuum conveyor lines for transporting clean woodchip bedding between the bulk bedding hopper, and the bedding dispenser units, and a PLC controlled Ethernet interface.

There are also two (2) cage tunnel washers located in the vivarium cagewash area. Both of these cage tunnel washers are equipped with a Roe Bedding Dump Station, and a Roe Bedding Dispenser/Cage Inverter.

Individual system components are listed in the following table:

Table A – System Components

Equipment Description Equipment

Serial Number

Installation Year

Location Building/Room

Number Roe Vacuum Bedding Removal System (Model # VBRS 9400) Includes the Following Listed Components

Roe Bedding Dump Station #1 SCD113007 -1

2013 35/BB-103

Roe Bedding Dump Station #2 SCD113007 -2

2013 35/BB-103

Roe Bedding Disposal Discharge Module RDS113007 2013 35/Loading Dock/Outside

Roe Vacuum Bedding Dispensing System (Model # VBDS 4900)

Roe Bulk Bedding Hopper N/A 2005 35/GA-805 Roe Bedding Dispenser/Cage Inverter #1 1048 2005 35/BB-104 Roe Bedding Dispenser/Cage Inverter #2 90344-01-

2013 35/BB-104

Period of Performance:

This contract will include a one-year base period and two (2) one-year option periods. The contract’s overall period of performance is as follows:

Base Period September 28, 2020 thru September 27, 2021 Option Period 1 September 28, 2021 thru September 27, 2022 Option Period 2 September 28, 2022 thru September 27, 2023

Place of Performance:

All equipment is located at the at the AHCS Shared Animal Facility – 9000 Rockville Pike, 35 Convent Drive, Bldg. 35/35A, Bethesda, MD 20892, in the rooms specified in Table A – System Components.

Type of Contract:

The Government anticipates awarding a hybrid Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) and Time-and-Materials (T&M) Purchase Order.

SCOPE OF WORK

General Requirements:

Independently, and not as an agent of the Government, the Contractor shall furnish all necessary services, qualified personnel, material, equipment, and facilities not otherwise provided by the Government as needed to satisfy the specific requirements described in this SOW.

The Contractor, who must be an original equipment manufacturer (OEM)-authorized service provider, will provide preventive maintenance, emergency repair service, and parts for the Roe Automated Rodent Bedding Handling System. This system is composed of the six (6) pieces of bedding handling equipment listed in Table A – System Components, including all 2” stainless steel vacuum conveyor lines, PLC controllers, software, Ethernet cabling, and communication devices.

The Roe bedding handling system components listed in this table have been under warranty or a service agreement since installation. The Contractor may, therefore, assume that each piece of equipment has been properly serviced and maintained and will not require significant repairs, adjustment, or replacement parts prior to the start of the contract.

Specific Requirements:

The Contractor shall provide the following supplies and services to the Government:

(1) Two annual preventive maintenance visits; (2) emergency repair service, as needed; (3) replacement and critical spare parts, as needed; (4) quarterly training on the use of the equipment; and (5) any necessary software revisions or upgrades.

Preventive Maintenance (PM): The Contractor shall perform two (2) PM service visits per machine, per year. The first PM service will occur within 30 days of contract award. The second PM service will occur between the 6th and 7th month after contract award. If one or more option years are exercised by the Government, the first PM service will occur within 30 days of the commencement date of the option year. The second PM service will occur between the 6th and 7th month from the date the option year was exercised. PM services shall not be performed in conjunction with any emergency repair service calls. Scheduling of the PM service visits, and the order in which the bedding handling system components are serviced, shall be coordinated with and approved by the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) or their designee in advance.

The Contractor shall follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for providing PM-related adjustment and calibration services for the equipment listed in Table A – System Components.

Emergency Repairs: The Contractor must have a system in place to receive telephone calls from the COR or their designee during the hours listed in the SOW section entitled “Operating Environment.” When the Contractor is closed for business during normal Government operating hours, a system must be in place for leaving a message and receiving a call back from a qualified service technician, who shall assist with resolving emergency service issues. This call back must take place within one (1) hour of placing a call for service.

Troubleshooting and resolution of the reported problem will begin once telephone contact has been established between the Government and the Contractor’s qualified service technician. If the technician determines that the reported equipment issue or malfunction cannot be resolved by troubleshooting over the telephone, they shall immediately escalate the issue to ensure that a qualified service technician visits the Government site to perform additional troubleshooting, adjustment, calibration, repairs, or replacement of parts for the affected equipment. The technician shall arrive at the Government site within twenty-four (24) hours of escalation.

If the issue(s) cannot be effectively resolved on the first business day the Contractor’s qualified service technician arrives at the Government site, the Government expects that the technician will return on the next business day or subsequent consecutive business days until the machine(s) are operational and the repairs have been tested and verified.

Emergency repairs may only be performed during the Government’s “normal hours of operation,” as later defined in this Statement of Work. Contractor will not be reimbursed for any work performed outside of these hours or for any overtime.

Critical Spare Parts: The Government broadly defines a critical spare part as either a part that will make a machine inoperable or unsafe if it is damaged or missing, or a part that can reasonably be expected to wear-out or fail within the six (6) month PM service interval. Such parts may be purchased and stored at the Government’s discretion, but this does not affect the Contractor’s responsibility to have on hand any part required for repairs within 24 hours of its need being determined.

The Government will be solely responsible for stocking and replacing all air filters, however.

Tools: The Contractor must ensure that its qualified service technicians have at their immediate disposal the tools necessary to repair, adjust, and calibrate the equipment listed in Table A – System Components. The Government expects there will be no delay in repair to this equipment due to a technician not having immediate access and availability to the proper tools, calibration or diagnostic instruments.

Service Documentation: For emergency service calls, documentation detailing the work performed, parts replaced, and the operating status of each machine serviced shall be submitted either electronically or in hard copy form to the COR or their representative upon completion of the repairs. For PM service visits, all relevant service documentation shall be submitted either electronically or in hard copy to the COR or their representative within 24 hours of completion of the maintenance. All service reports must be legible and, if submitted electronically, provided in a file format that is acceptable to the Government (i.e., Excel, Acrobat, or other format agreed upon after contract award).

Minimum Performance Expectation: The Government expects that each of the six (6) pieces of the Roe bedding handling system listed in Table A – System Components will be functional and operational a minimum of 80% of the time during both regular and holiday work weeks. The Government actively processes cages and bottles through the bedding handling system between the hours of 8:30 am and 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday during a regular work week and on the non-holiday workdays of a holiday week.

Training: The Contractor will provide training to Government staff once per quarter during each period of performance of the contract. This training will occur during the Government’s normal business hours and will include up to four (4) hours of classroom/hands-on training.

The four (4) hours of quarterly training will occur on a single day. The Contractor will be responsible for planning and coordinating each training agenda with the Government’s management and training staff. The Contractor will be responsible for providing all training media and materials that will be used during the training sessions, including, but not limited to, slide presentations, manuals, and other handouts. Quarterly training hours that go unused may, at the Government’s request, be carried over to subsequent quarters. They may not, however, be carried over to subsequent periods of performance (i.e. option periods).

LEVEL OF EFFORT

All work shall be performed by qualified service technicians as stipulated in the Key Personnel section.

The level of effort will vary depending on the extent and frequency of repairs in a given year, however, it is anticipated that 550 hours of emergency repair service shall be required annually.

Preventive maintenance service visits and contractor-led training sessions shall be priced on an FFP basis.

GOVERNMENT RESPONSIBILITIES

Authorities of Government Personnel: Notwithstanding the Contractor’s responsibility for total management during performance of the contract, administration of the contract will require coordination between the Government and Contractor. The following individuals will serve as the Government’s primary points of contact:

a) Contracting Officer:

Nancy Lamon-Kritikos Phone: 301.480.2447 Email: nancy.lamon-kritikos@nih.gov

Note: The Contracting Officer is the only individual authorized to modify the terms of the contract.

b) Contracting Officer's Representative:

Edgar Czarra Phone: 301.496.2207 Email: ed.czarra@nih.gov

Note: All administrative matters under this contract shall be coordinated with the above individual.

c) Alternate Contracting Officer's Representative:

Erika Wiltrout Phone: 301.496.7108 Email: ehill@mail.nih.gov

Note: The alternate COR is responsible for carrying out the duties of the COR only in the event that the COR can no longer perform his/her duties as assigned.

DELIVERY AND ACCEPTANCE

Table B – Delivery Standards

Item

Service Element

Standard of Work to be Observed Venue/Format Due to Government

1 PM service visits

Two annual PM service visits for all covered machines

Government’s facility

1st PM visit: within 30 days of PoP start date

2nd PM visit: between 6th and 7th month of PoP

Emergency repairs – phone consultation

Qualified technician must call back and attempt to resolve any Gov’t reported issues

Over the telephone

Within one (1) hour of request for service mailto:nancy.lamon-kritikos@nih.gov mailto:ed.czarra@nih.gov mailto:ehill@mail.nih.gov

Table C – Terms of Acceptance

PM Service Visits:

Acceptance of each PM service visit shall occur upon the Contractor successfully completing the scheduled service in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations and submitting all relevant documentation for the piece(s) of equipment serviced to the COR or their designee.

Emergency Repairs:

Acceptance of each emergency service call shall occur upon the Contractor successfully installing parts, adjusting/calibrating components, or any other service required to return the equipment to normal operating condition and submitting all relevant documentation for the piece(s) of equipment serviced to the COR or their designee.

Training Sessions:

Acceptance of each quarterly staff training shall occur upon the Contractor successfully leading the training session and submitting a signed certificate confirming this to the COR or their designee.

Emergency repairs – on-site service call

Contractor must send qualified technician to Gov’t site if issue needs to be escalated

Government’s facility

Within twenty-four (24) hours of escalation

Equipment performance or service issues

Contractor must alert the Government the same day it discovers any equip performance or service issues

Electronically to COR or their designee

Same day

5 Service documentation

Equipment service documentation as described in the SOW shall be provided electronically or hand-delivered in a legible and acceptable format.

Electronically or hard copy to COR or their designee

Emergency service call:

Immediately after completion of;

PM service visit: Within 24 hours of completion of maintenance

Minimum performance expectation

Portion of the time that bedding handling system is functional and operational

Government’s facility

Min. 80% of the time during both regular and holiday work weeks (8:30 am – 4:30 pm)

7 Training sessions

Contractor must provide four (4) hours of training to Gov't staff per quarter

Government’s facility Quarterly

Inspection and Acceptance: All services and documentation will be inspected by the COR or their designee for content, completeness, accuracy, and conformance to the SOW and manufacturer requirements. Final inspection and acceptance will be performed at the place of delivery (i.e. the Government’s facility).

Operating Environment:

a) Normal Hours of Operation: Contractor employees shall generally perform all work between the hours of 7:30 AM and 6:00 PM ET, Monday through Friday (except Federal holidays). Flexibility to this schedule may be approved in writing by the COR, provided that such flexibility does not impact the work to be performed under this contract. As previously stated, Contractor will not be reimbursed for any work performed outside of these hours or for any overtime.

b) Federal Holidays: No work shall be performed by Contractor personnel at Government facilities during Federal holidays or other non-workdays without prior written approval from the COR.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

Travel:

Travel-related costs (including travel time) will NOT be reimbursed under this contract. The Contractor shall be responsible for making any necessary travel arrangements for its representatives.

Key Personnel:

Experience. The Contractor must have a minimum of three (3) years’ experience performing a service contract for a Roe automated rodent cage bedding handling system or a system similar in scope to the equipment listed in Table A – System Components. Additionally, the Contractor must document that any field service personnel, telephone service personnel, or sub-contractors it uses have proficiency in the following technologies and protocols:

a) Process control software and hardware using HMI (Human Machine Interface) controllers and PLC (Programmable Logic Controllers)

b) Wi-Fi and Ethernet networking

c) Field welding and field passivation of stainless steel

d) Pneumatic and solenoid controls

e) Electrical and electric motor systems, including 480 VAC 3 phase and 120 VAC single phase applications

f) Laboratory grade compressed air systems

g) Control sensors

All Contractor personnel shall, if requested, provide written documentation verifying that they possess the required experience.

The Government may permit the Contractor to use sub-contractors on a limited, case-by-case basis for such repairs as welding or rebuilds that involve a third-party machine shop. The Government may also permit the Contractor to use qualified sub-contractors if they cannot arrive within the response window specified in the section entitled “Emergency Repairs.”

The Government expects that any sub-contractors used to repair, adjust, calibrate, or troubleshoot the equipment listed in Table A – System Components must either work under the direct supervision of a Contractor-employed qualified service technician or have technical proficiency in the seven areas (a thru g) listed above. The Contractor will be held responsible for all work performed under this contract whether the work is performed by Contractor employees or a sub-contractor. The Contractor will also be held responsible for any damage to Government equipment that results from work performed by a sub-contractor.

Service Standards. To do its part in retaining NIH/NINDS’s AAALAC accreditation, the Contractor shall perform the required services in accordance with all applicable recommended principals outlined in the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals; 8th Edition.

Security Considerations:

Contractor employees shall have no access to Government data or networks.

All Contractor-employed service technicians will be required to have NIH access control identification badges to access the place of performance, specifically the basement-level of the SAF, located in Building 35/35A on the NIH Bethesda, Maryland campus. This access will be granted by the project manager or assistant project manager for the SAF contract management team and authorized through the NIH Division of Personnel Security and Access Control.

Badges must be worn face out and above the waist.

Data Rights:

The Government will retain full ownership of and access to all written materials (in process or finalized) pertaining to the maintenance and repair of this equipment, including Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), at all times and without any restrictions.

Section 508—Electronic and Information Technology Standards:

N/A

Publications and Publicity/ Confidentiality of Information:

N/A