Industry Day QandA - 18 Nov 2021.docx

VENDOR DAY Q&A

1. Will all slides from today be available for download on SAM.gov?

· Yes. All the slides and Q&As will be posted in SAM

2. Will the veterinary presentation be available for distribution via email to today’s participants?

· Yes. All the slides and Q&As will be posted in SAM

3. What is the proposed span of time between when the order is accepted and dogs are scheduled for evaluation? How long will we be required to hold specific dogs?

· The RFQ for the purchase of dogs depend on a number of factors. Primarily, it is dictated by the Training Document Requirements (TDR). The 341 TRS and/or the ordering official will ensure to provide the vendors as much time as practicable between the release of RFQ to the time of evaluation.

· The government could not dictate how long a vendor have to hold specific dogs. However, once the roster and medical records have been submitted to 341 TRS, the dogs are considered “under evaluation” and shall be presented to the government during the specified evaluation dates.

4. Is there a benefit to have lower vs a higher price per a dog in the same classification? Are evaluators aware of these prices and does this effect selection?

· Each dog shall be priced separately. Each of the dogs for the order will be added and will account for the total price evaluated for the order competition.

5. What do you mean by a Force Fetched kind of dog related to the static retrieve?

· A canine that was not properly training to force fetch may inadvertently be taught to avoid a reward due to the negative reinforcement, usually an ear pinch to convince the dog to allow an item into its mouth. This could cause a canine to avoid the reward during the static object observation.

6. Our intent is to sell our dogs. My biggest concern is our competition is DOD and our price is being lowered and may not be able to compete.

· The DoD has been able to meet our Training Dog Requirement (TDR) by buying dogs historically under the acceptable price limits set in this procurement. The government may not dictate a vendor on what business model to follow. However, the DoD requires a certain number of dogs per year and will acquire them at a fair and reasonable price. A buffer was included on top of historical prices to allow for price fluctuations within the acceptable price limit.

7. How is this program fair when DoD awards orders to US vendors and then DoD travels to EU and directly competes at same kennels for same dogs.

8. The DoD has separate BPAs for CONUS and OCONUS vendors. Each of these BPAs is a separate procurement.Are the radiograph from OCONUS void? And need to be redone?

· After taking vendor feedback regarding the new requirement for stateside radiographs, the program team has decided to change the SOW language to allow radiographs from OCONUS. The program radiologists will have the authority to deny radiographs that do not meet the requirements of the SOW. Vendors would then need to re-do radiographs at no expense to the government or withdraw their dog from competition.

9. Who does the DOD go to OCONUS for radiograph? How do you conduct medical screening?

· OCONUS vendors are responsible for acquiring the required radiographs at their own cost by their servicing veterinarians, just as we are now requiring be done by the CONUS vendors.

· Complete medical physical exams are conducted by a military veterinarian in the same manner for both CONUS and OCONUS dogs, utilizing both visual and hands-on examination and basic instrument assisted examination of the eyes, ears, and chest. Additional basic laboratory tests are also performed, including bloodwork, heartworm test, and urinalysis.

10. Do you do urinalysis for OCONUS dogs? And if they fail, would they need to be returned?

· Urinalysis is not conducted for OCONUS dogs due to lack of laboratory facilities in the remote environment. Those dogs that are purchased OCONUS do undergo further testing once they arrive at Lackland and may be returned based on the 60 day medical guarantee if a preexisting condition were discovered. We are not aware of any instance of this happening in the recent past.

11. Do we have to have the medical records prior to the showing?

· The vendors are required to submit the medical records (including the radiographs and proof of current rabies vaccination) no later than 10 days prior to the start of the evaluation dates.

12. Are the dogs you’re presenting trained dogs? Are you showing dogs that will fail so we can see what they do wrong and learn from it?

· The dogs that were presented during the Vendor Day are relatively newly procured dogs. They have not undergone DoD or TSA trainings. However, they were purchased because they have qualified the evaluation procedures stated in the SOW.

13. Can a dog be eliminated if they can’t go in the trailer/kennel?

· The dogs are expected to travel. Therefore, its inability to go in a trailer/kennel may be a basis for disqualification.

14. Will the dog fail if keeps biting on things but still shows sociability throughout the test?

· Constant biting on objects in itself may not be a basis for disqualification. However, the dogs are being tested for its overall demeanor and behavior. Excessive biting may become a disqualifier if the behavior persist throughout the evaluation that it detracts the dog or the evaluator from completing the test.

15. What is the purpose of the owl and who came up with it?

· The DoD wants to test the dogs on how they would react to “unexpected objects”. We are observing how the dogs deal with or recover from unknown situations.

16. If everything works well, Who is the ending client?

· The end client of the dogs are determined by the TDR. It can be any of the units within the DoD or Departement of Homeland Security in some cases.

17. Will the bite test be done with a bite suit as well?

· For the purpose of dog procurement, only the bite sleeves and not the bite suit, are used for the bite test.

18. How often are you buying special purpose dogs? How many do you buy per year?

· Special Purpose dogs are bought on an “as needed basis”. A rough estimate of 12 dogs per year are bought using the BPA.

19. How many of the dogs that get bought succeeds through training?

· DoD currently has a 7% elimination rate from training in the standard MWD Course.

20. How tall must the dog be to qualify for TSA detector dog?

· The canine must be approx. 26 inches tall with the ability to stand on an aircraft seat, extend up to actively sniff the overhead bin, which is approximately 42 inches from the seat to the overhead bin.

21. Is there a checklist that the testers are using while testing?

· The DoD may not share the checklist that the evaluators are using during evaluations. However, the Statement of Work (SOW) contains exactly what the evaluators are testing the dogs during the evaluation.

22. What are the assumptions used/data to calculate the maximum prices?

23. The acceptable price limits were calculated based on historical data from prior DoD procurements over the past few years. The DoD has historically been able to meet TDR by buying dogs under the acceptable price limits set in this procurement. Is demand going to be constant?

· Yes

24. What are common failures?

· Nerves, uncomfortable around people, environmental stress, distractible, not switching off for reward

25. What is the preferred breed (For TSA)?

· Prefer floppy eared dogs due to optics, but we still need to meet TDR.

26. Do you take English Pointers?

· If they pass environmental evaluation

27. Can we train on more than one reward?

· Yes, don’t have dogs working only on one reward.

28. If a dog is wild, does that mean it has too much drive?

· Not always, if a dog has high drive we can adjust our training and handler placement if within limit

29. How many TSA sourced dogs per year?

· Approximately 290 per year

30. How does the acceptance rate compare overseas?

· It is roughly the same

31. How does your funding work?

· The program is funded through Congress based on perceived threats

32. Can the government sell back dogs to vendors that fail out of training?

· This is currently not in place, but is being investigated