Tab_A16_J A_(Charles_River)_FBO.docx

JUSTIFICATION AND APPROVAL FOR USE OF OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

1. Contracting Activity.

This Justification and Approval (J&A) is executed by the Naval Medical Logistics Command (NMLC) on behalf of the requesting agency: Naval Medical Research Unit-San Antonio (NAMRU-SA).

2. Description of the Action Being Approved.

Approval is requested to award a firm-fixed-price contract on a sole source basis for the delivery of up to 2600 rodents and 80 White New Zealand Rabbits in support of research that focuses on the protection, resuscitation, and stabilization of combat casualties at echelon 1 and 2 points of care in the combat theater. The proposed source is Charles River Laboratories, Inc. (Charles River), 251 Ballardvale Street, Wilmington, MA 01887-7329.

3. Description of Supplies/Services.

This requirement is for the delivery of up to 2600 rodents of various strains at varying weights/ages and up to 80 White Newland Rabbits.

The contract is anticipated to have multiple delivery dates over the 12-month base period of performance. The type of funds being utilized for this requirement is FY 2015 and FY 2016 Navy Research, Development, Test and Evaluation (RDT&E) funds.

It is anticipated that there will also be two, 12-month option periods for a total estimated contract value of $541,413.00.

4. Statutory Authority Permitting Other Than Full and Open Competition.

The statutory exception permitting other than full and open competition for this acquisition is 10 USC 2304(c)(1) and FAR 13.501(a), Sole Source Acquisitions. This acquisition is being conducted under simplified acquisition procedures FAR 13.501 under the authority of the test program for commercial items (section 4202 of the Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996).

5. Rationale Justifying Use of Cited Statutory Authority.

In accordance with FAR 13.501(a), Charles River is the only available source that can be used to complete the research protocols.

The animals are required for a critical, on-going NAMRU-SA scientific research effort to have healthy, disease free rodents and rabbits from one vendor, Charles River; this will ensure the scientific data generated is consistent, which is critical when testing vendor devices under that same research environment. Due to the early involvement of Charles River providing rodents and rabbits in this ongoing research effort; they must continue to provide this supply until the completion of the study to avoid the injection of inconsistency in study results. The genetic makeup of the rodents includes various sizes of Sprague Dawley Rat Strain Code 400, Fischer Rat 344 Strain Code 002 and Elite Mice Strain Code 477. It is imperative that the new data collection is being created, collected and reviewed under the same controls as previous data collection to ensure an apples-to-apples analysis is being performed. This is critical to the integrity of the entire study and can only be accomplished through the use of the same supplier. Switching to a new vendor would create discrepancies between the testing and increase the number of animals that would be needed as there would be no historical controls that could be utilized. Use of another vendor would result in inconsistent results and could negatively impact the integrity of the entire study.

6. Description of Efforts Made to Solicit Offers from as Many Offerors as Practicable.

A notice of intent to award to Charles River was issued on the FBO website on 02 March 2016 for 15 days and no additional sources expressed an interest. No additional market research was conducted because it is not practicable for the reasons discussed in paragraph 5 above, for any company other than Charles River to provide the required services.

7. Determination of Fair and Reasonable Cost.

The Contracting Officer will perform a price analysis in order to determine whether the anticipated quotes received by the Government for services covered by this J&A will be fair and reasonable.

8. Actions to Remove Barriers to Future Competition.

For the reasons set forth in Paragraph 5, NMLC has no plans at this time to compete future contracts for the types of services covered by this document. If another potential source emerges, NMLC will assess whether competition for future requirements is feasible.

9. Contracting Point Of Contact.

The point of contact at NMLC is Mr. Ronnie Sanford, Code 05, at (301)-619-9330 or by e-mail at Ronald.s.sanford2.civ@mail.mil.

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