TECHNICAL SUBMITTAL - LEC Veterinary Services - 4.20.2026.pdf

TECHNICAL SUBMITTAL

I-1. Statement of the Project. State in succinct terms your understanding of the project presented, or the service required by this RFP.

The Department of Agriculture is soliciting for proposals for veterinary services excluding drugs and supplies at the Livestock Evaluation Center located at 1494 West

Pine Grove Road, PA Furnace, PA 16865.

Offeror Response

I-2. Qualifications.

A. Company Overview. The potential offeror must have Pennsylvania Veterinary license USDA Level 2 accreditation and demonstrate their ability to perform the services outlined. The veterinary practice must be within a 20 mile geographic radius of the Livestock Evaluation Center to accommodate emergency care.

B. Prior Experience. Include experience in practice of food animal production medicine with cattle and small ruminants specifically related to management of herd health, nutrition, hoof health and locomotion, accredited veterinary duties, breeding soundness exams, diagnosis of pregnancy and development and implementation of management, vaccination and deworming strategies to proactively safeguard herd health. Experience shown should be work done by individuals who will be assigned to this project as well as that of your company.

Studies or projects referred to must be identified and the name of the customer shown, including the name, address, and telephone number of the responsible official of the customer, company, or agency who may be contacted.

C. Personnel. Describe in narrative form the number of executive and professional personnel who will be engaged in the work and indicate where these personnel will be physically located during the time they are engaged in the Project. For key personnel, namely veterinarians, include the employee’s name, and through a resume or similar document, the Project personnel’s education and experience in in practice of food animal production medicine with cattle and small ruminants specifically related to management of herd health, nutrition, hoof health and locomotion, accredited class 2 veterinary duties, breeding soundness exams, diagnosis of pregnancy and development and implementation of management, vaccination and deworming strategies to proactively safeguard herd health.

Indicate the responsibilities each individual will have in this Project and how long each has been with your company.

D. Transition of Services from Existing Veterinarian

In order to support the transition of services from the current veterinarian the potential offeror must contract with the current veterinarian as a paid consultant and or subcontractor for a period of 12 months. Current veterinarian will work with the potential offeror to gain a favorable outcome as current veterinarian’s sole interest is providing a seamless transition of all services to offeror while drawing minimum compensation.

The Penn State feeding trials/research trials are not included within the scope of this RFP and arrangements for those services must be made independently of this agreement. Drugs and other pharmaceuticals should be procured by the

Department when possible only those drugs requiring special administration or licensure should be procured by the potential offeror.

E. Subcontractors: Provide a subcontracting plan for all subcontractors, including small diverse business and small business subcontractors, who will be assigned to the Project. The selected Offeror is prohibited from subcontracting or outsourcing any part of this Project without the express written approval from the

Commonwealth. Upon award of the contract resulting from this RFP, subcontractors included in the proposal submission are deemed approved. For each position included in your subcontracting plan provide:

1. Name of subcontractor;

2. Primary contact name and email;

3. Address of subcontractor;

4. Description of services to be performed;

5. Number of employees by job category assigned to this project; and

6. Resumes (if appropriate and available).

I-3. Training. If appropriate, indicate recommended training of agency personnel. Include agency personnel to be trained, the number to be trained, duration of the program, place of training, curricula, training materials to be used, number and frequency of sessions, and number and level of instructors.

I-4. Financial Capability. Describe your company’s financial stability and economic capability to perform the contract requirements. The Commonwealth reserves the right to request additional information to evaluate an Offeror’s financial capability.

I-5. Requirements.

A. Emergency Preparedness. To support continuity of operations during an emergency, including a pandemic, the Commonwealth needs a strategy for maintaining operations for an extended period of time. One part of this strategy is to ensure that essential contracts that provide critical business services to the

Commonwealth have planned for such an emergency and put contingencies in place to provide needed goods and services.

1. Describe how you anticipate such a crisis will impact your operations.

2. Describe your emergency response continuity of operations plan.

Please attach a copy of your plan, or at a minimum, summarize how your plan addresses the following aspects of pandemic preparedness:

a. Employee training (describe your organization’s training plan, and how frequently your plan will be shared with employees);

b. Identified essential business functions and key employees

(within your organization) necessary to carry them out;

c. Contingency plans for:

i. How your organization will handle staffing issues when a portion of key employees are incapacitated due to illness; and.

ii. How employees in your organization will carry out the essential functions if contagion control measures prevent them from coming to the primary workplace.

3. How your organization will communicate with staff and suppliers when primary communications systems are overloaded or otherwise fail, including key contacts, chain of communications (including suppliers), etc. and;

4. How and when your emergency plan will be tested, and if the plan will be tested by a third-party.

I-6. Tasks. Describe in narrative form your technical plan for accomplishing the work using the task descriptions set forth below as your reference point. Modifications of the task descriptions are permitted; however, reasons for changes should be fully explained.

Indicate the number of person hours allocated to each task. Include a Program

Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) or similar type display, time related, showing each event. If more than one approach is apparent, comment on why you chose this approach.

Bull Testing Program Services (Approximate time in hours on an annual basis)

• Monitor and coordinate pre-admission testing requirements with the diagnostic laboratory and maintain communications with evaluation center staff regarding eligibility to participate in test based on health-related testing procedures (30 hrs)

• Physically examine each bull, measure scrotal circumference and verify appropriate required animal identification on delivery day (8-10 hours)

• Veterinary services during 3-week bull adjustment period including initial immunizations (90 hours minimum)

• Treating, vaccinating, 20 weeks for the bull testing program; 4 hours/ week average

(80 hours)

• Complete breeding soundness examinations on all bulls on test at completion of performance test (80 hrs.)

• TB & Blood Test all sale Bulls (5-6 hours)

• Prepare & sign certificates of veterinary inspection for sale day (10 hours)

Heifer Development Program Services

(Time estimates included in bull program as these animals are all handled at the same time)

• Monitor and coordinate pre-admission testing requirements with the diagnostic laboratory and maintain communications with evaluation center staff regarding eligibility to participate in development program based on heath testing procedures.

• Examine heifers and confirm identification on arrival

• Veterinary diagnosis and treatment during the entire program

• Perform appropriate pre-breeding examinations (2-3 hrs)

• Coordinate estrus synchronization programs during breeding season (20-30 hrs)

• Pregnancy diagnosis at appropriate intervals during breeding season (4-6 hrs)

Summer Ram and Goat Testing Program Services

(Approximate time in hours on an annual basis)

• Veterinary examination on delivery day for ram and goat exams, including measuring testicles, checking mouth alignment and structural correctness (8 hours)

• Veterinary services during the adjustment period for rams and goats, including appropriate monitoring of feeds supplied to the test (20 hours minimum)

• Vaccinating the rams and goats, regular fecal monitoring to determine coccidia and parasite loads. Breeding soundness examinations upon completion of test (20-30 hours)

• Individual animal exams and Preparation and completion of certificates of veterinary inspection on sale day (12 hours)

In addition to the services related to the specific testing programs as noted above, it is anticipated that the veterinary consultant will spend an appropriate amount of time in consultation with staff and outside experts as needed and keeping up to date on new products, new techniques, and new vaccine protocols for implementation at the LEC. These activities include:

1. Consultation with experts nationwide when there is a problem.

2. Participation at each Executive Committee, Technical Committee, and Sale Committee meeting (10-12 meetings per year).

3. Consultation with staff at the LEC in regard to health-related protocols such as general biosecurity, general animal welfare concerns, parasite control, etc.

4. Performance of additional diagnositc (radiography, ultrasound, etc.) and surgical procedures for unusual cases as the need arises.

5. Interpretation and making final decisions on blood testing results and exams, as well as certificates of veterinary inspection for eligibility for the testing programs.

6. Discussion of health-related concerns with the owners of the animals.

7. Consultation and assistance with the development and implementation of new programs conducted at the facility.

8. Assistance with inspection of animals and their treatment on an as needed basis.

I-7. Reports and Project Control.

A. Status Report. A periodic monthly progress report covering activities, problems and recommendations. This report should be keyed to the work plan the Offeror developed in its proposal, as amended or approved by the Issuing Office.

B. Problem Identification Report. An “as required” report, identifying problem areas. The report should describe the problem and its impact on the overall project and on each affected task. It should list possible courses of action with advantages and disadvantages of each, and include Offeror recommendations with supporting rationale;

and

C. Final Report.

I-8. Objections and Additions to Standard Contract Terms and Conditions. The Offeror will identify which, if any, of the terms and conditions contained in the Buyer Attachments section that it would like to negotiate and what additional terms and conditions the Offeror would like to add to the standard contract terms and conditions. The Offeror’s failure to make a submission under this paragraph will result in its waiving its right to do so later, but the Issuing

Office may consider late objections and requests for additions if to do so, in the Issuing Office’s sole discretion, would be in the best interest of the Commonwealth. The Issuing Office may, in its sole discretion, accept or reject any requested changes to the standard contract terms and conditions. The Offeror shall not request changes to the other provisions of the RFP, nor shall the Offeror request to completely substitute its own terms and conditions for this RFP. All terms and conditions must appear in one integrated contract. The Issuing Office will not accept references to the Offeror’s, or any other, online guides or online terms and conditions contained in any proposal.

Regardless of any objections set out in its proposal, the Offeror must submit its proposal, including the cost proposal, on the basis of the terms and conditions set out in the Terms and

Conditions contained in the Buyer Attachment section. The Issuing Office will reject any proposal that is conditioned on the negotiation of the terms and conditions set out in the Terms and Conditions contained in the Buyer Attachment section or to other provisions of the RFP.