National Institute on Aging Animal Care Support Services

This is a Small Business Sources Sought notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations.

The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding: (1) the availability and capability of qualified small business sources; (2) whether they are small businesses; HUBZone small businesses; service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses; 8(a) small businesses; veteran-owned small businesses; woman-owned small businesses; or small disadvantaged businesses; (3) their size classification relative to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for the proposed acquisition.

Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible. An organization that is not considered a small business under the applicable NAICS code should not submit a response to this notice.

This notice is issued to help determine the availability of qualified companies technically capable of meeting the Government requirement and to determine the method of acquisition.  It is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract.  Responses will not be considered as proposals or quotes.  No award will be made as a result of this notice.  The Government will NOT be responsible for any costs incurred by the respondents to this notice.  This notice is strictly for research and information purposes only.

Background: The National Institute on Aging (NIA) is one of the 27 institutes and centers that comprise the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The Intramural Research Program (IRP) of the NIA requires animal research support services for on-going biomedical research projects.

The NIA IRP conducts biomedical, social, and behavioral research and training related to aging and the diseases and special problems of the aged. The NIA IRP requires a contractor to provide research support services for animal research. The Contractor shall provide services primarily at the Biomedical Research Center (BRC) building on the Johns Hopkins Bayview Campus, a leased facility used by investigators and staff of the IRP.

The Comparative Medicine Section (CMS), under the NIA Office of the Scientific Director (OSD), provides oversight for the overall program of laboratory animal housing, care, and management to ensure compliance with the Institute of Laboratory Animal Research (ILAR) Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, as interpreted by the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW), NIH Policy, and AAALAC International (AAALAC). These services are currently being provided under Task Order LARC-2021-0018 by Charles River Laboratories.

Purpose and Objectives: The purpose of this contract is to provide animal research support services to IRP investigators. These services include but are not limited to animal husbandry for rodents, rabbits, guinea pigs, non-human primates, and other species; research technical support, to include surgical procedure training and assistance; breeding novel genetic models; routine maintenance of animal care equipment; logistical and clerical support; behavioral testing, phenotyping services; and other specialized services required as new animal study proposals (ASP) are introduced by IRP investigators.

Proper management of the animal care and use program is essential for the welfare of the animals, integrity of research data, and the health and safety of the animal care staff. All activities performed must be managed in a manner that is responsive to NIA requirements. NIA requires that all staff meet the highest standard of humane, appropriate care, and provide medical treatment to the animals in their charge.

Project requirements: Please see Statement of Work.

Anticipated period of performance: The required base period of performance is September 1, 2025 – August 31, 2026 with four option years:

Base: September 1, 2025 – August 31, 2026

Option Year 1: September 1, 2026 – August 31, 2027

Option Year 2: September 1, 2027 – August 31, 2028

Option Year 3: September 1, 2028 – August 31, 2029

Option Year 4: September 1, 2029 – August 31, 2030

Place of performance: Contract support will be required in the BRC located within the Government leased 251 Bayview Boulevard building in Baltimore Maryland. Periodic travel to Bethesda, MD, Poolesville, MD, and satellite storage locations that are not physically or operationally contiguous with other NIA animal facilities may be required.

Capability statement /information sought.

Small business concerns that believe they possess the capabilities to provide the required services should submit documentation of their ability to meet each of the project requirements to the Contracting Officer. The capability statement must specifically address each of the project requirements separately.  Additionally, the capability statement should include 1) the total number of employees, 2) the professional qualifications of personnel as it relates to the requirements outlined, 3) any contractor GSA Schedule contracts and/or other government-wide acquisition contracts (GWACs) by which all of the requirements may be met, if applicable, and 4) any other information considered relevant to this program. Small businesses must also provide their Company Name, Unique Entity ID from SAM.gov, Physical Address, and Point of Contact Information.

Interested small businesses are required to identify their type of business, applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code, and 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 number 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.

The respondent must also provide their Unique Entity ID from SAM.gov, organization name, address, point of contact, and size and type of business (e.g., 8(a), HubZone, etc., pursuant to the applicable NAICS code and any other information that may be helpful in developing or finalizing the acquisition requirements.

One (1) copy of the response is required and must be in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format using 11-point or 12-point font, 8-1/2” x 11” paper size, with 1” top, bottom, left and right margins, and with single or double spacing.

The information submitted must be in and outline format that addresses each of the elements of the project requirement and in the capability statement /information sought paragraphs stated herein.  A cover page and an executive summary may be included but is not required.

The response is limited to ten (10) page limit.  The 10-page limit does not include the cover page, executive summary, or references, if requested.

The response must include the respondents’ technical and administrative points of contact, including names, titles, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses.

All responses to this notice must be submitted electronically to the Contract Specialist and Contracting Officer.  Facsimile responses are NOT accepted.

The response must be submitted to Emily Palombo, Contract Specialist, at e-mail address Emily.palombo@nih.gov and Karen Mahon, Contract Officer, at Karen.mahon@nih.gov.

The response must be received on or beforeThursday, April 17, 2025, 9:00 am, Eastern Time.

“Disclaimer and Important Notes:  This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in 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 perform the work.

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 a review of the responses received, a presolicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in Federal Business Opportunities. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation.

Confidentiality: No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s)."