RFQ For BSE Sample Collection IDIQ

The United States Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is soliciting qualified contractors to collect brain stem samples from cattle across the United States as part of an ongoing Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy surveillance program conducted in cooperation with the Food Safety and Inspection Service and the Food and Drug Administration. The RFQ (Solicitation Number 12639526Q0055) seeks services to collect samples from cattle 12 months of age or older in targeted surveillance populations including clinical suspects, disabled cattle, and fallen stock. Key contract requirements include providing trained personnel, collecting and documenting samples properly, packaging samples using government-supplied materials, entering data into the Veterinary Services Laboratory Submissions system, and arranging overnight delivery to designated laboratories. The government will evaluate quotations based on lowest price technically acceptable criteria, considering price reasonableness, technical acceptability, and past performance. Contractors must submit questions by March 24, 2026, at 5:00 PM Eastern Time to Mario.Garcia2@usda.gov, and quotations are due by April 22, 2026, with offers held firm for 90 calendar days from receipt.

This acquisition is designated as a Total Small Business Set-Aside with a small business size standard of $16.0 million under NAICS code 561990. No incumbent contractors are identified in the solicitation materials. The contract is structured as a firm fixed-price Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity agreement with a five-year ordering period spanning 2027 through 2031, featuring a minimum guaranteed order of $1,000 and a maximum cumulative value of $6,000,000 for all task orders. The estimated annual sample collection totals approximately 29,820 samples distributed across three geographically dispersed facilities: Clovis, New Mexico (2,365 samples), Plainview, Texas (26,555 samples), and Stratford, Texas (900 samples). Performance will occur at these three facility locations, with the primary place of performance listed as Austin, Texas, and contractors must comply with Service Contract Labor Standards wage determinations for New Mexico and Texas.