Sprague-Dawley rats (Charles River)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR) is procuring 121 Sprague-Dawley rats from Charles River Laboratories to support research protocols E07877.01 and E07876.01 assessing the toxicity of tobacco-derived nicotine after repeated inhalation. This sole-source acquisition is restricted to Charles River Laboratories under FAR 13.106-1(b)(1) authority because the same rats were previously provided by Charles River for methods development, and maintaining strain consistency is critical for ensuring valid scientific data interpretation and comparison in ongoing research. The rats must meet specific requirements including being CD IGS 001 Sprague-Dawley rats from pathogen-negative housing rooms, with each rat being 7-8 weeks old and weighing 225-250g. The solicitation operates under Simplified Acquisition Procedures with a firm fixed-price structure. The response deadline is July 18, 2025, at 2:00 PM Central Time, leaving contractors with a very tight four-day window to submit proposals.

This procurement does not utilize any set-aside designations and Charles River Laboratories is identified as the sole authorized contractor based in Wilmington, Massachusetts. The total quantity includes 128 rats (64 males and 64 females) for the first delivery and 114 rats (57 males and 57 females) for the second delivery, with specific requirements that female rats be nulliparous and non-pregnant. The delivery schedule requires the first batch of 128 rats to be delivered on July 28, 2025, followed by the second batch of 114 rats on September 19, 2025. All deliveries must be made to the NCTR facility in Jefferson, Arkansas. The solicitation falls under NAICS code 112930 (Fur-Bearing Animal and Rabbit Production) with a small business size standard of $3.75 million, though no specific contract value is disclosed in the available documentation.