Technical Review of Assurance Documents to meet Laboratory Animal Welfare Requirements

This solicitation is issued as a 100% Service Disabled Veteran Owned business set-aside. 

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation Request for Quote (RFQ) for commercial services prepared in accordance with the format in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes as a formal Request for Quotation (RFQ) and a separate solicitation will not be issued. The resultant award will be a firm-fixed price and will use the Tradeoff process to evaluate quotes. It is anticipated that ONE AWARD will be made from this solicitation. The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 541690 Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services.

It is the intent of the National Institute of Health (NIH), National Library of Medicine (NLM); Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW); is to procure services for the general administration and implementation of the PHS Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. The Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) is responsible for the general administration and coordination of the Policy on behalf of the PHS at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

STATEMENT OF WORK

Title: Technical Review of Assurance Documents to meet Laboratory Animal Welfare Requirements

Background

The Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW), OER, NIH, is responsible for the general administration and implementation of the PHS Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (PHS Policy). The Policy was promulgated in 1986 to implement the Health Research Extension Act of 1985 and requires institutions to establish and maintain proper measures to ensure the appropriate care and use of all animals involved in research, research training, and biological testing activities conducted or supported by the PHS. OLAW is responsible for the general administration and coordination of the Policy on behalf of the PHS.

Scope of Work

Professional support is required due to an increase in the number of assurance documents under review due to a change in Assurance renewal policy. The policy for renewal of Assurance documents every four years leaves OLAW with the immediate need for professional support and expertise in the PHS Policy and, in particular, expertise and familiarity in handling assurance issues. The contractor shall provide professional staff support to the OLAW Division of Assurances remotely for estimated 26 hours per month, additional hours may required per month and will be stated as optional in the contract.

Required Tasks

• Review and analyze information to process Assurances for the Division of Assurances. Information may include documentation submitted by institutions in response to OLAW requests for new or renewal Assurances, Annual Reports, policy issues and OLAW documents (e.g., guidance, sample documents, operating procedures).

• Prepare reports and evaluations of OLAW activities, draft documents (e.g., letters, guidance), and make suggestions to the Director on technical matters requiring expertise in the PHS Policy, implementation of the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals and AVMA Report on Euthanasia, and laboratory animal medicine.

• Participate in meetings with OLAW staff via teleconference as necessary.

Mandatory Requirements

• Extensive knowledge of the Health Research Extension Act of 1985, Public Law 99-158, the Public Health Service (PHS) Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (Policy), the Guide for the Care and Use Laboratory Animals, 8th edition, the Animal Welfare Act and Regulations and the AVMA Guidelines for Euthanasia of Animals: 2013 edition and application of these standards for appropriate review of Animal Welfare Assurance content. All mentioned guides and standards are national standards of the Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals used in biomedical research.
• Comprehensive understanding of animal care and use programs and Institutional Animal Care and Use (IACUC) oversight of research involving vertebrate animals.
• Extensive knowledge of Animal Welfare Assurance documents, (domestic, foreign, inter-institutional) and processes

Place of Performance

Work will be performed remotely.

Performance Period

The period of performance shall be a one year base from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016 with four (4) one year option years.

Reporting/Deliverables

Review documents:
• For appropriate animal care and use program components
• Identify missing components
• ensure documents meet the requirements of
o PHS Policy
o the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals
o AVMA Guidelines for Euthanasia
o The Animal Welfare Act and Regulations
• List clarifications necessary to attain completed document
• Prepare correspondence requesting clarification
• Review updated responses and acknowledge acceptance of document to administrative personnel, program official and/or grant management.
• Compile and submit final report of Assurance activities to include documents reviewed and analyzed and Assurance documents completed.

Contract Type
It is anticipated that this contract will be awarded Firm Fixed Price.

Evaluation Criteria

Factor 1 - Technical Solution - 50 Points

The Offeror will be evaluated on how well the proposal meets the OLAW objectives, and is technically proficient with the Health Research Extension Act of 1985, Public Law 99-158, the Public Health Service (PHS) Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (Policy), the Guide for the Care and Use Laboratory Animals, 8th edition, the Animal Welfare Act and Regulations and the AVMA Guidelines for Euthanasia of Animals: 2013 edition. This factor includes the following items:
• Knowledge and demonstrated proficiency in applying the PHS Policy and provisions of the Guide, the Animal Welfare Act and Regulations, as applicable and the AVMA Guidelines;
• Reviewing and analyzing animal welfare documents in compliance with PHS Policy
• Developing and preparing correspondence related to compliance with animal welfare regulations

Factor 2 - Project and Task Management - 25 Points

The Offeror will be evaluated on how well the Offeror addresses its approach to perform task activities management for this effort. This includes such items as planning the activities document review, organizing, and controlling the execution of the task, monitoring progress, status reporting, resolving critical issues, and timely planning for subsequent phases of work.

Factor 3- Past Experience and Performance - 25 Points

The evaluation of this factor will provide an indication of the Offeror's ability to:

• Review documents for completeness of animal care and use program components
• Identify missing components of Assurances and grant applications or other similar government documents to ensure they meet the requirements of
o The Public Health Service (PHS) Policy on Humane Use of Laboratory Animals (Policy)
o the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, 8th edition
o The Animal Welfare Act and Regulations
o AVMA Guidelines for Euthanasia of Animals: 2013 edition
• List clarifications necessary to attain completed documents
• Prepare effective correspondence for clarification requests, so that responder can effectively reply to requests for clarification
• Review updated responses and acknowledge acceptance of documents from federal entities

Questions
All questions shall be submitted to Eliza Menchaca via email: eliza.menchaca@nih.gov, by April 13, 2015 at 12:00 PM (Eastern Standard Time). Questions will be answered in writing through an amendment to the RFQ in a timely manner. Questions submitted after this date or by telephone will not be addressed or entertained.


Quote Submission
All quotes shall be submitted to Eliza Menchaca via email: eliza.menchaca@nih.gov, by April 16, 2015 at 4:00pm (Eastern Standard Time). All responses must be in writing and must include pricing information and meet the criteria requirement; and shall not exceed 10 single-sided pages in length, exclusive of the cover page and letter, table of contents, appendices, and resumes. All responses from responsible sources will be considered. Please reference the solicitation # NIHLM2015440 on your quote.
All quote submissions must include the following information:

a) Tax Identification Number (TIN)
b) Dun & Bradstreet Number (DUNS)
c) North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) Code:
d) Standard Product Code
e) Contact Name
f) Contact Email address
g) Contact telephone and fax number
h) Complete business mailing address

The vendor shall comply with all applicable Federal, State and Local laws, executive orders, rules and regulations applicable to its performance under this order. The following Federal Acquisition Regulations clauses apply to this solicitation. Offerors may obtain full text versions of these clauses electronically at http://www.acquisition.gov/far/

FEDERAL ACQUISITION REQULATION (FAR) CLAUSES
The following provisions and clauses apply to this acquisition and are incorporated by reference. Full text may be found at https://www.acquisition.gov/Far
FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Items
FAR 52.212-2 Evaluation-Commercial Items
FAR 52.212-3 Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items
FAR 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items
FAR 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes and Executive orders
FAR 52.224-1 Privacy Act Notification
FAR 52.224-2 Privacy Act