Large animal free-stall for dairy forage research(UW-MAD)[20-0086]

The University of Wisconsin-Madison, through its Purchasing Services department, is seeking bids for a large animal free-stall system for dairy forage research, targeting an advanced automated monitoring platform capable of measuring enteric methane and oxygen production in individual ruminant animals. The system must function in both free-stall barn and pasture settings for at least one week while allowing animals to maintain normal housing. Specific technical requirements include a feeding station with restricted air mixing, external tracer-release system, air-flow manifold, monitoring system, feed delivery unit, RFID animal identification system, analytical instrumentation for gas measurements, data collection and storage system, remote communication capabilities, and power supply for indoor and field environments. The procurement was issued on March 26, 2020, with written questions due by April 2, 2020, and final bids due on April 9, 2020, at 2:00 p.m. CDT. Bidders must demonstrate three years of experience providing large animal free-stall items and services, obtain original manufacturer authorization, provide three client references, and maintain $1,000,000 in commercial liability insurance.

The University encourages participation from certified Minority Business Enterprises (MBE), Woman-Owned Businesses (WBE), and Disabled Veteran-Owned Businesses (DVB), with potential award preferences of up to 5% above the lowest bid for qualified vendors. The procurement allows for potential maintenance contract negotiations for years two through four post-warranty, with pricing subject to a 60-day firm price guarantee and potential increases limited to documented industry-wide cost changes after 90 days. The contract will be awarded FOB Destination Installed, with all associated costs including packing, freight, insurance, setup, instruction, and operation manuals to be covered by the contractor. The University is tax-exempt except for excise taxes and qualifies for governmental and educational discounts. No specific funding source or exact budget range was disclosed in the request for bid documentation. Proposals must comply with Wisconsin's nondiscrimination and affirmative action requirements, and due to COVID-19 restrictions, there will be no public bid opening, with results to be emailed directly to responding bidders.