RFP #ES25/26-004 Veterinary Medicine Consulting Services

The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) issued RFP #ES25/26-004 on May 14, 2026, seeking veterinary medicine consulting services to support the establishment of a new School of Veterinary Medicine. The procurement requires a consulting firm or team with minimum ten years of experience in veterinary medical education and demonstrated expertise in AVMA Council on Education accreditation processes. Key deliverables include comprehensive accreditation documentation, gap analysis reports aligned with AVMA COE standards, mock site visit reports, infrastructure needs assessments, financing plans, and establishment of collaborative partnerships to support a distributed veterinary program model. The consultant must demonstrate proven involvement in multiple AVMA COE accreditation processes and a track record of successful accreditation outcomes. Evaluation criteria emphasize technical merit over financial merit, assessing proposals based on the extent to which they meet RFP objectives, evidence of research experience and innovation, qualifications of proposed staff, and past performance on comparable engagements. Technical proposals must include at least three references from comparable institutions, staff qualifications, project approach, and supporting information. The question deadline is May 19, 2026 at 2:00 p.m., with technical and price proposals due May 28, 2026 at 2:00 p.m., oral presentations to be scheduled, and anticipated award date of June 19, 2026.

The University intends to award a fixed-fee contract for an initial three-year term with an option to renew for two additional years at UMES's sole discretion. The RFP encourages responses from minority and small businesses, though specific set-aside designations are not identified in the solicitation summary. Respondents must submit two-volume proposals with separate sealed technical and financial proposals, each containing one original document and one electronic version on USB. The price proposal must include itemized budgets for each deliverable with all direct and indirect professional fees, hourly consultant rates, travel costs, and other reimbursable expenses, with all rates remaining firm throughout the contract duration. No specific budget range is provided in the solicitation; however, the scope and three-year initial term suggest a substantial consulting engagement. All contractors must comply with Maryland law, nondiscrimination requirements, drug and alcohol-free workplace standards, and various regulatory compliance obligations, with final award contingent upon approval by appropriate University System of Maryland offices and the State of Maryland.