Sentinel Chicken Monitoring Program

The Florida Department of Health, specifically the Palm Beach County Health Department, is issuing an Invitation to Bid (ITB) DOH25-007 for a Sentinel Chicken Monitoring Program aimed at supporting the Department's Arbovirus Surveillance efforts. The contract requires a qualified vendor to establish, maintain, and routinely sample eight sentinel chicken coop sites and one host coop site, with precise specifications for biological monitoring. Bidders must demonstrate at least five years of experience working with sentinel chickens and possess appropriate certifications for handling biological materials. The contract will commence on November 1, 2025, or upon purchase order issuance, and will run for an initial one-year term with potential for two additional one-year renewals. Vendors must submit comprehensive documentation including site locations, permission letters, and complete mandatory certification forms such as non-collusion statements and background screening attestations. The bid submission deadline is August 18, 2025, and the Department will award the contract to the responsive, responsible bidder offering the lowest grand total price. Successful contractors will be required to draw blood from chickens every other week and ship samples to the Bureau of Public Health Laboratories, adhering to strict data security and confidentiality requirements.

There are no specific set-aside designations or restrictions on organizational types mentioned in the procurement documents. The solicitation appears open to any qualified vendor meeting the technical and experience requirements. While no incumbent vendors are identified, the contract requires integration with existing Department of Health surveillance infrastructure and protocols. The pricing structure is based on a fixed monthly rate, with bidders required to complete a price page showing monthly and annual costs for the initial term and potential renewal years. Though an exact budget range is not specified, vendors will need to provide comprehensive pricing that covers site establishment, maintenance, chicken care, routine sampling, and laboratory sample processing. The total contract value will be determined by summing the proposed monthly rates across the potential three-year period (initial year plus two potential renewals). Successful bidders must also demonstrate compliance with state vendor certification requirements, including being listed on approved vendor registries and passing background screenings.