SOLICITATION NOTICE
B -- Influenza Free Ferret Supply for Improving Public Health
- Notice Date
- 4/12/2016
- Notice Type
- Presolicitation
- NAICS
- 112930
— Fur-Bearing Animal and Rabbit Production
- Contracting Office
- Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Procurement and Grants Office (Atlanta), 2920 Brandywine Road, Room 3000, Atlanta, Georgia, 30341-4146
- ZIP Code
- 30341-4146
- Solicitation Number
- 2016-N-17821-CDCFerretsSupply
- Archive Date
- 5/4/2016
- Point of Contact
- Thaddeus E Rollins, Phone: 770-488-1971
- E-Mail Address
-
tnr6@cdc.gov
(tnr6@cdc.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) intends to issue a full and open competition Request for Proposal (RFP) to support National Center for Immunizations and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD) /Influenza Division. This will be a recompete requirement to an indefinite delivery indefinite quantity (IDIQ) current contract. It is anticipated that the resultant contract will be firm-fixed-price (FFP) IDIQ type contract and will have a period of performance of twelve (12) month base period and four (4) twelve (12) month option periods. The applicable NAICS code is 112930. The RFP will be posted on FedBizOpps and is expected to be released on or about May 03, 2016. Interested parties are responsible for checking the website regularly for release of the RFP and for other procurement-related documents. TELEPHONE CALLS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. The information provided in this pre-solicitation is for information purposes only. If there are any differences in the information provided here and the actual solicitation when released, the information provided in the actual solicitation shall govern. Background and Need: The Influenza Division at CDC requires access to healthy ferrets that are serologically negative against all influenza virus strains. These animals are needed for i) the production of strain-specific immune sera for use as a diagnostic reagent and to monitor antigenic drift of circulating influenza viruses which is necessary to assist with influenza vaccine composition recommendations ii) the safety and efficacy testing of vaccine candidates against influenza viruses with the potential to cause a pandemic and iii) the evaluation of the virulence, transmissibility and antiviral resistance of emerging influenza viruses that pose a threat to public health. Pursuing these critical missions of the Influenza Division is dependent on a constant and reliable supply of influenza-free ferrets. Project Objective - The purpose of this contract is to secure a stable supply of healthy ferrets that are sero-negative against influenza A and B viruses so that the Influenza Division at CDC can provide accurate and reliable assessments of influenza surveillance, safety and efficacy of vaccine candidates and risk assessments of emerging influenza viruses that pose a threat to public health. Scope of Work - The contractor will provide the CDC with a monthly inventory of ferrets available for purchase. This inventory must include at least 50 healthy, male ferrets that are 3-6 months of age and are sero-negative against influenza A and B viruses. The contractor will provide up to 116 ferret pre-bleeds per month selected by the CDC based on the provided inventory list. Sera will be tested by the CDC to confirm sero-negativity. The contractor will deliver up to 116 ferrets per month in a single delivery each month based on the testing results and projected needs of the CDC. All ferrets will be transported in sealed, HEPA-filtered containers and in a climate controlled environment. Technical Requirements Ferret Inventory Maintenance: All CDC-bound ferrets at the contractor's facility will be maintained inside of a HEPAfiltered enclosure. All staff entering the enclosure will wear appropriate personal protective equipment, including respirator to protect the animals from potential exposure to influenza virus. Any staff experiencing influenza-like illness will not enter the ferret housing enclosure. An up to date inventory account of available ferrets will be provided to the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) at the CDC via email by the 1st day of each month and will include the dates of birth for each lot of animals. The ferret inventory will be maintained so that at least 50 healthy, male ferrets that are seronegative to influenza A and B viruses will be available on any given month. The age of these ferrets will be restricted to 3-6 months at the time of inventory assessment. Each month the CDC will select up to 116 ferrets from the inventory to screen for potential purchase; the COR will communicate this selection to the contractor in an email. Delivery of Ferret Prebleeds: The contractor will collect blood samples from each of the selected ferrets and will isolate approximately 0.2-0.5 mL of serum from each sample. This will be accomplished by centrifugation of whole blood and transfer of the separated top layer of serum to a fresh, sterile vial that is labeled with the corresponding ferret ear tag number. Within 3 business days of the CDC's request for prebleeds, the contractor will ship the frozen serum samples via overnight delivery to the CDC so that they arrive on a non-holiday, business day. The contractor will also email the COR a list of the prebleeds (itemized by ferret ID) with each ferret's date of birth included. The sera will be tested for the presence of influenza antibody by the CDC and, based on the results, the COR will communicate via email which ferrets should be delivered to the CDC. Delivery of Ferrets: Up to 12 deliveries per year (1 per month) will be scheduled between the contractor and the COR at the CDC. Each delivery will be scheduled within two weeks of the COR's communication of screening results to the contractor. All ferrets will be housed in sealed, HEPA-filtered animal transport containers and transportation will occur in a climate controlled environment. Transport containers will be positioned so that ample airflow is maintained during transport. Ferrets are extremely sensitive to elevated temperatures. Anyone loading or unloading the ferrets should wear personal protective equipment including a respirator to protect the animals from potential exposure to influenza during transport to the CDC. If ferrets are transported via ground, a back-up vehicle will be available in case the primary transport vehicle malfunctions. Replacement Prebleeds and Ferrets: Any ferret prebleed found to be sero-positive will be replaced with another from a ferret chosen by the COR at no cost to CDC. Any ferrets that die in transit will be replaced by the contractor at no cost to the CDC. Any ferret identified as sero-positive after being tested upon arrival at the CDC will be replaced by the contractor at no cost to the CDC.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/HHS/CDCP/PGOA/2016-N-17821-CDCFerretsSupply /listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: Contractor's Facility, United States
- Record
- SN04081284-W 20160414/160413000146-d526a996840461fb86a7faa46632315c (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
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