DHHS/FDA/NCTR, Contracts Branch, HFT 322, 3900 NCTR Road, Jefferson, AR 72079-9502

99 -- ON-SITE ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND DIET PREPARATION SERVICES POC Contract Specialist, Faye Bates, 870-543-7068/Contracting Officer, Priscella T. Sullivan, 870-543-7271 99 -- This is a MARKET SEARCH FOR SMALL BUSINESSES AND 8(a) FIRMS,not a request for proposals. The National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR), Jefferson, Arkansas, has a requirement for On-site Animal Husbandry and Diet Preparation Services. Qualified professional, technical, and administrative staff will be required to perform animal care and diet preparation requirements, including, but not limited to, the following tasks: Maintain various species of animals under laboratory conditions as dictated by each protocol, including, feeding, watering, maintaining a clean environment, special procedures as requested in approved protocols, observations, and diet preparation (mixing and dosing feed and preparing dosed water). Examples of techniques required are artificial insemination, date mating, bleeding, injections through various routes, gavage, bladder instillation, animal restraint and identification, etc. The requirements are divided into Task I-Animal Husbandry, Task II-Diet Preparations, and Task III-General Contract Support. These three Tasks have six Sub-Tasks: laboratory animal care support, production colony, Quality Control and Safety, nutritional support, clinical veterinary care, and equipment management. In addition, the Contractor shall be responsible for designing, directing and administering the Environmental Health and Safety Program for the contract employees and/or in areas of Contractor operational responsibility. Examples of special technical procedures required by protocol(s) include, but are not limited to, the administration of agents by subcutaneous, intravenous or intraperitoneal injections; gavage; and collection of body fluids, etc. The Diet Preparation Facility shall be operated as a Specific Pathogen Free Barrier. The operation of preparing diet will normally be concerned with preparing special mixes, blends and/or processing as dictated by protocols, maintaining inventory of each type of feed, and distributing all unprocessed and processed feed as may be required by any species of animal being maintained at NCTR. Contractor responsibilities will include, but may not be limited to, routine autoclaving of all rodent diets, grinding, mixing and dosing feed and/or water with hazardous chemicals, and all ancillary support required to produce diet. All work associated with Animal Care/Diet Preparation services shall be performed in strict compliance with approved Standard Operating Procedures (SOPS) written and maintained by the Contractor. All Animal Care/Diet Preparation support services provided shall comply with Good Laboratory Practices (GLP). All companies responding to this synopsis must demonstrate their experience and/or capability by submitting qualification statements, including references directly related to the subject requirement. Qualification statements should be sent to the above address from any SMALL BUSINESS and 8(a) firms and will be evaluated on the basis of: (1) Experience and knowledge in areas of toxicology, diet preparation, laboratory animal science (animal husbandry) or related disciplines; (2) Experience and a thorough understanding of the Animal Husbandry and Diet Preparation requirements at the National Center for Toxicological Research; (3) Experience and knowledge of Barrier concepts in a high tech research facility and personnel training needs with respect to animal care; (4) Experience in administration and enforcement of a safety program for Animal Care/Diet Preparation with emphasis on nonhuman primates; and (5) Demonstrate experience and ability with initiating a new compound into the dosed/water facility. Qualification statements must include references and provide: (1) The referenced contract numbers; (2) The type of contract and dollar amount; (3) A description of the work performed and end products produced; (4) For whom performed and personal point of contact (name, title, address, and telephone number); (5) Performance period and location; and (6) Number and type of personnel employed on the specified contract. Firms responding to this request for qualification statements should indicate whether they are, or are not, certified by the Small Business Administration as an 8(a) firm. This information will be used to determine if a National Buy for 8(a) firms, or a set-aside for small business firms, is appropriate. The applicable Standard Industrial Classification Code is 8999 with a size code standard of $5 million. Qualification statements are due no later than 14 days after publication of this notice and should reference Sources Sought No. 00-2002. Nine copies of the qualification statement (original plus five copies) must be submitted. Posted 11/08/99 (W-SN399120). (0312)

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