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Purchase of 10 Yucatan Mini-Swine

PUBLIC NOTICE OF PROPOSED ACQUISITION
National Eye Institute / National Institute of Health

 

Announcement/Number:  EE20-1267

Post Date: November 21, 2019

Closing Response Date: December 01, 2019

Proposed Award Date: December 03, 2019

Project Title: Purchase of 10 Yucatan mini-swine

Contracting Office: National Eye Institute, Building 31, Room 6A52

Contact Point/Contracting Officer/Contract Specialist: Elaine Estrella, estrellaek@mail.nih.gov

North American Classification System (NAICS) Code (include): 112210

Size Standard: $750,000.00

Classification Code: Hog and Pig Farming

Offerors must quote on all items to be eligible for award. The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation.

 

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The researcher intent is to use these animals on a study to prove concept to their hypothesis by using these animals to honed in on retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells to treat Age-related macular degeneration (AMD). This is a disease that blurs the sharp, central vision you need for “straight-ahead” activities such as reading, sewing, and driving. AMD affects the macula, the part of the eye that allows you to see fine detail. AMD causes no pain, which are critical to the health of the retina as a whole. Specifically, these cells support the health and function of the nearby photoreceptor cells, which are essential to vision. The researcher suspect that damaged RPE cells are both a telltale sign and a pivotal event in AMD, which results in death of photoreceptor cells and with it, the loss of vision. One possible treatment for AMD would be to replace the damaged RPE, which may preserve the remaining photoreceptors. However, for that therapy to be possible, there needs to be a source of healthy RPE cells and a way to deliver them to the patient's eye. The researcher group is advancing such a solution by using stem cell technology. Specifically, by using the swine own blood cells, the group is able to generate induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells), which can then be converted into RPE cells, essentially a creating a patch of healthy RPE cells from their own blood. This personalized 2 approach has the advantage of avoiding potential rejection issues in donated cells; there are also, simpler regulatory considerations.

 

PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVE OF THE PROCUREMENT

The Contract shall establish the ordering mechanism for the Government to procure up to 10 Yucatan Minipig 5males and 5 females with pigmented (dark) eyes and skin during a period of performance of up to one (1) year after contract is awarded. We estimate up to two (2) deliveries against the period of performance. Each call or order shall procure an estimated average of 5 minipigs per call or order.

 

PRODUCT REQUIREMENT/SPECIFICATION

Contractor Requirement:

 

Statement of Work for Procurement of Specific Pathogen Free Yucatan Minipig

The Contract shall establish the ordering mechanism for the Government to procure up to 10 swine (5 male and 5 female) during a period of performance of up to one (1) year after contract is awarded. We estimate up to two (2) deliveries against the period of performance. Each call or order shall procure an estimated average of five (5) swine per call or order. The specific quantities and delivery dates shall be identified with each call or order. Animals shall be from a closed herd/colony free of respiratory disease (e.g. Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, etc.) and serologically negative for PRRS, PRV and Brucellosis.

All swine shall meet the following requirements:

  1. Breed: Yucatan Minipig;
  2. Pigs should weigh minimum of 32 to 35 kg upon receipt;
  3. Pigs eyes and skin will be screen for the dark pigmentation, the screening will ensure that there is no patched of white in the brown pigmentation within the eye, and to ensure a dark uniform pigmentation of the skin.
  4. Pigs should have tails, or if docked, be at least 1-2 inches long;
  5. Pigs should be entirely dark skinned.
  6. Pigs must have dark pigmented eyes and skin;
  7. Pigs must be either females or males of calm and tractable nature; at time of order
  8. Pigs are to be healthy with no overt signs of disease or parasites, and be free of lameness;
  9. Pigs must be porcine circovirus 2 (PCV-2) free or vaccinated for Circo virus prior to shipment;
  10. Pigs must originate from a herd that is free of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, PRRS, APP, and demonstrate no signs of respiratory disease;
  11. Pigs must have received the following prior to receipt:
    • Iron dextran injection at 1-3 days of age
    • Vaccinations:
      • Rhinogen BPE (Intrvet) (Bordetella Bronchiseptica, Erysipelothrix Rhusiopathiae, Pasturella Multocida Bacterin, Toxoid)
      • MycoFLEX (Boehringer Ingellheim) (Mycoplasma Hyopneumoniae Bacterin)
      • Ivomec (MSD Agent): Nursery feed additive to weaned piglets at 21-28 days old
      • Enterisol Ileitis (Boehringer Ingelheim (Lawsonia Intracellularis)
      • Parapleuro Shield (Novartis) (Actinobacillus Pleurupneumoniae, Haemophilus Parasuis, Pasteurella Multocida Bacterin)
      • CircoFLEX (Boehringer Ingelheim) (Type 2, Killed Baculovirus Vector)
  12. Pigs should preferably receive, but is not mandatory, the following vaccinations:
    • Clostridium per fringes Type C
    • Transmissible Gastroenteritis (TGE)
    • Porcine Rotavirus
    • Escherichia coli
  13. Pigs must receive appropriate antifungal and antiparasitic drugs as needed;
  14. Pigs should be treated for intestinal parasites within 1 month of shipment;
  15. Pigs must receive antibiotics prior to shipping to prevent shipping fever.

The Contractor shall provide a copy of the health certificate(s) to the Project Officer or their designee during delivery of the animal(s). In addition, the Contractor must provide contact information to the Project Officer or their designee for means of evaluating the vendor’s animal care and health history. Health Records: For each animal delivery order, the performer is required to provide health records for all animals at time of delivery, including date of vaccinations, deworming, and other treatments. It is the Contractors responsibility to inform the Government Project Officer of any known/suspected/potential change in their herd health status within 24  hours of the known/suspected/potential change.

 

The vendor shall deliver all swine and signed hard copies of all related documents Freight On-Board (FOB) Destination to the following address:

Building 49 Central Animal Facility C/O
49 Convent Drive, Loading Dock Six (6)
Bethesda, Maryland 20892-4403

Delivery shall occur before 11:30 Monday through Fridays, except for Federal Holidays. Additional delivery requirements: The contractor shall ensure and demonstrate that the animals are not overly stressed or fatigued as a result of transit, as this may compromise their immune systems. The contractor shall ensure that transit complies with the specifications set forth in the Animal Welfare Act and all applicable laws and regulations (http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/legislat/usdaleg1.htm), including Section 9 CFR, Chapter 1, Subchapter A Animal Welfare: Part 3 Standards.

In the event of cold weather during delivery, transporting devices shall be covered to provide protection for live animals when the outdoor air temperature falls below 10oC (50oF) and such live animals shall not be subjected to surrounding air temperatures which fall below 7.2oC (45oF).

Upon arrival each delivery shall be unloaded from the Contractor’s vehicle and loaded onto a transport cart. Government staff will be available to help assist the Contractor with placing the swine into the transport carts.

 

Acceptance Criteria

  1. Rejection of animals- Swine will be evaluated after seven (7) days for animals not meeting required specifications and signs of illness after appropriate incubation time. In the event of illness or death an Animal Incident Report will be faxed within five (5) business days.
  2. Replacement of Swine, including shipment costs, shall be required or credit issued (per Contracting Officer specifications) within 24 hours.
  3. Acceptance/Rejection of Goods: Seller's responsibility. Provide the animals in accordance with each specification and the certification within the requested service date. If the goods, upon delivery, fail to pass, The Contracting officer shall require the performer to send a replacement for each animal in the next shipment.

 

Government Responsibilities

Designate one responsible individual as the point of contact. After receipt of delivery the agency will house the animals. Within seven days the attending veterinarian will inspect the animals to ensure conformity to contract requirements, if illness is detected the attending veterinarian will complete an Animal Incident Form. All Animal Incident Reports will be faxed by the agency to the company within 24 hours.

 

Period of Performance  

December 03, 2019 – December 02, 2020 (1 year)

 

PAYMENT

Payment will be made 30 days after internal receiving in NIH system.

 

AWARD TYPE       

Firm Fixed

 

BASIS OF AWARD

Proposal must be exact, and substitution cannot be accepted. 

 

MARKET RESEARCH

Market research was developed by attending trade shows frequented by swine vendors marketing their product. Although there are other vendors that have swine, this acquisition is sole sourced due to the government’s requirement for dark pigmented eyes and skin and the specific pathogen free animals with a known genetic background and a proven closed herd.

 

Closing Statement: This notice is not a request for competitive proposals.  However, interested parties may identify their interest and capability to respond to this notice.  Responses to this notice shall contain sufficient information to establish the interested parties’ bona-fide capabilities for fulfilling the requirement and include: unit price, list price, shipping and handling costs, the delivery period after contract award, the prompt payment discount terms, the F.O.B. Point (Destination or Origin), the Dun & Bradstreet Number (DUNS), the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and the certification of business size. All offerors must have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) www.sam.gov

 

A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed action based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. The information received will normally be considered solely for the purposes of determining whether to proceed on a non-competitive basis or to conduct a competitive procurement.

All responses must be received by December 01, 2019 and must reference number EE20-1267.  Responses may be submitted electronically to estrellaek@mail.nih.gov or hand delivered in person. Fax responses will not be accepted.

 

“All responsible sources may submit a bid, proposal, or quotation which shall be considered by the agency.”

 

Last updated: November 21, 2019