Sources Sought Animal Bedding

Animal Bedding Sources Sought Notice # PCA-NIEHS-10698

Contracting Office Address
Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, Office of Acquisitions, OA Office of the Director, OD 6701 Rockledge Drive, Bethesda, MD, 20892. Introduction
This is a notice issued on behalf of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Office of Acquisitions, OA Office of the Director, OD, DHHS, UNITED STATES. This is a Small Business Sources Sought notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this Sources Sought is to seek the availability and capability of small business concerns, including 8(a) small business and/or small qualified small business concerns [including Small Disadvantaged Businesses (SDB), Woman-owned Small Businesses (WOSB), Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) Small Businesses, Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (VOSB) and Service-Disabled Veteran-owned Small Businesses (SDVOSB] that are interested in and capable of performing the work described in the statement of work. Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible.

BACKGROUND

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), located in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, is one (1) of the 27 Institutes and Centers composing the National Institutes of Health. The mission of NIEHS is to discover how the environment affects people in order to promote healthier lives. NIEHS research uses state-of-the-art science and technology to investigate the interplay between environmental exposures, human biology, genetics, and common diseases to help prevent disease and improve human health. This research includes the use of laboratory animals. The NIEHS Animal Care and Use Program is accredited by the Association for the Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC), Int. and overseen by the Comparative Medicine Branch. The purpose of this contract is for the acquisition and delivery of standard, commercial laboratory animal bedding to NIEHS. Laboratory animal bedding is required to maintain the health and well-being of the NIEHS research animal population. This acquisition is a continuation of a previous five-year contract. A contract consisting of one base year plus 4 ordering periods is sought.

OBJECTIVES

This contract will ensure a continuous, uninterrupted supply of laboratory animal bedding for the NIEHS located in Research Triangle Park, NC. Laboratory animal bedding orders shall be placed according to the requirements of the Government. Each order will consist of one (1) truckload of approximately 1,300 bags of 2.2-2.5 ft3 finished bedding product. Each bag should contain approximately 25 lbs. of finished bedding product and be delivered on pallets of 25 bags/pallet or 52 pallets/truckload. The estimated delivery frequency will be every 8-10 weeks, as needed. This bedding shall meet the quality standard requirements established by the NIEHS and set out in section 3.0.