Pathology Monitoring of Aged Rodent Colonies

The National Institute on Aging (NIA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) intends to re-compete requirements currently being performed by IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. under NIA Contract 75N95020D00006.

The anticipated release date for the solicitation is November 19, 2024. This procurement is being competed under full and open competitive procedures under NAICS 541940. It is anticipated that FAR Part 15, Contracting by Negotiation, will be used and a single indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity, task orders with firm fixed price type contract will be awarded for a 5-year period of performance beginning on or about March 1, 2025. This contract is to perform clinical evaluation of mice and rats.

The Contractor shall receive animals from the NIA aged rodent colonies, perform health assessments, and report the results of the tests to the NIA Contracting Officer Representative (COR). Specifically, the Contractor shall perform clinical evaluation of mice and rats selected by the COR from the NIA colonies and shipped at no cost to the contractor. Total numbers of mice and rats to be evaluated will range between 600 and 1,200 per year. No more than 30 animals will be shipped in any one week.

As part of the assessment, the contractor shall describe general conditions of all animals, weight, and any visible lesions or symptoms, conduct a gross pathology examination on all animals, and evaluate eighty percent (80%) of the animals with the Basic Profile and the other twenty percent (20%) with the Comprehensive Profile, which includes the Basic Profile plus additional tests listed under Comprehensive Profile. All tests are applied to both rats and mice unless indicated specific to either rats (R) or mice (M).

Basic Profile: Serology- MHV (M), Ectromelia virus (M), Mouse parvovirus(es) (M), Theiler's (M), PVM, LCMV (M), Rotavirus (M), Sendai, Rat Parvoviruses (R), Rat coronavirus (R), Pneumocystis carinii (R); Microbiology - Mycoplasma pulmonis, Corynebacterium kutscheri, Streptococcus pneumonia, Citrobacter freundii (4280), Pseudomonas sp., Salmonella enteritidis; Parasitology- Spironucleus muris, Giardia sp., Cryptosporidium sp., Syphacia sp., Hymenolepis sp., Mites; Histopathology - GI tract, Small intestine, Cecum, Colon, Respiratory tract, Liver.

Comprehensive Profile: Reovirus(es), Polyomavirus (M), Adenoviruses, LDV (M), TMEV (R), Hantavirus (R); Microbiology- CAR bacillus (histopathology), Pasteurella pneumotropica, Bacillus piliformis (histopathology), Helicobacter; Histology – Spleen, Thymus, Heart, Kidney, Ovaries, Uterus, Testes, Prepuce, Brain, Skin, Salivary gland, Harderian gland. Excess tissue can be disposed of upon completion of the analysis.

Slides and embedded tissue blocks are to be archived for a period of 1 year, after which they may be discarded unless otherwise specified by the COR. The Contractor must be prepared to accept delivery of archived slides and tissue blocks from the previous contract and store them for the remainder of the one-year archival period. At the end of the contract period, the Contractor shall ship the archived slides and blocks to the new Contractor upon written direction from the COR.

REPORTS/DELIVERABLES (1) Individual pathology monitoring reports for each weekly accession; (2) Annual report summarizing the monitoring with any unusual developments noted; (3) Final Report summarizing the results from testing results and unusual developments over the contract period. All responsible sources may submit a proposal which will be considered by the agency. This notice does not commit the Government to award a contract. No collect calls will be accepted. No facsimile transmissions will be accepted.