Description
The USDA, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), National Veterinary Sciences Lab (NVSL), Ames, Iowa, intends to issue a Blanket Purchase Arrangement (BPA), to up to 10 State, Federal, and University laboratories in the United States, who demonstrate the capability to provide the services outlined in the solicitation, for Scrapie and Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), known collectively as Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSE) testing of up to 100,000 animals. Submit faxed quotations to "Purchasing Section," at (612) 370-2136. QUOTATIONS ARE DUE October 3, 2002, BY 10:00 a.m. local time. Simplified procurement procedures will be used as well as commercial item acquisition regulations per FAR 12. THIS IS A COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotations are being requested and A WRITTEN SOLICITATION WILL NOT BE ISSUED. This solicitation document incorporates provisions and clauses which are in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 01-08. Applicable FAR clauses are incorporated by reference: Prompt Payment 52.249-1 (4/84); Fixed price 52.243-1 (8/87); Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Items 52.212-1 (10/00); Evaluation-Commercial items 52.212-2 (1/99); Offeror Representations and Certifications 52.212-3 (2/01); Contract Terms and Conditions- Commercial Items 52.212-4 (4/98); Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statues or Executive Orders-Commercial Items 52.212-5 (10/98). ALL RESPONSIBLE SOURCES MAY SUBMIT A QUOTATION FOR CONSIDERATION. All offers must be signed. Offers should also include tax payer identification number________________________ DUNS number__________________ and business size _____________for NAICS 621511. SPECIFICATIONS: Interested laboratories must be able to perform the above tests for TSEs, must be approved by APHIS to conduct said test, have quality control procedures in place and follow good laboratory practices. More experienced laboratories may be selected first for award and as additional laboratory demands are needed, other laboratories will be offered BPAs. Additional laboratories may be selected as needed for up to 18 months after the closing date. This BPA will be an open account and must not be considered a grant. Factors used in determining which laboratories are best suited to be awarded a BPA would be made on the relative laboratory experience with TSE testing, prior or current collaborations with APHIS TSE programs, and the States particular status in regard to TSEs (CWD and Scrapie). Laboratories should provide descriptions and actual numbers of TSE cases examined by histopathology and/or prion protein immunohistochemistry. Laboratories should have trained pathologist on staff with experience reading immunohistochemical stain slides. Qualifying laboratories must be able to handle at a MINIMUM of 10,000 samples per year for USDA. All tests will be performed to standards (SOP) set forth by the NVSL. Each laboratory will agree to follow the QA policies and procedures set forth by the NVSL. Offerors are to provide information regarding the capacity of their laboratory facility should the lab wish to exceed the 10,000 per year capacity. This information is needed to determine how many samples can be accommodated by any one laboratory and to gauge how many BPAs need to be established. TEST METHOD: All specified Immunohistochemical (IHC) Reagents AND specified IHC Stainers AND specified Equipment will be provided to the laboratories. Routine and non-specified supplies and equipment routinely used in the preparation of histological and immunohistochemical slides will be provided by the laboratory. Offers will be accepted on a per test basis only AND offer must be a total price and include all costs. Offers for other than a per test basis will be determined to be nonresponsive and will not be considered for award. In no case will USDA pay more than $15 per slide/test. There will be no guaranteed minimum samples per year. Tissue samples will be sent to the laboratories by USDA employees or their designees or other contract laboratories. Samples and results will need to be archived for three years after the test is conducted. LABORATORY RESPONSIBILITIES: Accept mailed shipment of formalin fixed tissues from NVSL, APHIS field veterinary medical officers (VMOs), and occasionally other laboratories; Trim and process tissues according to specified protocols; IHC stain the tissues according to specified protocols; Provide a final report (no more than 10 working days from date of receipt) in an acceptable electronic transmission format (currently Excel) to NVSL or its designate; Store all "wet tissues" for no less than 1 year after date of final reporting; Store all paraffin embedded blocks and IHC stained slides for a minimum of 3 years; Send the NVSL any tissues, slides, or blocks with in 5 working days of receipt of the request; Send a monthly summary of completed testing by the 5th of each month to the NVSL. Government specified equipment will be used so that there are consistent test results among the various laboratories. The following items will be provided as Government furnished property, as needed: Ventana Immunohistochemistry Staining System, Reagents and Stainers. Preference may be given to laboratories that already own the needed equipment, however there will be no monetary compensation provided to those labs who already possess the needed equipment. Awarded labs will be responsible for travel to Ames, Iowa for a three-day training session of one pathologist and one technician. The BPA awarded to each successful offeror will have a simplified acquisition threshold under commercial item acquisition of $5,000,000 under FAR 13.5 and FAR 12. Awards will be made to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers: laboratory experience with TSE testing, past performance, testing capacity, and storage capacity. Technical and past performance, when combined, are: technical and past performance 75%, and capacity 25%.