A market survey is being conducted to determine if there are adequate Small Business, SBA certified HUBZone, SBA-certified 8(a), Women-Owned, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) or Large Business contractors available for a proposed project who meet the specific criteria outlined below. This is a SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE ONLY. This is not a solicitation Announcement, Request for Quote, or Invitation for Bid. It does not constitute any commitment by the Government. No award will result from this notice. The purpose is to conduct market research to gain knowledge of potentially qualified sources and to determine the capability of Small Business and/or Large Business companies to provide the supplies/services described below. Responses to this Sources Sought Notice will be used by the Government to make an appropriate acquisition decision. Department of Agriculture requests responses from ALL socioeconomic categories in order to gain a more complete understanding of the market for these products and service. The USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) will not award a contract on the basis of responses or pay for the preparation of any information submitted. Respondents will not be notified of the results of this notice. After completing an analysis of the responses, the Government will determine whether to limit competition to 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, Women-Owned, or other small business firms, or to proceed with issuing an unrestricted solicitation, inviting full and open competition. The NAICS code for the expected acquisition is 112930 (Fur - Bearing Animal and Rabbit Production), with a Size Standard of $3.25 million and the PSC Code is 8820. Any subsequent procurement will be conducted as a commercial item purchased in accordance with FAR Part 12 and as a Simplified Acquisition Procedure in accordance with FAR Part 13. Scope of Work: The contractor shall provide American Mink to achieve the objectives of this project which are to characterize the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 in mink using relevant SARS-CoV-2 variants and the protective efficacy of a commercially available SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. Breed – must be American Mink to allow direct comparison across planned related studies. Technical Requirements: Age – 0-1 year old, either sex NOT Vaccinated for SARS-Cov-2 No antibodies for SARS-Cov-2 Vaccinated with Distemper and Pneumonia Botulism Sound of foot and body, in good general health Mink shall be sourced from the same farm. Certificate of Veterinary Inspection Required on all animals Quantity – 25 of similar age and size Delivery of all animals in 1 shipment to Ames in one temperature-controlled vehicle Animal shall be deliverable onsite at USDA no later than Nov 1st, 2022 Place of Delivery: USDA, 1920 Dayton Avenue, Ames, IA 50010 Capability Statement: Companies who have the experience, as well as an interest in doing business with ARS, should submit a Capabilities Statement which, for this notice, is not expected to be a proposal, but rather short statements regarding the company’s ability to demonstrate their expertise and experience in relation to the areas specified in this notice. In addition to the Capabilities Statement, companies should complete the attached Sources Sought Response Form and indicate whether they are a Small Business, SBA-certified HUBZone, SBA-certified 8(a), SDVOSB, or Women-Owned Small Business. To be eligible, all vendors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) with a current and active registration. A SAM UEI number is required in order to register in SAM. A vendor can contact SAM by calling 1-866-606-8220 or e-mail at www.sam.gov. NO EXCEPTIONS. Vendor must include their UEI# on their capability statements. To be eligible, all vendors must also be registered in SAM under the specific NAICS code listed as part of this sources sought. If a prospective vendor is not registered under the specified NAICS code and would qualify to be registered under it then they must update their SAM registration prior to providing a capabilities statement. Finally, to be eligible, all vendors must be NDAA 889 Certified. If they do not currently have a NDAA 889 Certification, then they must complete the attached NDAA 889 Certification form and submit it to
[email protected] so that they can be added to the list of NDAA 889 Certified vendors. Submitting a Capability Statements: Responses should be submitted via email by Tuesday, October 11, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. (Central Time) . Telephone inquiries will not be accepted. Questions should be directed to Melissa Grice at
[email protected]. Disclaimer: This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Respondents are also advised that under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of information or provide feedback about any of the information received. After review of the responses received, the Government may issue a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation. No proprietary, sensitive, confidential or classified information shall be included with your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation.