THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE to determine the availability and capability of small businesses (including certified 8(a), Small Disadvantaged, and HUBZone firms; veteran and service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses, and women-owned small businesses. This notice is for planning purposes only, and does not constitute an Invitation for Bids, a Request for Proposals, Solicitation, Request for Quotes, or an indication the Government will contract for the items contained herein. This notice is not to be construed as a commitment on the part of the Government to award a contract, nor does the Government intend to pay for any information submitted as a result of this notice. The Government does not reimburse respondents for any cost associated with submission of the information being requested or reimburse expenses incurred to interested parties for responses to this source sought. Any responses received will not be used as a proposal. Statement of Work The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA), Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM), Office of Research (OR) conducts animal research studies in our mission to protect human and animal health. The research animals must be cared for in accordance with federal laws, regulations, current veterinary standards which includes the provision of wholesome and nutritious food. By purchasing animal food under contract OR will be able to timely provide wholesome and nutritious food for our research animals. CVM/OR performs research studies using a variety of livestock species to accomplish the goals of regulatory research studies. The holding and care of research animals at the OR Mod -2 animal facility that are not currently assigned to an approved research is provided under the protocol 413.05. This protocol holds animals with different nutrition requirements as pregnancy, lactation and growth. Feed (select stock and dairy feed, mineral blocks), forage (alfalfa and hay) and bedding (straw) of good quality are needed for the care of the animals as required by the current animal welfare guides (The Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, Guide for the Care and Use of Agricultural Animals in Research and Teaching). Purchasing animal feed and forage under contract will offer nutrients timely and consistently, providing value and palatable feed and forage will cover nutrition requirements. The FDA CVM Office of Research (OR) conducts animal research studies in our mission to protect human and animal health. The research animals must be cared for in accordance with federal laws, regulations, current veterinary standards which includes the provision of wholesome and nutritious food. By purchasing animal food under contract OR will be able to timely provide wholesome and nutritious food for our research animals. CVM/OR performs research studies using a variety of livestock species to accomplish the goals of regulatory research studies. Feed (select stock and dairy feed, mineral blocks), forage (alfalfa and hay) and bedding (straw) of good quality are needed for the care of the animals as required by the current animal welfare guides (The Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, Guide for the Care and Use of Agricultural Animals in Research and Teaching). Purchasing animal feed and forage under contract will offer nutrients timely and consistently, providing Objective This requirement is for the establishment of a base period (12 months) and 4 option periods (12 months) contract for the purchase of specific animal feed. Specific quantities and list of feed will be defined at the delivery order level. BRAND NAME OR EQUAL: Minimum Required Salient Characteristics: The following is a list of the animal feed required under this IDIQ contract: Dairy feed Bags (50 Lb. bag) 16 % DAIRY PRIMER (GP) A grain mix for lactating dairy cattle- Pellet. 16 % Crude protein. Crude fat 2.5 %. Crude fiber 15 %. Select stock bags (50 lb. bag). SELECT STOCK TM (T) (RV). A feed for the maintenance needs of mature horses, cattle, goats and sheep. Crude protein 12 %. Crude fat 3 %. Crude fiber 22% Alfalfa bales 70 lbs. 21 x 17 x 17 inches. Compressed- Premium quality Hay- Timothy Grass- 55 lbs. 21x17x17. Compressed - Premium Quality Straw bales 36 lbs. 34 x 17 x 17 inches. Ruminant Mineral block: 5 lb block The following specific dog food/treats: IAMS ProActive Health Smart Puppy Original Dry Dog Food, provided as a new, not expired, un-opened product in 30 lb bags IAMS ProActive Health Adult MiniChunks Dry Dog Food, provided as a new, not expired, un-opened product in 30 lb bags Fromm Treats Chicken with Peas and Carrots, 8 oz. bags Milk-Bone Flavor Snacks for Small/Medium Dogs, 7-lb boxes Iams ProActive Health Puppy with Chicken and Rice Pate Canned Dog Food, 13 oz cans, pack of 12 cans Iams ProActive Health Adult Beef, Rice, Carrots and Green Beans Flavor Chunks in Gravy Canned dog food, 13 oz cans, pack of 12 cans Iams ProActive Health Adult with Lamb and Rice Pate Canned Dog Food, 13 oz cans, pack of 12 cans Iams ProActive Health Adult with Beef and Rice Pate Canned Dog Food, 13 oz cans, pack of 12 cans Iams ProActive Health Adult with chicken and whole grain rice pate canned dog food, 13 oz cans, pack of 12 cans Greenies Petite Dental Dog Treats, 90 count box Greenies Pill Pockets Canine Chicken Flavor Dog Treats, 60 count bag Grower/Finisher Feed Swine-The Mill Gro/Fin 16 Pellet - >50lb pigs - 16.2% Protein -50lb Pelleted feed Poultry feed – The Mill Broiler mash or Purina Layena Pellets Premium Layer Feed 50lb. bags Poultry bedding - Manna Pro Fresh Flakes Poultry Bedding 4.5 cu ft Additional Requirements: Food products shall be generally free of antibiotics and chemical contaminants Feed shall be meet quality criteria or may be rejected. Examples for what constitutes a rejection is specified in the acceptance section. Contractor shall be within 100 miles of CVM’s location at the FDA in Laurel, MD. This is to minimum impacts to the quality of the feed that may be caused by long transportation time, such as variations in temperatures and moisture. Shipment/Destination The contractor will be required to delivery, unload, and haul the deliveries to specified locations as defined in the delivery orders. The contractor is required to bring the necessary equipment to unload and haul the delivery which may involve delivery inside animal research facilities. Location: Deliveries will occur at the CVM/OR FDA site in Laurel, MD which will include deliveries at a loading dock or at animal research buildings as designated on the delivery order level. For location/tracking purposes the shipping address is: TBA Laurel, MD 20708 Acceptance: The animal food and/or bedding will be delivered to the OR research facility in individual bags or bales to the OR loading dock or to the designated feed storage facility within the Mod-2 animal facilities as specified in each order and delivered. On arrival, the Animal Care Staff member or another FDA CVM OR employee will inspect the bags and bales upon delivery. Shipments will be inspected by the OR Attending Veterinarians (or their designee) and they will determine if the shipment will be rejected or accepted. The following defines criteria that would result in a rejection. The contractor is expected to replace rejected shipments within 3 business days: Any bales that have evidence of mold, insect infestation (may vary by type of insect), desiccation (old feed), excessive weeds (greater than 10%), poisonous plants (such as, but not limited to: poison hemlock, water hemlock), minimal presence of any non-food stuff (such as trash; more than 1%), toxic pesticides, or anything that compromises the wholesomeness or palatability. Any bags that are under specified weight, torn, wet/excessive moisture, moldy, stained packaging (such as oil), and/or opened packaging will be rejected. Any feed bags with an expired date or expiration date within 90 days of delivery will be rejected. Dog food must meet AAFCO feeding standards and maintain consistency during term of contract. This is imperative to maintain health and ability to serve as a research subject. Following delivery, products are subject to third-party feed analysis for quality and testing for contaminants to ensure the product has the protein, forage and mineral content and also to ensure there are no ingredients that may affect the research, i.e. penicillin in the grain that may compromise the research protocol. Unfavorable testing results on more than two shipments may result in non-compliance of contract. Particular delivery details will be provided in the delivery order, such as the delivery address, point of contact information, the feed required and delivery schedule and any specific local delivery requirements for security or loading dock delivery requirements .***************************************************************************** Companies are encouraged to respond if they have the capability and capacity to provide the identified services Interested small business potential Offerors are encouraged to respond to this notice. However, be advised that generic capability statements are not sufficient for effective evaluation of respondents' capacity and capability to perform the specific work as required. Responses must directly demonstrate the company's capability, experience, and/or ability to marshal resources to effectively and efficiently perform each of the tasks described above at a sufficient level of detail to allow definitive numerical evaluation; and evidence that the contractor can satisfy the minimum requirements listed above while in compliance with FAR 52.219-14 ("Limitations on Subcontracting"). Failure to definitively address each of these factors will result in a finding that respondent lacks capability to perform the work. Responses to this notice shall be limited to 15 pages, and must include: 1. Company name, mailing address, e-mail address, telephone and fax numbers, website address (if available), and the name, telephone number, and e-mail address of a point of contact having the authority and knowledge to clarify responses with Government representatives. 2. Name, title, telephone number, and e-mail addresses of individuals who can verify the demonstrated capabilities identified in the responses. 3. Business size for NAICS 311119 with size limitation standards of 500 employees, and status, if qualified as an 8(a) firm (must be certified by the Small Business Administration (SBA), Small Disadvantaged Business (must be certified by SBA), Woman-Owned Small Business, HUBZone firm (must be certified by SBA), and/or Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (must be listed in the VetBiz Vendor Information Pages). 4. DUNS number, CAGE Code, Tax Identification Number (TIN), and company structure (Corporation, LLC, partnership, joint venture, etc). Companies also must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) at www.sam.gov to be considered as potential sources. 5. Identification of the firm's GSA Schedule contract(s) by Schedule number and contract number and SINs that are applicable to this potential requirement are also requested. 6. If the company has a Government approved accounting system, please identify the agency that approved the system. Please submit copies of any documentation, such as letters or certificates to indicate the firm's status (see item #3 above). Teaming arrangements are acceptable, and the information required above on the company responding to this announcement shall also be provided for each entity expected to be teammates of the respondent for performance of this work. To the maximum extent possible, please submit non-proprietary information. Any proprietary information submitted should be identified as such and will be properly protected from disclosure. Interested offerors should submit their capability statement not exceeding fifteen (15) pages in length, excluding standard brochures. SUBMISSIONS ARE DUE no later than 10:00am, Eastern Time, June 5, 2020 . The capabilities response shall be e-mailed to:
[email protected]. All information received in response to this notice that is marked Proprietary will be handled accordingly. Responses to the notice will not be returned, nor will there be any ensuing discussions or debriefings of any responses. Information provided in response to this notice will be used to assess alternatives available for determining how to proceed in the acquisition process. This notice is part of Government Market Research, a continuous process for obtaining the latest information on the commercial status of the industry with respect to their current and near-term abilities. The information provided herein is subject to change and in no way binds the Government to solicit for or award a competitive contract. The FDA will use the information submitted in response to this notice at its discretion and will not provide comments to any submission; however, the content of any responses to this notice may be reflected in subsequent solicitation. FDA reserves the right to contact any respondent to this notice for the sole purpose of enhancing FDA's understanding of the notice submission. This announcement is Government market research and may result in revisions in both its requirements and its acquisition strategy based on industry responses. It is emphasized that this is a notice for planning and information purposes only and is not be construed as a commitment by the Government to enter into a contractual agreement, nor will the Government pay for information solicited.