66--TEMPORARY ANIMAL HOUSING

THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE FOR TEMPORARY ANIMAL HOUSING IN SUPPORT OF A BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH FACILITY IN WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, VERMONT. The Department of Veterans Affairs is looking for temporary housing for approximately 650 mice. The mice are currently used in support of a biomedical research facility in White River Junction, Vermont. The temporary animal housing space must have ventilated racks and be large enough to house 300 cages. There temporary space must have the capacity to add an isolation wall to separate immunocompromised rodents from the rest of the population if deemed necessary. The temporary animal housing space must be able to maintain AAALAC standards in HVAC and humidity controls. The HVAC system must be able to maintain a set point from 65 to 80 degrees with +/- 2 degrees. All rooms should have separate temperature controls. The humidity control system must be able to maintain a range of 30% to 70% RH. The housing must be suitable for a Vermont environment, both summer and winter. There space should have a fire alarm system or have one installed that can be connected to the VA alarm system. The site must be secure and should be able to accommodate a lock installed by a VA employee. The space should come complete with a ventilated rack system, disposable cages and disposable bottles and be equipped with a drain. The space needs to be compatible with the following services: 208 volt 3 phase, 4 wire electrical of up to a 300 amp service. Water will be 1 " line, and a 4" waste drain line. Interested firms are required to respond in writing if interested and shall submit proposals in writing or electronically. All submissions must be sent to the Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Medical Center (90C), 215 North Main Street, White River Junction, VT 05009-0001, Attn: Stephen Favreau, Contract Specialist to be received no later than 1:00 pm local time on Friday, April 10, 2009. This announcement is not a request for competitive quotations. No solicitation document is available and telephone inquires will not be honored; however interested parties may submit literature detailing how their services meet the VA requirements to the Contracting Officer. Faxed (802-296-5103 Attn: Stephen Favreau) or E-mailed ([email protected]) submissions will be accepted. Please note that this is not a Request for Proposal and the Government is seeking information for planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation or a commitment by the Government to later publish a solicitation. The Government is under no obligation to award a contract as a result of this sources sought announcement. A determination not to compete this proposed contract based on responses to this notice will be solely at the discretion of the Government.