H--BPA for Research Animals

NOTICE OF INTENT FOR SOLE SOURCE The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in Research Triangle Park, NC, intends to establish a sole source Blanket Purchase Agreement under authority of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13, Simplified Acquisition Procedures, to Charles River Laboratories for the procurement of Research Animals. Charles River Laboratories has supplied research animals utilized by the National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (NHEERL) during the past 38 years. Approximately 80% of these studies are of a continuing or comparative nature, and will require additional animals of the same genetic background in order to produce data that are reliable, reproducible, and viable over time and place. This effort will be procured on a sole-source basis from Charles River Laboratories. The NHEERL research data have been published in peer-reviewed journals and used to set EPA regulatory standards. It is critical that future research be conducted with rodent models whose genetic constitutions are well defined, stable, and as unvarying as possible to avoid a negative impact to historical-data reliability. All commercial suppliers of research animals maintain specific strains or substrains of laboratory rodents as separate, closed breeding colonies. Primarily through spontaneous mutations or genetic drift, these strains or substrains develop a unique genetic composition that will differ from the same strain or substrain from a different supplier. Differences in genetic composition can introduce study variability that can negatively impact study results, conflict with previous results, and challenge interpretations of a large body of published data. The Agency has concluded (and numerous studies have demonstrated) that where inter-comparability of data is required from one study to another, it is necessary to use a common source of supply to eliminate extraneous variables. Use of animals from a supplier other than Charles River would introduce such genetic, microbiological, and virological variables which would invalidate the research data base and make comparability of data scientifically impossible. For these reasons, the Agency has decided to solicit Charles River Laboratories on a non-competitive basis for the majority of its laboratory animal requirements. Approximately twenty types of research animals of various strains, sexes, ages, weights, etc., may be purchased, including but not limited to: Long Evans Rats; CD IGS Rats; Wistar Rats; F344 (CDF) Rats; Sprague-Dawley (CD) Rats; SHHF Rats; WKY Rats; SHR Rats; Brown Norway Rats; Stroke Prone SHR/SP Rats; F-344/N SASCO Rats; Lewis Rats; CD-1 Mice; BALB/C Mice; C57 BL/6 Mice; C3H Mice; B6C3F1 Mice; New Zealand White Rabbits; LVG Golden Syrian Hamsters; and, Hartley Guinea Pigs. The primary basis for limiting competition is the Agency's conclusion that there is substantial evidence that animals that are not identical genetically, virologically, and bacteriologically to animals previously used in our research introduce unquantifiable variables into the research protocol and that such variables cast unavoidable doubt on the significance of variations on research results. The circumstance permitting is FAR 13.106-1(b) "Soliciting from a single source". All interested parties who believe they can provide the required services should fully explain their capabilities and qualifications in writing within 10 days from the date of this announcement and provide itemized pricing that is sufficient to make a determination that competition is feasible. The intent of this notice is to determine if any other source(s) exist, and therefore, no solicitation is available. Consequently, anyone failing to provide the aforementioned and instead chooses to merely submit a routine letter requesting a copy of the statement of work or more information about the project will be ignored. The information received to this notice will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether or not to conduct a competitive procurement. Please submit response ONLY to Sammie Jones at [email protected]. No telephone or faxed requests will be honored.