Animal Care and Use Committee (ACUC) meeting support

(i) 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; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. (ii) The solicitation number is HHS-NIH-NIDA-SSSA-CSS-2017-364 and the solicitation is issued as a Request for Quotation (RFQ) on a competitive basis restricted to Small Business concerns. This acquisition is for a commercial item or service and is conducted under the authority of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13-Simplified Acquisition Procedures; FAR Subpart 13.5-Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items; and FAR Part 12-Acquisition of Commercial Items, and is NOT expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. (iii) The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular FAC Number/Effective Date: 2005-94,2005-95 effective January 19, 2017. (iv) The NAICS code applicable to this requirement is 541712 Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (Except Biotechnology) with associated business size standard 1000 employees. (v) Background The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is one of 27 Institute Centers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) committed to making important discoveries that improve health and save lives. NIMH is the lead federal agency for research on mental disorders. The mission of NIMH is to transform the understanding and treatment of mental illnesses through basic and clinical research, paving the way for prevention, recovery, and cure. The NIMH's Veterinary Medicine and Resources Branch (VMRB) provides a comprehensive program of animal care and use within the NIMH intramural research program. The VMRB and the NIMH Animal Care and Use Committee (ACUC) work together in assuring that the Institute's animal use program is in compliance with all applicable regulations, guidelines, and policies. The program is accredited by the Association for the Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) International under the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Purpose and Objective: The NIMH is mandated by the PHS Animal Welfare Policy (Item IV, Section 1.3b) to have individuals who are not affiliated with the institution in any way other than to serve as a contractor in a supporting role as member of the Institute Animal Care and Use Committee (ACUC). These individuals shall serve as a contractor and shall not be affiliated with the National Institutes of Mental Health in any other capacity. The purpose of this requirement is to satisfy the PHS Animal Welfare Policy and have two (2) individuals who are not affiliated with NIMH to serve as contractor and active members of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee to provide meeting support at ACUC monthly meetings attended by the NIMH in a federal facility located in Bethesda, MD. Project Requirements: Independently and not as an agent of the Government, the contractor shall furnish all the necessary services, qualified personnel, materials, equipment, and facilities, not otherwise provided by the Government as needed to fulfill the subject requirement. Specifically, the contractor shall perform the following requirements hereby listed as the salient government features needing to be achieved. 1. Review a packet of material that contains NIMH DIRP protocol submissions, amendments, and renewals that are relevant for each monthly meeting. Any protocol problems and/or concerns will be included in the monthly packet for discussion during the monthly IACUC meeting. 2. Review the packet material for compliance with federal/state laws, policies, and NIH Guidelines. Any concerns, suggestions or recommendations will be communicated by the consultant to all members of the IACUC. The review process routinely takes one or more days to complete and shall be completed prior to each month's Animal Care and Use Committee meeting. The packet of documents for review will be delivered to the consultant by either United States mail, secure email, or fax. 3. Possess an understanding and be knowledgeable of current laws, polices, and guidelines that encompass the care and use of animals in biomedical research and at the NIH specifically. 4. Attend the monthly meeting and work with other members of the Animal Care and Use committee to review and make recommendations for new animal study protocols, amendments, and renewals. 5. Attend semi-annual (twice yearly) inspections of the NIMH animal facilities and procedural space where animals are housed and used in accordance with all approved animal study proposals. 6. Perform a monthly review of meeting materials, be available to meet on the second Tuesday of every month, if services are needed, and attend semi-annual site visits, accreditation visits and other special meetings as needed by the ACUC. 7. Maintain active membership status in the IACUC. Contractor shall be notified in advance of scheduled inspections to facilitate scheduling and attendance of any predetermined meeting attendance requirements. Contractor may be required to attend additional meetings to accommodate preparations for the American Association for Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) site visit, to be determined. DELIVERABLES. The contractor shall prepare a detailed report, capturing meeting minutes and major things discussed, at each ACUC meeting and provide the report to the ACUC Coordinator and the COR within 3-business days after the meeting. Type of Contract: Indefinite Quantity/Indefinite Delivery (ID/IQ) with fixed pricing. A MINIMUM and MAXIMUM number of meetings requiring contractor support shall be identified in the contract. One or more contracts may be awarded as a result of a single solicitation. Contractor shall be paid an honorarium flat rate for daily cost of providing meeting support, to consist of travel, per diem and other direct costs as applicable. Period of Performance: The Base year period of performance shall be effective for 12 months from date of award on or around June 1, 2017 containing the option to exercise one (1) 12-month subsequent period of performance. The successful Contractor shall be required to provide meeting support as described herein for an estimated Minimum and Maximum number of meetings in each performance period of the contract. The minimum number of meetings in each performance period is 12 (minimum) and the maximum number of meetings in each performance period is 36 (maximum), in accordance with the following period of performances: Base Year: June 1, 2017 through May 31, 2018: Minimum 12 meetings, Maximum 36 meetings; Option Year 1: June 1, 2018 through May 31, 2019: Minimum 12 meetings, Maximum 36 meetings. TRAVEL Travel cost shall not be reimbursed. GOVERNMENT RESPONSIBILITIES The government will provide meeting materials for the contractor's review prior to each planned meeting by either United States mail, secure email or fax. The government will notify the consultant each month regarding the extent to which services are required for that particular month. The government will provide the contractor with Government Furnished work space located in a federally controlled facility during normal working hours 8am - 4:30pm. DATA RIGHTS The National Institute of Mental Health shall have unlimited rights to and ownership of all deliverables provided under this contract, including reports, recommendations, briefings, work plans and all other deliverables. This includes the deliverables provided under the basic contract and any optional task deliverables exercised by the contracting officer. In addition, it includes any additional deliverables required by contract change. The definition of "unlimited rights" is contained in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 27.401, "Definitions." FAR clause 52.227-14, "Rights in Data-General", is hereby incorporated by reference and made a part of this contract/order. Information Security Program Requirements The contractor must be able to obtain and have approved access to the NIH campus and facilities. Information security is applicable. See Information Security applicable clauses attached as a separate document to this solicitation. (vi) The provision at FAR clause 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors - Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition. (vii) The provision at FAR clause 52.212-2, Evaluation - Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition. The following is an addendum to 52.212-2. (a) The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. Price is an unscored component. Technical and organizational experience when combined is significantly more important when compared to price. Each quotation will be evaluated in strict conformity with the evaluation factors, utilizing written critiques. The evaluation will be based upon the demonstrated capabilities of the prospective contractor in relation to the needs of the project as set forth in the RFQ and will use an adjectival evaluation rating scheme based on the following responses: Excellent (Risk level: Very low); Good (Risk level: Low); Acceptable (Risk level: Moderate); Marginal (Risk level: High); Unacceptable (Risk level: Very high); Neutral (Risk level: Neutral). The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers: (1) Personnel Qualifications. Offerors must demonstrate their knowledge and professional experience as it correlates to the experience outlined in the statement of work. Proposal must include either a CV or a resume that clearly details offerors relevant experience and knowledge of the subject matter. Offeror must provide evidence of possessing the ability to achieve the salient government features identified in this solicitation. Offerors shall submit a response with documented evidence of possessing the technical knowledge, qualifications and capability and management structure needed to successfully perform this requirement. Contractor Qualification Requirements include possessing: Master's degree in the biological sciences or related studies from an accredited University is desired and a minimum of five (5) years of experience reviewing scientific literature on the care and use of laboratory animals in research and in animal study proposals. Offerors must also be an active member of the IACUC. (2) Organizational Experience. The offeror must submit with their proposal a list of the last three contracts completed during the past two years and / or contracts awarded currently in process that are similar in nature to the work scope. Contracts listed may include those entered into by the Federal Government, agencies of state and local governments and commercial concerns. Newly formed entities without prior contracts should list contracts and subcontracts as required above for such key personnel. For each contract, subcontract, or reference include: (i) Name of Contracting Organization; (ii) Contract Number (for subcontracts, provide the prime contract number and the subcontract number); (iii) Contract Type; (iv) Total Contract Value; (v) Description of Requirement; (vi) North American Industry Classification System(NAICS) Code. Contractor shall clearly identify any affiliations, either real or perceived, they currently have in connection to the NIMH or any of its grant or contract funding mechanisms or processes, which may conflict with being unaffiliated to the NIMH. Price. Offerors must include a completed Price Quote with their response to this RFQ. Offerors shall quote a daily cost for each performance period, that includes travel, per diem, and any other direct cost, for one (1) 8-hour day of providing meeting support as described in this solicitation. The quoted daily rate shall be multiplied by the MINIMUM number of meetings for each performance period and summed to arrive at the total estimated, minimum, cost of the contract. (b) Options. The Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. The Government may determine that an offer is unacceptable if the option prices are significantly unbalanced. Evaluation of options shall not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s). (c) A written notice of award or acceptance of an offer, mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful offeror within the time for acceptance specified in the offer, shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party. Before the offer's specified expiration time, the Government may accept an offer (or part of an offer), whether or not there are negotiations after its receipt, unless a written notice of withdrawal is received before award. (viii) The provision at FAR Clause 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition. (ix) The provision at FAR Clause 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition. An addendum to FAR Clause 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items, Offeror Representations and Certifications Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition. The addendum includes the following FAR Clauses, provisions, terms and conditions: (a) 52.217-6 Option for Increased Quantity (Mar 1989); (b) 52.217-9 Option to Extend the Term of the Contract (Mar 2000). (x) FAR clause at 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition and is included as an attachment. The following clauses in full text are applicable to this acquisition and will be incorporated into any contract resulting from this acquisition. FAR 52.216-18 ORDERING (OCT 1995) (a) Any supplies and services to be furnished under this contract shall be ordered by issuance of delivery orders or task orders by the individuals or activities designated in the Schedule. Such orders may be issued from 06/1/2017 through 05/31/2018. (b) All delivery orders or task orders are subject to the terms and conditions of this contract. In the event of conflict between a delivery order or task order and this contract, the contract shall control. (c) If mailed, a delivery order or task order is considered "issued" when the Government deposits the order in the mail. Orders may be issued orally, by facsimile, or by electronic commerce methods only if authorized in the Schedule. (End of clause) FAR 52.216-22 INDEFINITE QUANTITY (OCT 1995) (a) This is an indefinite-quantity contract for the supplies or services specified, and effective for the period stated, in the Schedule. The quantities of supplies and services specified in the Schedule are estimates only and are not purchased by this contract. (b) Delivery or performance shall be made only as authorized by orders issued in accordance with the Ordering clause. The Contractor shall furnish to the Government, when and if ordered, the supplies or services specified in the Schedule up to and including the quantity designated in the Schedule as the "maximum." The Government shall order at least the quantity of supplies or services designated in the Schedule as the "minimum." (c) Except for any limitations on quantities in the Order Limitations clause or in the Schedule, there is no limit on the number of orders that may be issued. The Government may issue orders requiring delivery to multiple destinations or performance at multiple locations. (d) Any order issued during the effective period of this contract and not completed within that period shall be completed by the Contractor within the time specified in the order. The contract shall govern the Contractor's and Government's rights and obligations with respect to that order to the same extent as if the order were completed during the contract's effective period; provided, that the Contractor shall not be required to make any deliveries under this contract after 05/31/2019. (End of clause) 52.217-5 Evaluation of Options (July 1990) Except when it is determined in accordance with FAR 17.206(b) not to be in the Government's best interests, the Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. Evaluation of options will not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s). (End of provision) (xi) There are no additional contract requirement(s) or terms and conditions applicable to this acquisition. (xii) The Defense Priorities and Allocations System (DPAS) are not applicable to this requirement. (xiii) Responses to this solicitation must include sufficient information to establish the interested parties' bona-fide capabilities of providing the product or service. Responses to this solicitation must include clear and convincing evidence of the offeror's capability of fulfilling the requirement as it relates to the technical evaluation criteria and a price proposal. Offerors must include a completed copy of the provision at 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications Commercial Items, with their offer, or provide a copy of the valid certifications registrations and Representation and Certifications from the System of Award Management (SAM) applications at www.SAM.gov, which may be indicated on the Offeror's cover sheet. In addition, the Dun & Bradstreet Number (DUNS), the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and the certification of business size must be included in the response. All Offerors must have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) www.sam.gov." All responses must be received no later than the date specified in this announcement. Late responses will not be accepted. All responses must reference solicitation number HHS-NIH-NIDA-SSSA-CSS-2017-364. Responses must be submitted electronically to [email protected] and [email protected]. Facsimile responses will not be accepted. For information regarding this solicitation, contact Hunter Tjugum by email at [email protected] or by phone at 301-827-5304.