Thirty (30) American Naïve Mink (Four Years Old or Under AND Unvaccinated for SARS-CoV-2)   3

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; quotes are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. Solicitation number 12505B22Q0016 is issued as a request for quote (RFQ). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2022-01. The associated NAICS code is 112930, Fur-Bearing Animal and Rabbit Production, with a small business size standard of $1.0 Million and the PSC is 8820.

The Department of Agriculture (ARS) has the need for the following product:

001) Thirty (30) American Na ve Mink (Four Years Old or Under AND Unvaccinated for SARS-CoV-2)

Scope of Work :

The USDA-ARS National Animal Disease Center (NADC) in Ames, IA is requesting quotes for American Na ve Mink.

Background :

This study is important to human health, because mink can amplify/spread the virus to other mink and back to humans (reverse zoonosis). Therefore, new mutations could be introduced into the virus during replication in mink and effect the epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in humans. This study is important to mink health because infection can be fatal, so a better understanding of infection dynamics and transmission can help shape prevention and control measures for the industry. The only way to study infection dynamics and the ability of virus to spread between mink is to inoculate animals. There is no functional in vitro or computer modeling that can replace host/pathogen studies for determining the pathogenesis and transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in mink. With the recent spread of SARS-CoV-2 across the globe and the documentation of SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks on mink farms in multiple countries, it is important to understand the role mink may serve in amplifying and/or spreading the virus to other mink and human caregivers in regular close contact.

Technical Requirements:

• Breed must be American Mink to allow direct comparison across planned related studies.
• Age 0-4 years old
• Sex either male or female are acceptable
• Quantity 30 of similar age and size
• Animals should NOT receive any vaccinations for SARS-Cov-2
• Pre-purchase testing is required to confirm animals have no antibodies for SARS-Cov-2
• Vaccinated with Distemper and Pneumonia Botulism
• Mink shall demonstrate no signs of clinical illness
• Mink shall have sound legs and good eyes.
• Mink shall be sourced from the same farm.
• Certificate of Veterinary Inspection Required on all animals
• Animal shall be deliverable onsite at USDA no later than January 14th, 2022
• Delivery of all animals in 1 shipment to Ames in one temperature-controlled vehicle

Evaluation Factors:

Lowest price, technically acceptable. The government intends to award a firm-fixed price award based on the lowest price technically acceptable product. The lowest priced product will be evaluated first; if not found acceptable, the next lowest priced product will be evaluated, and so on until an acceptable product is identified. The government will not review higher priced products if the lowest priced product is determined to be technically acceptable. For a vendor's products to be considered technically acceptable, they must meet all of the technical requirements identified in the solicitation.

Key Deliverable:

• Thirty (30) American Na ve Mink (Four Years Old or Under AND Unvaccinated for SARS-CoV-2)

Delivery:

Delivery to be made to the USDA-ARS NADC located at 1920 Dayton Avenue, Ames, IA 50010.

The vendor shall provide all items F.O.B: destination Location of the Government site is aboard USDA-ARS Ames, IA and will be identified in the contract. The Government anticipates award of a Firm Fixed Price contract.

Submitting a Quote:

To be eligible for an award, all contractors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) with a current and active registration. A contractor can contact SAM by calling 1-866-606-8220 or e-mail at www.sam.gov. NO EXCEPTIONS. A DUNS (Dun and Bradstreet) number is required in order to register. Vendor must also include their DUNS# on their quote.

Also, 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 aaron.dimeo@usda.gov so that they can be added to the list of NDAA 889 Certified vendors.

The submission and payment of invoices on the resulting contract will be made through the Invoice Processing Platform (IPP). As such, vendors must be currently registered or register in IPP in order to be able to submit and receive payment on invoices for the resulting contract.

Offerors responding to this announcement shall submit their quote on SF 1449 (see attached). The quote should include all fees, delivery charges, and/or surcharges. This will be a tax-exempt purchase.

Only electronic submissions will be accepted. Please email all quotes in writing on the SF 1449 to aaron.dimeo@usda.gov by no later than Monday, January 3, 2022 at 12:00 PM Central Standard Time (CST) .

Note: Be absolutely certain to reference the RFQ number 12505B22Q0016 and/or title of the solicitation Thirty (30) American Na ve Mink (Four Years Old or Under AND Unvaccinated for SARS-CoV-2) in the subject, body, and/or attachments on your submission email to ensure your submission can be located and attributed to this solicitation. Failure to do so could potentially result in your submission not being put into consideration for award (as your quote may not be located when searching the recipients email to ensure all responses to the solicitation have been logged before making an award).

Questions in regards to this combined synopsis/solicitation must be submitted through email (NO calls with questions) and are due no later than 5:00 PM CST on Wednesday, December 22, 2021. Answers to any questions received by that time will be posted as an amendment to this combined synopsis/solicitation.