SOURCES SOUGHT
B -- Sources Sought Notice Veterinary Support Services
- Notice Date
- 1/10/2005
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541940
— Veterinary Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Administrative Services Division/Contracting, 100 North 6TH Street Butler Square 5TH Floor, Minneapolis, MN, 55403
- ZIP Code
- 55403
- Solicitation Number
- Reference-Number-APHIS0511VS
- Response Due
- 1/31/2005
- Description
- This is a sources sought notice seeking to identify potential vendors capable of providing veterinary support services for the National Center for Animal Health Programs Tuberculosis Program. Veterinary Services (VS)/Animal and Plant Inspection Service (APHIS) protects and improves the health, quality, and marketability of our nation's animals, animal products and veterinary biologics by preventing, controlling and/or eliminating animal diseases, and monitoring and promoting animal health and productivity. The National Center for Animal Health Programs (NCAHP) department within VS executes critical national animal disease eradication & control programs for Brucellosis, Tuberculosis, Scrapie, Chronic Wasting Disease, Pseudorabies, Swine Health, Surveillance, Johne?s, Aquaculture, Equine Infectious Anemia, Cattle Ticks, Blue Tongue, Horse Transport, Wildlife Disease Evaluation, and others. Specifically, the NCAHP initiates, leads, advises, coordinates, and facilitates, national certification and eradication programs which promote, ensure, and improve U.S. animal health, by preventing, minimizing, or eradicating animal diseases of economic concern in light of constituent values. One of the national animal programs for NCAHP is bovine tuberculosis. Tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious disease of livestock and humans. The cattle form of the disease (bovine tuberculosis) is caused by the bacteria, Mycobacterium bovis. This disease can be spread from livestock to humans and other animals. In cattle the disease is a chronic and insidious malady that generally progresses slowly until an advanced stage of debilitation is reached, at which time the animal usually becomes a shedder and transmitter of the causative agent to other animals or humans. On October 23rd, 2000 the Secretary of Agriculture declared an emergency in regard to finalizing and bringing closure to the final eradication of Bovine TB. As a part of the accelerated Bovine TB eradication effort, both prior to and subsequent to the Secretary?s declaration, intensive inspection, review and verification visits have been carried out. These inspection/reviews have been used in TB affected zones and states, both in the U.S. and Mexico, to assure that program standards are being applied in a manner consistent with sound livestock disease control and eradication principles. Because of the need to conduct increasing numbers of reviews, both in various states in the U.S. and in Mexico and possibly Canada, it is imperative to recruit the aid of expert and experienced technical/professional personnel outside of the current pool of state, federal and industry employees upon which VS has been dependent. The Government is seeking sources capable of assisting TB eradication teams in reviewing and assessing TB control measures. The reviews are focused on assessing the ability of the zone, region or state to meet or exceed the requirements spelled out in the eleven zoosanitary criteria for regionalization in accordance with the expectations of North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), while also considering the requirements of the national TB program status level being sought. Potential sources ideally possess considerable expertise and experience in the pathogenesis and epidemiology of cattle tuberculosis; the development, implementation and operation of livestock disease control and eradication strategies and with some experience and previous involvement on review and investigation of program integrity either in the U.S. or Mexico to work on this task. Actual field based experience and awareness in these areas is preferable. Graduate degrees in veterinary medicine are desired but not required if the individual has extensive knowledge and experience working with the National Tuberculosis Eradication program within a state. Sources will need to isolate and evaluate specified characteristics of a zone, region or state identified as deficient in an earlier site review while participating on team reviews or re-reviews. The reassessment of a zone, region or state must determine, based on sound science and known and accepted livestock disease control and eradication practices, whether sufficient improvements have been made to justify a revision and upgrade to a previously assigned status for the zone, region or state. Sources will be required to: 1. Represent APHIS in meetings and in one on one interchanges with state officials, including the Governor and Secretary of Agriculture level, as well as presidents, executives and members of local, state and national cattlemen?s organizations and private and public practitioners of veterinary medicine; all in connection with the conduct of TB and Animal Health Programs in the U.S., Mexico and possibly Canada. 2. Become familiar with and evaluate the legal framework and infrastructure of the geopolitical entity including federal, state and local rules, regulations, guidelines and laws upon which TB control and eradication is based. 3. Investigate and assess the infrastructure of the State/Industry/Federal entity responsible for control and eradication of TB in the zone, region or state under review. 4. Review the ongoing TB efforts for purposes of verification that program activities are in full compliance with the legal framework. 5. Go into livestock slaughtering facilities in the area and conduct, as a part of the team, qualitative and quantitative reviews of the inspection activities as related to ante & post mortem examinations for granulomas, their collection and submission and of the process for identification of the submissions for trace back purposes. 6. Compare and assess the integrity of the overall TB program in a zone, region or state as compared to the eleven regionalization criteria. These criteria have now become the accepted measures for evaluation and comparison of TB control/eradication programs against a uniform and common standard. 7. Verify the reported herd prevalence of TB for the area and compare against the levels of prevalence set out for each of the 5 levels of status provided for in the U.S. program. 8. Observe, assess and evaluate cattle movement control procedures to mitigate the introduction and dissemination of cattle TB into higher status areas and to protect such areas from exposure via the introduction of animals from areas of lesser status. 9. Visit diagnostic laboratories and assess the quality of diagnostic histopathology, bacteriology and PCR, when applicable. A critical part of this activity is to seek out actual examples of turn around times for reporting back results to program officials and to submitters of samples, when indicated. 10. Review the public information efforts for dissemination of information and facts about TB and the program for its control and eradication. 11. Update reference material to reflect latest thinking and findings in this field. 12. Evaluate the TB training efforts for field and laboratory veterinarians and other program personnel. 13. Analyze and verify the inventory and census for total cattle and total herds in the area under review. 14. As a part of the review, evaluation and assessment process, in an ongoing dialogue and during closure the contractor, as a part of the team, should be able to convey in a concise and clear, but diplomatic and tactful way, findings and recommendations for TB program improvements. 15. Prepare and submit reports within allotted timeframes that clearly and concisely elucidate the findings of the team with recommendations and/or recognition and commendations as indicated. This notice is not to be construed as an acquisition Request For Proposal (RFP), nor is any commitment on the part of the Government to award a contract implied, nor does the Government intend to pay for any information submitted as a result of this request. The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this request or to otherwise pay for the information solicited except as an allowable cost under other contracts. Any responses received will not be used as a proposal. Company responses are to include a name and telephone number of a point of contact having the authority and knowledge to clarify responses with Government representatives. Company responses should include a one page cover letter, a narrative summary of key personnel qualifications and an annotated briefing on company capabilities. Companies are not limited to a single response. Submissions are due within 20 days of this announcement and may be made by e-mail or mailing your response on a compact disk to: Mrs. Patricia Harris, Contracting Officer USDA APHIS ASD Butler Square, 5th Floor 100 North Sixth Street Minneapolis, MN 55403 (612) 336-3207 This notice is part of Government Market Research, a continuous process for obtaining the latest information on the ?art of the possible? from industry with respect to their current and near-term abilities. The information collected may be used by the Government to explore future strategies for the animal identification purposes. Information received as a result of this request will be considered as sensitive and will be protected as such. Any proprietary information received in response to this request will be properly protected from any unauthorized disclosure. The Government will not use any proprietary information submitted to establish the capability, requirements, approach, or solution so as to not inadvertently restrict competition. US and non-US firms are permitted to respond to this request. Responses to questions from interested parties will be promptly answered and provided equally to all interested parties unless some release of proprietary information is involved or the answer addresses a question peculiar to a Company or that Company?s possible solution. Currently one-on-one sessions with respondents are not contemplated. If one-on-one sessions with interested parties are conducted, they will be offered to all to clarify understanding of the submittal and the capability ramifications. This notice may be updated as additional information becomes available. Please continue to monitor the Federal Business Opportunities Website to receive notices of any updates to this announcement.
- Place of Performance
- Address: Continental United States, Mexico, Canada,
- Record
- SN00732258-W 20050112/050110211634 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
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