The Plum Island Animal Disease Center (PIADC), under the Department of Homeland Security, seeks 50 (fifty) healthy head of cattle within the weight range of 450 lbs. to 500 lbs. to be delivered to Orient Point, New York, on Thursday, January 8, 2009.



This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation. Quotes are being requested and a separate written solicitation will not be issued. The Government intends to award a fixed-price purchase order under Simplified Acquisition Procedures (SAP) using FAR Part 13.



Quotes in response to this solicitation are due no later than 12:00 noon Eastern Time on Thursday, December 11, 2008, and must be submitted electronically via e-mail to both Mr. Robert Marosz, Contracts Specialist, (Telephone: 631-323-3397) at robert.marosz@dhs.gov and Ms. Courtney Byrd, Contract Officer, (Telephone: 631-323-3201) at coutney.byrd@dhs.gov. 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. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers: technical capability offered to meet the Government requirement; past performance; and price. The successful Offeror will be notified by the DHS/OPO/PIADC Procurement Office.



Any questions regarding this solicitation must be submitted in writing electronically via e-mail to both of the individuals listed above no later than 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time, Tuesday, December 9, 2008.



For this full and open competition, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) License B and/or Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC) certification of the Offeror’s facilities is required.



In order to minimize any variability between tests, the cattle should come from a closed herd without having come from auction or having co-mingled with other cattle after November 1, 2008. Furthermore, the cattle shall be accumulated together for at least seven (7) calendar days prior to departure for Plum Island.



The Offeror shall verify that each head of cattle has had a veterinary examination along with the appropriate vaccinations (example Bovishield) and boosters as necessary. The veterinary examination also will verify that each head of cattle has been given the appropriate antibiotics prior to transport to prevent any in transit fever. Unless otherwise agreed to by PIADC and the Offeror, each animal must be issued a health certificate for interstate transportation. Also, the Offeror shall submit a document with the recent medical history and record of vaccinations and/or treatments for each animal. This report shall include, at a minimum:



• general information identifying the animal by number/ID;

• the departure date of transport to Orient Point/Plum Island;

• breed;

• gender;

• age or birth date range;

• date (de)horned, weaned, and castrated (if applicable);

• the dates and dosages for vaccines and anti-parasitic (Ivermectin), anti-fungal, antibiotic drugs;

• any other tests and corresponding results;

• and any other interesting and important information.



The Offeror must send these health papers, reports, and certificates via e-mail to the DHS PIADC points of contact listed above no later than seven (7) calendar days prior to departure for Orient Point.



Accurate and consistent with the medical history and record of vaccinations and/or treatments mentioned above, all animals must be:



• Holsteins;

• castrated males;

• healthy with no overt signs of disease;

• free of active lameness, respiratory disease, warts, or ringworm;

• polled or dehorned;

• tolerant of being haltered (i.e. of tractable temperament and be free of behavioral vices such as charging and kicking); and

• free of external parasites and have been treated for internal parasites within the last 90 calendar days (preferably using Ivermectin).



Additional requirements are as follows:



• the cattle must have un-pigmented (i.e. pink) tongues;

• the hooves of the cattle shall be trimmed prior to shipment; and

• the ears of the cattle shall be notched for Bovine Virus Diarrhea (BVD).



Following notification of award, the Offeror (referred to after award as the “Supplier”) shall deliver (F.O.B. Origin) the cattle and signed/official hardcopies of all corresponding documentation to the USDHS/S&T/PIADC Warehouse, 40550 Route 25, Orient Point, NY 11957 at approximately 7:30 a.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, January 8, 2009.



The Supplier must ensure and demonstrate that the animals are not overly stressed and fatigued, namely as a result of prolonged transportation (for instance, not greater than 450 miles), which could compromise the animals' immune systems. Transportation of these animals includes, but is not limited to the primary enclosures to be used during the transportation of live animals, food and water requirements, care in transit, terminal facilities, and handling – in particular, shelter from cold weather, and shall be in compliance with the Animal Welfare Act and Regulations (see http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/legislat/usdaleg1.htm) with an emphasis on the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 9, Chapter 1, Subchapter A - Animal Welfare: Part 3 Standards.



For this specific order, during this winter season, as described in Section 3.142 (3):



“Shelter from Cold Weather. Transporting devices shall be covered to provide protection for live animals when the outdoor air temperature falls below 10°C. (50°F.) and such live animals shall not be subjected to surrounding air temperatures which fall below 7.2°C. (45°F.), and which shall be measured and read in the manner prescribed in § 3.141 of this part, for a period of more than 45 minutes unless such animals are accompanied by a certificate of acclimation to lower temperatures as prescribed in § 3.136(c).”



Upon arrival on January 8, 2009, utilizing a PIADC-owned wooden animal stockade ramp, available at the Orient Point destination, the Supplier shall offload the cattle from their vehicle then load the animals onto a U.S. Government vehicle. In the event that more that one vehicle is needed for the transportation of these 50 head of cattle, the Supplier must inform the DHS PIADC points of contact listed above in advance.



Once the Supplier hands over the cattle to PIADC personnel at Orient Point, the animals will be quarantined and evaluated for seven (7) calendar days. Any animal that has been delivered but does not meet the criteria listed above or otherwise is considered by PIADC personnel to be unhealthy will be rejected and euthanized. PIADC personnel will inform the Supplier and prepare an animal incident report and send it, by fax or e-mail or both, to the Supplier promptly (within approximately three (3) calendar days, if reasonable and practicable). Unless otherwise agreed to by PIADC and the Supplier, and pending the resolution of any inquires or disputes, the Supplier shall compensate PIADC with an appropriate replacement of cattle or the monetary amount of cattle including a prorated monetary amount of health papers and transportation for any unacceptable animal(s) following the quarantine and evaluation period.



The requirements of this solicitation are issued as a Request for Quote (RFQ) and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2005-26.



The suggested format of the Contract Line Item Numbers (CLINs), Items, Quantities, and Units of Measure are:



CLIN 0001 – The Contractor shall supply healthy head of cattle within the weight range of 450 lbs. to 500 lbs. to be delivered to Orient Point, New York, on Thursday, January 8, 2009.



QTY: 50 UNIT OF ISSUE: EA UNIT PRICE: $_______ EST TOTAL: $ ________



CLIN 0002 – Health Papers



EST QTY: 01 UNIT OF ISSUE: LOT UNIT PRICE: $_______ EST TOTAL: $ ________



CLIN 0003 – Transportation



EST QTY: 01 UNIT OF ISSUE: LOT UNIT PRICE: $_______ EST TOTAL: $ _______



Offerors must submit the following with the quote:



(1) The name and contact information of at least three relevant past performance references;

(2) Each Offeror shall submit pricing as a separate document that may include the suggested format shown above. Fixed unit rates shall include all costs and fees;

(3) Dun & Bradstreet Number (DUNS);

(4) North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) Code;

(5) Business Size, Contact Name;

(6) Contact Email Address;

(7) Contact Telephone and Fax Number;

(8) Complete Business Mailing Address; and

(9) Addendum 1: HSAR 3052.209-70 Prohibition on Contracts with Corporate Expatriates



The Offeror is hereby required to complete the Online Representation and Certification Application (ORCA) via http://orca.bpn.gov prior to the proposal due date. The FAR requires Offerors to complete Representations and Certifications ORCA at least annually as of January 1, 2005.



The FAR and Homeland Security Acquisition Regulation (HSAR) clauses that are applicable to this solicitation and contract are outlined or referenced below.



52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors - Commercial applies to this acquisition. Offerors must meet all of the technical requirements described herein



52.212-2 Evaluation – Commercial Items applies to this acquisition



52.212-3 Offeror Representations and Certifications—Commercial Items



52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions – Commercial Items applies to this acquisition. (Note: The following addenda have been attached to this clause: None)



52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders – Commercial Items (JUN 2008) applies to this acquisition



Additional FAR clauses applicable to this requirement are:



52.203-6 Restrictions on Subcontractor Sales to the Government – Alt. I (OCT 1995)



52.209-5 Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Proposed Debarment, and Other Responsibility Matters (MAY 2008)



52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders – Commercial Item (Jun 2008)



52.217-5 Evaluation of Options (JUL 1990)



52.217-8 Option to Extend Services (NOV 1999)



52.222-3 Convict Labor (JUN 2003)



52.222-19 Child Labor – Cooperation with Authorities and Remedies (FEB 2008)



52.222-21 Prohibition of Segregated Facilities (FEB 1999)



52.222-26 Equal Opportunity (MAR 2007)



52.222-35 Equal Opportunity for Special Disabled Veterans, Veterans of the Vietnam Era, and other Eligible Veterans (SEPT 2006)



52.222-36 Affirmative Action for Workers with Disabilities (JUN 1998)



52.222-37 Employment Reports on Special Disabled Veterans, Veterans of the Vietnam Era, and Other Eligible Veterans (SEP 2006)



52.232-33 Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer Central Contractor Registration (OCT 2003)



52.204-7 Central Contractor Registration (APR 2008)



HSAR 3052.209-70 Prohibition on Contracts with Corporate Expatriates



HSAR 3052.242-71 (see Addendum 1) Dissemination of Contract Information (DEC 2003)



HSAR 3052.242-72 Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative



Full text of FAR clauses and provisions incorporated by reference can be found at www.arnet.gov and both FAR and HSAR clauses at http://farsite.hill.af.mil/vfhsara.htm.



Once again, we would like to emphasize the importance of and our necessity for healthy specimens and all medical guidelines described herein must be adhered to strictly. Any exceptions to the above mentioned requirements must be documented and explained in the Offeror’s quote.

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