NOI - Rat Individually Ventilated Cage (IVC) Rack System – Pilot Expansion

THIS IS A NOTICE OF INTENT AND NOT A REQUEST FOR QUOTATIONS. The Division of Veterinary Resources (DVR), within the Office of Research Services (ORS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), requires the procurement, delivery, installation, commissioning, and training associated with an expansion of its existing Tecniplast individually ventilated caging (IVC) rack system for rats at NIH facilities located in Bethesda, Maryland. DVR currently operates a Tecniplast demonstration/pilot rack system for rat housing, and this acquisition will procure additional Tecniplast-compatible ER1050 racks, cages, Zephyr Touch air handling units, and related components necessary to expand rat housing capacity while maintaining full technical and operational compatibility with the existing installed system. Continuous access to a single, compatible ventilated caging platform is critical to maintaining animal welfare, biocontainment integrity, and compliance with federal regulations governing laboratory animal care.

DVR previously installed a Tecniplast demonstration rack system for rat housing at its Bethesda, Maryland facility to evaluate individually ventilated caging performance ahead of replacing DVR's legacy rat housing equipment, which has been in continuous service for more than 20 years and exceeds the typical 10- to 15-year service life for this class of equipment. DVR now requires an expansion of the Tecniplast pilot installation to increase rat housing capacity while preserving compatibility with the already-installed racks, cages, and air handling units. This acquisition supports the initial expansion phase of DVR's broader Rat Housing Infrastructure Modernization program. Separately, DVR's Market Research Report and Acquisition Plan for the enterprise-wide replacement of DVR's rat housing equipment recommend full and open competition using vendor-neutral, performance-based specifications, because multiple manufacturers (Tecniplast, Lab Products, Animal Care Systems/ARES Scientific, and Allentown) can meet DVR's general rat IVC rack requirements. This action is distinct from, and does not substitute for, that future full and open competitive acquisition. This action is limited to the expansion of the existing Tecniplast rat IVC pilot installation, for which Tecniplast is the only source capable of providing hardware that is technically and operationally compatible with the equipment DVR has already installed. All products provided under this contract must support compliance with the Animal Welfare Act (AWA), Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, AAALAC International accreditation standards, and Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) requirements.

3. Description of the supplies or services required to meet the agency’s needs (including the estimated value).

The contractor must provide all labor, materials, transportation, installation, commissioning, and training necessary to supply and integrate additional Tecniplast-compatible rat IVC racks and associated components with DVR's existing installed pilot system. These supplies include, but are not limited to:

• Standard Rack ER1050 individually ventilated cage systems, high density (8 rows, 5 columns), double-sided, 80 cage places, PSU tops with two bottle depressions, SmarTop, microbiological filter silicone sealing, PSU cage bases, stainless steel lids, 312 mL bottles, bottle caps, and card holders (10 racks)

• Change-out cage components: ER1050 cages with gasket (PSU), ER1050 lids, ER1050 tops with bottle (PSU), polysulfone water bottles with silicone ring, grey bottle caps with seal gasket assemblies, and Emerald universal RFID label holders

• Zephyr Touch air handling units, tested and packed, with power supply cables, transparent hose connection kits, and extraction duct thimble assemblies (5 units)

• BC-Matic plastic bottle-fill crates with lids

• Installation and on-site training services

All products must meet strict quality, biocontainment, traceability, and compatibility standards necessary for integration with DVR's existing installed rat IVC pilot system and must comply with applicable animal care regulations and accreditation standards.

1. Only one award will be made as a result of this notice. This will be awarded as a firm-fixed price purchase order.

This will be the only notice of the Government's intent to solicit, negotiate, and award to one source to satisfy this requirement. The Government plans to award a contract for this requirement within 7 days of this notice.

The statutory authority for this sole source requirement is 41 U.S.C. 253(c)(1) as implemented by FAR 6.302-1 (b)(1)(i) only one source available, no substitutions possible. THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION FOR COMPETITIVE QUOTATIONS. All responsible sources who can provide the service should submit a capability statement via email to Linda Smith at Linda.Smith2@nih.gov by 5:00 Pm EST on August 28, 2026. A determination not to compete this requirement, based upon responses to this notice, is solely within the discretion of the Government. Any responses received by NIH after this date and exact time specified are late and will not be considered.

This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for any information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that it’s sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization's qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted.

For additional information or to submit responses, please contact Linda Smith, Contracting Officer at Linda.smith2@nih.gov. Or Jessica Emerson at Jessica.emerson@nih.gov