The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Acquisition Management (OAM), Superfund/RCRA Regional Procurement Operations Division (SRRPOD) hereby issues this solicitation for SunChronic Inhalation Exposure of Rats to Amphibole Asbestos for the EPA?s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER) Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation (OSRTI). This contract requires acute and subchronic nose-only inhalation exposures of rats to environmental amphibole asbestos test materials which will be provided to the contractor. The contractor shall be responsible for setting up inhalation exposure systems with appropriate safety controls, monitoring exposure conditions and aerosol characteristics, procuring laboratory animals and providing care for up to 2 years after exposure, conducting animal necropsies and biological sample collections at designated time intervals, assessing inflammation, cell proliferation, and pathology, and providing written reports of all procedures and findings. The overall purpose of this contract is for the contractor to provide data on the relative potency of inhaled Libby amphibole (LA) compared to amosite, a known fibrogenic amphibole asbestos fiber. In addition to providing information on the intrinsic toxicity of LA, these inhalation studies will provide data on the inhalability of LA and its dosimetry, as defined by its initial deposition distribution and retained dose measurements at designated times after exposure. This solicitation will be competed as Full and Open to all capable contractors. Proposal submissions are due by 3:00pm EST on Tuesday, May 13, 2008. Technical questions are due to the Contracting Officer within one week of solicitation release. The SOW requirements fall under the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code 541712, Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences. In an effort to streamline the procurement process, and to utilize the internet and electronic communications to the maximum extent possible, the solicitation, and amendments, and other related items for this procurement will be posted at this website: http://www.epa.gov/oam/srpod, with notices posted on fedbizopps.com. Interested offerors will be required to download the RFP and all related documents from this website. No printed copies of the RFP will be available and NO bidders list will be maintained. The point of contact for this procurement is Christopher Nolte, U.S. EPA Contracting Officer. Any questions and/or comments regarding this notice must be submitted in writing to:
[email protected] within seven days of the solicitation release. Telephonic inquiries will not be answered at any point in the process.