What this opportunity is
The Department of Health and Human Services intends to negotiate a sole-source contract with Animal Specialties and Provisions, LLC for the procurement, storage, and delivery of laboratory animal feed, bedding, and enrichment supplies for multiple NIH animal research facilities in Bethesda, MD. This opportunity falls under NAICS 311119 and is suitable for small businesses that can meet strict quality and regulatory standards for animal care. As this is a presolicitation notice, interested parties should submit capability statements by the specified date, but this is not a request for proposals or competitive bidding.
Analysis by Mindy, grounded in the SAM.gov notice.
Description
PRE-SOLICITATION NOTICE
ID: NOI-NIH-26-PCA-NEI-03513
Post Date: May 13, 2026
Response Date: May 27, 2026
NAICS: 311119
Product Service Code: 8710 Forage and Feed
This is a Notice of Intent, NOT a request for proposal. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) intends to negotiate on an other than full and open competition basis with Animal Specialties and Provisions, LLC (ASP) for this requirement to provide laboratory animal feed, bedding, produce, enrichment, and related dry goods.
Description of need:
The contractor must provide all labor, materials, transportation, logistics, and quality control necessary to supply and deliver laboratory animal feed, bedding, produce, enrichment feed items, and related dry goods to multiple NIH animal research facilities. These supplies include, but are not limited to:
Standard rodent chow (maintenance, breeding, irradiated, and certified diets)
Specialty research diets
Nonhuman primate chow and biscuits
Rabbit diets and agricultural species diets
Bedding materials (corn cob, paper-based, hardwood, or approved alternatives)
Fresh produce and enrichment feed items
All products must meet strict quality, nutritional, traceability, and contamination control standards necessary for regulated research environments and must comply with applicable animal care regulations and accreditation standards.
Period of Performance: 9/21/2026 – 9/20/2027, and additional 4 option years
Place of Performance: Bethesda, MD 20892
Deliver to: Bldg 49, Central Animal Facility, Bethesda MD 20892
The statutory authority for this sole source requirement is 41 U.S.C. 1901 (a) (1) as implemented by FAR 13.106-1(b) only one responsible source and no other supply of service will satisfy agency requirements. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION FOR COMPETITIVE QUOTATIONS. All responsible sources that could provide the required services may submit a capability statement that will be considered by email (subject line to reference NOI-NIH-26-PCA-NEI-03513 to Danielle Tines, danielle.tines@nih.gov, by 11:00 am eastern standard time Wednesday, May 27, 2026. All responses received by the closing date of this notice will be considered by the Government. A determination not to compete this requirement, based upon responses to this notice, is solely within the discretion of the Government.
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 its response is complete and 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.
Source: SAM.gov, as posted. Verify the current solicitation before responding.