Animal Care and Laboratory Support Services to the Vaccine Research Center

Introduction

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) supports research related to the basic understanding of microbiology and immunology leading to the development of vaccines, therapeutics, and medical diagnostics for the prevention, treatment, and diagnosis of infectious and immune-mediated diseases.

As part of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Vaccine Research Center (VRC) Non-Human Primate (NHP) Program has played an active role in vaccine and therapeutic development for infectious diseases including global killers such as human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) and tuberculosis, emerging and re-emerging health threats such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza virus, Zika virus, chikungunya virus, West Nile virus, and Coronaviruses such as COVID-19 and middle east respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV).

The Contractor shall provide qualified personnel, materials, equipment, and facilities for the housing and care of NHPs to support VRC investigators and collaborators developing vaccines and therapeutics for infectious diseases.

Description

The project requirements include comprehensive housing, care, and technical support for Non-Human Primates (NHPs) essential to vaccine and therapeutic development. The Contractor will be required to deliver all necessary services, qualified personnel, materials, equipment, and facilities, including those capable of handling up to 500 NHPs annually. Key technical requirements include providing Biosafety Level-2 (BSL-2) and Biosafety Level-3 (BSL-3) animal holding facilities, with specialized capabilities such as a dedicated Tuberculosis (TB) suite equipped with GFE PET/CT scanning for ABSL-3 level studies. The Contractor must ensure strict adherence to NIH and federal animal care and biosafety standards. Deliverables include regular reports on animal care, veterinary services, and technical procedures, as well as detailed records of all activities conducted under the contract. Of particular importance is the maintenance of a secure and compliant environment, ensuring the humane treatment of NHPs, and the capability to support long-term and high-containment infectious disease studies.

Any responsible offeror may submit a proposal which will be considered by the Agency. This RFP will be available electronically on/about April 15, 2026, and may be accessed through SAM.gov. This notice does not commit the Government to award a contract. No collect calls will be accepted. No facsimile transmissions will be accepted.

For this solicitation, the NIAID requires proposals to be submitted online via the NIAID electronic Contract Proposal Submission (eCPS) website. Submission of proposals by facsimile or e-mail is not acceptable.

For directions on using eCPS, go to the website https://ecps.nih.gov and then click on "How to Submit."