Avian Flu Milk Testing Pilot Program

TECHNICAL SUBMITTAL
I-1. Statement of the Project.
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture is soliciting proposals from entities with the
capacity to test for Avian Influenza in domestic lactating bovine (milk), with the goal of
enhancing the Department's ability to surveil disease and protect the health of our
citizens, food supply, and animal agriculture industry.
The purpose of the solicitation is to pilot onsite testing to occur at milk processing
facilities and milk transfer stations. The potential offeror must demonstrate the criteria
below and provide a work plan and budget to the Department.
Offeror Response
I-2. Qualifications.
A. Company Overview. The potential offeror should have experience performing
milk testing in lactating dairy herds. The potential offeror must demonstrate their
ability to perform testing for Influenza A in lactating dairy cattle using the
polymerase chain reaction, which is accepted by the National Veterinary Services
Laboratories (NSVL).
Offeror Response
B. Prior Experience. Experience should include testing for Influenza A in lactating
dairy cattle using the polymerase chain reaction, which is accepted by the
National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NSVL). Qualifying experience
includes work that has been performed by individuals who will be assigned to this
project and the potential offeror's company. Offerors must identify studies or
projects in which they have been involved, including the name of the customer,
company, or agency, including the name, address, and telephone number of the
official representative, for whom the study or project was performed.
Offeror Response
C. Personnel. Describe in narrative form the number of executive and professional
personnel who will be engaged in the work and indicate where these personnel
will be located physically during the time they are engaged in the Project. Include
the names of key personnel and, through a resume or similar document, provide
the education and experience of the Project personnel as it relates to performing
Influenza A testing in lactating dairy cattle using the polymerase chain reaction,
which is accepted by the National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NSVL).

Indicate the responsibilities each individual will have in this Project and how long
each has worked for your company.
Offeror Response
D. Subcontractors. Provide a subcontracting plan for all subcontractors, including
small diverse business and small business subcontractors, who will be assigned to
the Project. The selected Offeror is prohibited from subcontracting or outsourcing
any part of this Project without the express written approval of the
Commonwealth. Upon award of the contract resulting from this RFP,
subcontractors included in the proposal submission are deemed approved. For
each position included in your subcontracting plan, provide the following:
1. Name of subcontractor;
2. Primary contact name and email;
3. Address of subcontractor;
4. Description of services to be performed;
5. Number of employees by job category assigned to this project; and
6. Resumes (if appropriate and available).
Offeror Response
I-3. Training. If appropriate, indicate the recommended training for agency personnel.
Include the names of agency personnel to be trained, the number of personnel to receive
training, the duration of the training program, and the place of training, along with the
curricula, instructional materials, number and frequency of sessions, and number and
level of instructors for trainings.
Offeror Response
I-4. Financial Capability. Describe your company's financial stability and economic
capability to fulfil the contract requirements. The Commonwealth reserves the right to
request additional information to evaluate an Offeror's financial capability.
Offeror Response
I-5. Requirements. Surveillance of Pennsylvania's lactating dairy herds for influenza A
through milk testing is necessary due to the risk this virus poses to other lactating dairy herds and
poultry flocks, as well as public health.

The pilot will consist of traveling to approximately 30 dairy processors within the
southeastern region of Pennsylvania to test milk samples. Testing will occur at no more
than 15 locations per month, with processors visited on a bi-monthly basis. Alternatively,
a proposal could include capability to collect samples from dairy processors and complete
testing at a physical location rather than on-site at each processor.
A. Emergency Preparedness. To support continuity of operations during an emergency,
including a pandemic, the Commonwealth needs a strategy for maintaining operations
for an extended period of time. One part of this strategy is to ensure that essential
contracts that provide critical business services to the Commonwealth have planned for
such an emergency and put contingencies in place to provide needed goods and
services.
1. Describe how you anticipate such a crisis will impact your operations.
2. Describe your emergency response continuity of operations plan. Please attach
a copy of your plan, or at a minimum, summarize how your plan addresses the
following aspects of pandemic preparedness:
a. Employee training (describe your organization's training plan, and how
frequently your plan will be shared with employees);
b. Identified essential business functions and key employees (within your
organization) necessary to carry them out;
c. Contingency plans for:
i. How your organization will handle staffing issues when a
portion of key employees are incapacitated due to illness; and.
ii. How employees in your organization will carry out the essential
functions if contagion control measures prevent them from
coming to the primary workplace.
3. How your organization will communicate with staff and suppliers when
primary communications systems are overloaded or otherwise fail, including
key contacts, chain of communications (including suppliers), etc. and;
4. How and when your emergency plan will be tested, and if the plan will be tested
by a third-party.
Offeror Response

I-6. Tasks. Describe in narrative form your technical plan for accomplishing the work using
the task descriptions set forth below as your reference point. Modifications of the task
descriptions are permitted; however, reasons for changes should be fully explained.
Indicate the number of person hours allocated to each task. Include a Program
Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) or similar type display, time related, showing
each event. If more than one approach is apparent, comment on why you chose this
approach.
Testing parameters:
Currently, polymerase chain reaction is the accepted methodology for diagnosing avian
influenza. This method, as described by the National Veterinary Services Laboratories
(NVSL), is considered the gold standard of avian influenza testing.
Use of the NVSL methodology (as described in NVSL-SOP-0068, NAHLN Real-time
RT-PCR Detection of Influenza A and Avian Paramyxovirus Type-1) requires approval
by the National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) and biennial proficiency
testing.
The proposed testing methodology must match or decrease turnaround time from sample
collection to reporting of results compared to existing methodology used by the
Pennsylvania Animal Diagnostic Laboratory System (PADLS, a NAHLN approved
laboratory). The diagnostic method used must be able to detect all influenza A infections
of poultry and cattle and must be approved by the Center of Veterinary Biologics for
intended use or by the USDA Veterinary Services for intended use in laboratory
conditions as approved and guided by NAHLN laboratory testing.
Testing offered must comply with and meet ISO17025 and NAHLN standards.
Proposals must include the following: A description of the methods used to provide
appropriate lab containment as required by the disease agents of interest.
I-7. Reports and Project Control.
All confirmatory testing must be conducted as per approved National Animal Health
Laboratory Network policies, protocol, and guidance or through National Veterinary
Services Laboratories. The results of such testing must be reported to PDA directly.
The potential offeror must have the ability to send actual tested samples to NVSL for
confirmatory testing in a manner that complies with postal requirements for shipping
infectious materials
A. Status Report. The potential offeror must be able to provide to PDA on a
monthly basis the number of samples tested and the number of dairy farms represented by
those samples.

Non-negative results must be reported to PDA immediately by phone at 717-772-2852,
option 1, and information about the source farm of the non-negative test must be
provided.
Offeror Response
B. Problem Identification Report. An "as required" report, identifying problem
areas. The report should describe the problem and its impact on the overall project and
on each affected task. It should list possible courses of action with advantages and
disadvantages of each, and include Offeror recommendations with supporting rationale;
and
Offeror Response
B. Final Report.
1. Abstract or summarize the result of the study or service in terminology
that will be meaningful to management and others generally familiar with
the subject areas.
2. Describe data collection and analytical and other techniques used during
the study.
3. Summarize findings, conclusions and recommendations developed in each
task.
4. Include all supporting documentation; e.g., flow-charts, forms,
questionnaires, etc.
5. Recommend a time-phased work plan for implementing the
recommendations.]
Offeror Response
I-8. Objections and Additions to Standard Contract Terms and Conditions. The Offeror
will identify which, if any, of the terms and conditions contained in the Buyer Attachments
section that it would like to negotiate and what additional terms and conditions the Offeror
would like to add to the standard contract terms and conditions. The Offeror's failure to make a
submission under this paragraph will result in its waiving its right to do so later, but the Issuing
Office may consider late objections and requests for additions if to do so, in the Issuing Office's
sole discretion, would be in the best interest of the Commonwealth. The Issuing Office may, in
its sole discretion, accept or reject any requested changes to the standard contract terms and
conditions. The Offeror shall not request changes to the other provisions of the RFP, nor shall
the Offeror request to completely substitute its own terms and conditions for this RFP. All terms
and conditions must appear in one integrated contract.

The Issuing Office will not accept references to the Offeror's, or any other, online guides or
online terms and conditions contained in any proposal.
Regardless of any objections set out in its proposal, the Offeror must submit its proposal,
including the cost proposal, on the basis of the terms and conditions set out in the Terms and
Conditions contained in the Buyer Attachment section. The Issuing Office will reject any
proposal that is conditioned on the negotiation of the terms and conditions set out in the Terms
and Conditions contained in the Buyer Attachment section or to other provisions of the RFP.
Offeror Response