Management, Operations, and Research Support Contract
This is a Request for Information (RFI) for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate for Management, Operations, and Research Support (MORS) contract for the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) in Manhattan, KS.
Attached please find:
ATTACHMENT A - Preliminary Summery of the Scope of Work for the NBAF MORS
ATTACHMENT B - DHS NBAF RFI General Information
Description of Effort:
The Department of Homeland Security, Science and Technology Directorate (DHS S&T) is requesting responses from industry in order to refine procurement strategies and to gather input regarding best practices in performing the services for management, operations, and research support of the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF).
NBAF will be a state-of-the-art biocontainment facility for the study of foreign animal, emerging and zoonotic (transmitted from animals to humans) diseases that threaten the U.S. animal agriculture and public health. NBAF will provide and strengthen our nation with critical capabilities to conduct research, develop vaccines and other countermeasures, and train veterinarians in preparedness and response against these diseases. For over 60 years the Plum Island Animal Disease Center (PIADC) has served our nation as the primary facility to conduct this research. However, PIADC is nearing the end of its life-cycle and needs to be replaced in order to meet U.S. research requirements and ensure the timely development of countermeasures in the event of an outbreak. NBAF will meet that need and will serve as a replacement for the PIADC facility. Strategically, NBAF will boast of new and expanded capabilities, specifically, large animal biosafety level 4 (ABSL-4) containment for the study of high-consequence diseases affecting large livestock. NBAF will also feature a biotechnology development module (BDM) co-located with laboratory facilities. This module is capable of supporting Current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMP) and will increase the speed with which new diagnostic tests, vaccines, and medicines are developed, tested, and put into use by commercial animal pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical firms. The mission of NBAF includes:
• Providing enhanced research capabilities to diagnose foreign animal, emerging and zoonotic diseases in large livestock
• Providing expanded vaccine and countermeasure development capabilities for large livestock
• Replacing and expanding research and veterinary training activities currently done at PIADC in New York, and continuing the partnership between DHS and the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).
Additional information regarding the NBAF program, mission, site, facility, and timeline can be found at www.dhs.gov/national-bio-and-agro-defense-facility.
See below the Key MORS Acquisition Tentative Milestones:
MORS Acquisition Milestone Tentative Date
Request for Information #2 Issued, may contain elements of a draft Request for Proposal (RFP):
- Section C (Statement of Work (SOW))
- Section F (Deliverables)
- Section L (Instructions)
- Section M (Evaluation Factors)
- Other Summer 2017
Industry Day(s) at NBAF
- RFI feedback and discussion (Q&A)
- Government Subject Matter Expert panels
- Security
- Biorisk Management
- IT/Cyber
- Management/Business Processes
- Subcontracting networking opportunities Summer 2017
RFP Issued Spring 2018
Award MORS Contract Fall 2018
Jenista M. Featherstone, Contracting Officer, Email Jenista.Featherstone@hq.dhs.gov
