The United States Department Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS) intends to negotiate and award on a sole source basis. This procurement is for ARS location in Clay Center, Nebraska at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC). Contract type will be a Firm Fixed Price and will be awarded to The University of Nebraska. This is for purchase of 328 male calves that have the appropriate genotypic and phenotypic traits. NAICS Code is 112111. Period of performance is estimated to be 2 months.
Award is in accordance with both 41 U.S.C. 253(c)(1) and FAR 6.302
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For biosecurity reasons, U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC) does not allow animals to be brought onto the Center from outside sources. The University of Nebraska has had a long term cooperative relationship with USMARC on the ARS owned property. This relationship is documented in ARS agreement number 58-3040-5-002. The university herd and the ARS herd are both on this property. As a result, the university animals are the only animals that can be supplied to ARS.
The U.S. Meat Animal Research center needs 328 steer calves for its research programs in genetics, breeding, meat safety, meat quality, reproduction, nutrition, and environmental management. This policy has been in place for decades and is in place to protect the animal herd that is valued at greater than $12M. This value is strictly a market value. The research value of these herds is many multiples of the market value. These 328 animals provided by the University comply with the necessary biosecurity policies and procedures in place in order to protect that substantial tax payer investment in the animal herds at USMARC. Also, the University has already collected the necessary data to move the above mentioned projects forward. The University and ARS have a close collaboration at USMARC and these animals have the necessary scientific and phenotypic information already collected on them that will allow congressionally funded research projects to move forward. These projects will not be able to move forward without these animals.