Lead Animal Caretaker (FOPR 23-16 711th Human Performance Wing Bioeffects Division (RHD) Animal Care Services)


INTRODUCTION:

The 711th Human Performance Wing (711 HPW), headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, is the first human-centric warfare wing to consolidate human performance research, education and consultation under a single organization. Established under the Air Force Research Laboratory, the 711 HPW is comprised of the Airman Systems Directorate (RH), the United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine (USAFSAM) and the Human Systems Integration Directorate (HP). The Wing delivers unparalleled capability to the Air Force through a combination of world class infrastructure and expertise of its diverse workforce of military, civilian and contractor personnel encompassing 75 occupational specialties including science and engineering, occupational health and safety, medical professions, technicians, educators, and business operations and support.



DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES:

The contractor shall meet all requirements per the basic contract and provide professionally and technically qualified individuals to perform all tasks in the following paragraphs to fulfill the requirements of this task order. The contractor shall provide all management, labor, supervision, and training (except as specified in this PWS as Government furnished or on-the-job) to provide complete Animal Caretaker services as described in the PWS. All tasks shall be performed in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local regulations, and follow the procedures outlined in the respective approved plans. This contract will require a sufficient number of fully qualified personnel with experience to operate and maintain the TSRL facilities and animals to the levels as required by the accrediting agency. TSRL is accredited by AAALAC International and conducts site visits every 3 years to ensure compliance with requirements in the Guide for Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. Meeting regulatory requirements to maintain accreditation is paramount to total quality performance. In addition, the program and its personnel must maintain compliance with other federal and DoD regulations, including the Animal Welfare Act and Regulation, DoDI 3216.01, and DHA-MSR 6025.02.



Mandatory Qualifications:
 

• The contractor employee shall have a minimum of a high school diploma and at least ten (10) years’ experience working in a laboratory animal facility, and a minimum of three (3) years’ experience in a supervisory role.

 

• The contractor employee shall demonstrate experience with non-technical protocol/research tasks and duties of a LATG-qualified employee and/or veterinary technician for the continuity of programmatic mission support.

 

• The contractor employee shall have demonstrated knowledge in the biological disciplines, and federal, state, and local regulations that are applicable to the performance of this PWS.

 

• The contractor employee shall be able to read, write, speak and understand English.

 

• The contractor employee shall obtain/maintain Texas state driver’s license in order to drive Government-owned vehicles.

 

• The contractor employee shall have a signed Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) in place with their company based on the potential access to confidential, proprietary, and/or sensitive information. The NDA shall be provided to the Government Program Manager by start of performance.
   

Tasks:
 

• The contractor employee shall begin performance of the tasks within this PWS on day 1, without any delay.

 

• The contractor employee performing the Lead Animal Caretaker position shall have full authority to act for the Contractor on all contract matters relating to daily operation of this contract.

 

• The contractor employee shall meet with and discuss problem areas with the Government personnel during normal duty hours. After normal duty hours, the contract manager or designated alternate(s) shall be available by phone within one hour of being notified to establish a plan of action or to take care of the issue(s).

 

• The contractor employee shall be responsible for supervising and directing all contractor employee’s(s) work performed under this task order and is expected to perform all duties of a supervisor, such as scheduling and being responsible for ensuring the facility worker accountability log for the safety of personnel is kept up-to-date on a daily basis when on duty or designate the responsible alternate.

 

• The contractor employee shall know, for safety and security reasons, what contractor employee(s) are in the vivarium at all times, to include weekends and holidays.

 

• The contractor employee shall perform required administrative and management functions to accomplish this PWS to include supervising contract employees, scheduling of activities, directing work effort, and reporting status of work effort, to include providing work-duty assistance to contract employees when workload and/or operations tempo increases beyond regular staffing workload capacity to ensure completion of programmatic mission support.

 

• The contractor employee shall comply with all required animal care and use training, for example AALAS and annually animal user training (AAUT).

Common Tasks:
 

• The contractor employees performing the Lead Animal Caretaker and Animal Caretakers positions shall perform common tasks in support of the 711HPW/RHD animal facilities.

 

• The contractor employees shall maintain a clean environment in the animal cages, enclosure and adjacent areas. Clean and sanitizes cages, runs, cage racks, animal shipping crates, cage accessories, feeders, watering devices, recoil hoses for automatic watering system, equipment, etc. in accordance with (IAW) the Service Summary of this PWS. Clean animal cages or enclosures, which shall be free from dirty or contaminated bedding material, leftover food, dirty water, feces, urine, deleterious material and all residues. Maintain animal use and housing areas in Appendix A, Government Furnished Facilities to include sanitizing/disinfecting animal rooms, animal room doors and windows, adjacent hallways, local processors, foyers, storage space, and feed storage refrigerators. Surfaces, lamp and light fixtures, trash containers, ducts, louvers, door grills and equipment surfaces.

 

• The contractor employees shall transport trash generated in animal care facilities to the dumpster daily.

 

• The contractor employees shall assure that feed and water containers are cleaned, sanitized and filled IAW the current appropriate and applicable 711 HPW/RHD Animal Care and Use Program (ACUP) Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs. Current versions of all ACUP SOPs will be located, at a minimum, digitally on the facility’s shared document server(s). All hardcopies of ACUP SOPs may be located within the contractor employees’ work area or facility, e.g., in the Vivarium Facility Manager's office or the Lead Animal Caretaker's office.

 

• The contractor employees shall check automatic watering system, bottle filling station, recoil hose flush station, chlorine injector station and chlori-flush station for correct operation and notifies Vivarium Facility Manager or the Branch Chief of all issues for work orders to be placed. The contractor employees shall check, at least monthly, the 30- micron inlet water filter cartridge on the bottle filling station and replaces it as necessary.

 

• The contractor employees shall routinely lift and move objects (e.g., feed bags, bedding bags, drums of cage wash chemicals, and animal cages) weighing up to 50 pounds by hand and up to 250 pounds with handcarts. The contractor employees shall unload, lift, carry, and stack large bags or boxes of animal feed, bedding material, fresh fruits, and other supplies and equipment. The contractor employees shall inventory stock levels of these items and notify 711 HPW/RHDV Animal Care Specialist Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge (NCOIC), Attending Veterinarian (AV) and VFM for reorder as required. The contractor employee shall pick up supply items promptly, examine and store within four hours (or before shift ends, whichever comes first) of notification. Any inventory variations (i.e., quantity or quality) shall be reported to 711 HPW/RHDV Animal Care Specialist NCOIC, AV and VFM.

 

• The contractor employees shall feed and water laboratory animals IAW appropriate and applicable 711 HPW/RHD ACUP SOPs. The contractor employees shall prepare and feed animals on regular, special diets, enrichment. The contractor employee shall observe feeding habits of individual animals and report any irregularities in appetite, consumption rate or rejection of feed to 711 HPW/RHDV Animal Care Specialist NCOIC, AV and VFM. The contractor employees shall report any unwholesome or poor- quality feed to 711 HPW/RHDV Animal Care Specialist NCOIC, AV and VFM. All feeding shall be completed within one hour of the scheduled time and shall have the quantity and type prescribed.

 

• The contractor employees shall observe animals continually for indication of poor health, or abnormal behavior injury during daily husbandry procedures. The contractor employee shall report any abnormal stool or urine conditions, evidence of parasites, appearance of blood or mucous and any suspicious skin or coat conditions to 711 HPW/RHDV Animal Care Specialist NCOIC, AV and VFM. Collect biological samples as prescribed. The contractor employee shall assist with non-technical protocol/research tasks and duties of an ALAT-qualified employee and/or veterinary technician for the continuity of programmatic mission support.

 

• The contractor employees shall log all tasks into vivarium environmental software program, such as Edstrom and Viewpoint, upon completion. Once the contractor employees are trained by 711 HPW/RHDV on the programs usage, they shall be required to enter all completed tasks and observations into this database.

 

• The contractor employee shall handle and/or restrain animals in conjunction with relocating, examining, grooming, or administering medication. The contractor employees shall ensure accurate identification of animals moved, requested or treated. The contractor employees shall perform restraint of laboratory animals, including nonhuman primates. Animal movements shall be accomplished by moving individually restrained animals, individual cages, multi-cage racks, shipping crates, transfer cages, or herding of animals/livestock. Movements of animals and equipment between buildings shall be done using an enclosed Government furnished laboratory animal transport vehicle.

 

• The contractor employees shall transport animal carcasses, tissues, waste and/or fluids to one of the biowaste walk-in coolers located in Rooms 3018A, 3025, or 3027 until final disposal in Room 3022 (Tissue Digester) as required. Biological waste from the 711 HPW/RHDV walk-in cooler shall be transported to Room 3022 at least once a week but not more than once a day as required to preclude excessive accumulation (i.e., more than 1,000 lbs.) and/or putrefaction of biologic waste. Every digesting cycle ran shall be logged into the TSRL Tissue Digester Log Book (located in Room 3022) and recorded cycle information, pH tested and water temperature results (on SOP 302, Tissue Digester form) before draining. The weekly average is 1 to 3 cycles. The contractor employees shall transfer Tissue Digester chemical as needed from the commercial tote to the storage container via a transfer pump.

 

• The contractor employees shall drive Government owned vehicles to transport laboratory animals, biological samples, feeding, bedding, cages, and related equipment between the various animal holding areas and research laboratories both on and off base. While driving Government owned vehicles, the contractor employees shall comply with applicable civilian and military driving regulations.

 

• The contractor employees shall operate cage washing machines, portable steam generators, tissue digester, vehicles and other equipment as required IAW the manufacturer's operating manual. The contractor employees shall monitor cage washer operations and maintains a logbook of temperature test results.

 

• The contractor employees shall inspect cages to ensure door latches and fittings are operational. Performs minor adjustments and/or repairs to caging and automatic watering systems and notifies 711 HPW/RHDV or AV when major maintenance and/or repair parts are needed. The contractor employees shall transport cages, racks and other equipment for maintenance and repair on or off base.

 

• The contractor employees shall not move, clean, or handle the following equipment when in use: surgical instruments, cautery machines, physiological monitoring equipment, anesthesia machines, and other animal patient medical treatment equipment. When the equipment is not in use the contractor employees shall move the equipment as necessary to facilitate cleaning tables, floors, and walls. The contractor employees are responsible for moving all equipment or furniture to allow for cleaning under or behind it. The contractor employees are responsible for cleaning of all equipment not excluded above or excluded by other Government instructions, as well as be responsible for the disposal of single service supplies/equipment such as gloves, facemasks, etc.

 

• The contractor employees shall wear required protective clothing and equipment. The contractor employees shall follow all applicable safety procedures/guidelines and complies with all applicable environmental rules and regulations.

 

• The contractor employees shall comply with all required animal care and use training, for example AALAS and annually animal user training (AAUT).

 

• The contractor employees shall observe all base and JBSA-Ft. Sam Houston, TX utility conservation practices.

 

• The contractor employees shall ensure the accurate and timely reporting of contractor employee’s work schedules to Lead Animal Caretaker, for daily/weekly facility safety and strength and will be responsible for updating the facility worker accountability computer log.
   

BASE SUPPORT:

The contractor shall be provided office/laboratory space, furniture and equipment, routine office/laboratory supplies, computer hardware and software necessary to perform tasks described in this performance work statement. The government will also provide telephone service and access to a fax machine and a copier as required. All software and hardware, passwords/access to military Internet/E-mail and applicable database will be available within the scope of the contract. The contractor shall comply with local, AF and DoD policies.


Place of Performance:

Work will be accomplished at Tri-Service Research Laboratory (TSRL), Animal Facilities, Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA)-Ft. Sam Houston, TX  78234 beginning 15 Jun3 2023.


Work Schedule:

The contractor employees’ Normal duty hours shall be Monday-Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  Scheduled Weekend/Holiday from 7:30 am to 4:30 p.m. A 1-hour lunch break shall be scheduled anytime between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. It is the Contractors responsibility to ensure performance is fulfilled during normal duty hours. All approved leave or absences shall not hinder the required service to be performed during duty hours 7 days per week. The Contractor shall provide qualified and trained contractor employees 365 days per year, to include weekend and holiday coverage in order to cover the required hours of performance, and perform all tasks as required by this PWS. The Contractor shall staff contractor employees to meet the requirements of the PWS and ensure continuity of performance, to include the daily update of the facility worker accountability log at the start/entry and end/exit of duty for. emergency purposes.


U.S. Citizenship:

Employee must be a U.S. citizen. For the purpose of base and network access, possession of a permanent resident card (“Green Card”) does not equate to U.S. citizenship.


Travel:

No travel is anticipated for this effort. 


SECURITY:

Position of Trust. All contractor personnel require a minimum of a Tier 1 background check (T1)/SF85 for any position that requires access to the internet, use of automated information systems to cover standalone computers or unescorted entry into restricted or controlled areas prior to reporting for duty in support of any requirement. The investigation is not for a security clearance; it is for a position of trust. This is a mandatory requirement set forth in DoDM 5200.02_AFMAN 16-1405, Air Force Personnel Security Program. All documentation required for security certification shall be the responsibility of the contractor.

Point of Contact for Immediate Consideration:

Art Mata
amata@reef-sys.com