Development and Maintenance of an Aged Rodent Tissue Bank

A. Objectives:

The National Institute on Aging (NIA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) intends to re-compete a requirement currently being performed by University of Washington under NIDA Contract 75N95021C00008. This procurement is being competed under full and open competitive procedures under NAICS 541990. It is anticipated that a cost-reimbursement type contract will be awarded for a one (1) year period of performance beginning on or about March 15, 2027, with four (4) option years. The anticipated level of effort is approximately 3 FTE in year 1 and 3 FTE per year in years 2-5. The objective of the Aged Rodent Tissue Bank contract is to collect, store, inventory and distribute biospecimens (tissues and fluids) from rodents that meet the requirements of a wide-range of molecular and histochemical protocols for studies on the biology of aging.

The National Institute on Aging (NIA) maintains the Aged Rodent Tissue Bank as a resource for scientists conducting research in the biology of aging. The Aged Rodent Tissue Bank was established in 2001 in response to the interest manifested by NIA investigators. For 24 years, the bank has served the scientific community conducting research on aging by providing investigators, through a contract mechanism, with mouse and rat biospecimens collected cross-sectionally under standardized conditions.

The scope of the bank is to collect, store and distribute biospecimens (tissues and fluids) from mice and rats from the NIA Aged Rodent Colonies. Biospecimens are flash-frozen, or fixed and embedded in paraffin, to meet the requirements of a wide-range of molecular and histochemical protocols. This constitutes a mechanism for multiple investigators to share tissue from a single animal, allowing more studies to be carried out with existing resources, optimizing the value of the rodent colonies, increasing the efficiency and cost effectiveness of aged tissue collection. The bank fulfills the 3Rs (Replace, Reduce and Refine) principles for ethical and humane use of animals in scientific research.

Tissues in the bank currently originate from adult and geriatric mice and rats in the NIA Rodent Colonies. The bank comprises approximately 40,000 frozen samples at -80°C, 2,000 tissue blocks at RT and small sets of tissue arrays and tissue array slides.

The purpose of this contract is to continue the operation of the Aged Rodent Tissue Bank which serves as a resource to facilitate gerontological research by providing high quality biospecimens (tissues and fluids) from mice and rats to investigators.

The bank inventory includes frozen tissues from three strains of mice and three strains of rats available through the NIA rodent colonies. Tissues are collected at five ages starting at 4-month-old, 12, 18 and 24 month-old, up to a late age at 32 months for mouse and 28 months for rat. Each strain and age group includes 19 different tissues. Non-standard tissues can be collected on demand.

In addition, the bank holds legacy frozen tissue from caloric restriction experiments, both mouse and rats, and some specialty mouse strains.

Under this contract, the Contractor shall maintain the current biospecimen frozen in -80C freezers, and blocks and slides at room temperature; collect, store and inventory new biospecimens; generate new tissue arrays; distribute biospecimens to investigators; maintain and add to the bibliography associated with the distributed biospecimens; and maintain a comprehensive digital inventory of the bank assets.

All responsible sources may submit a proposal which will be considered by the agency. This notice does not commit the Government to award a contract. No collect calls will be accepted. No facsimile transmissions will be accepted.

B. Additional Information:

RFP No. 75N95026R00064 will be available electronically on or about May 6, 2026. You can access the RFP through the beta.SAM.gov. All information required for the submission of a proposal will be contained in or accessible through the RFP package.

Responses to the RFP will be due approximately 30 days from the release date. NIDA will consider proposals submitted by any responsible offeror.

Based upon market research, the Government is not using the policies contained in Part 12, Acquisition of Commercial Items, in its solicitation for the described supplies or services.  However, interested persons or organizations may identify to the Contracting Officer their interest and capability to satisfy the Government's requirement with a commercial item within 15 days of this notice.

This advertisement does not commit the Government to award a contract.

Contracting Office Point of Contact:

National Institutes of Health

OALM

Rob Bailey, Contracting Officer

Phone: 301.451.7586

E-mail: Rob.Bailey@nih.gov