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This is a pre-solicitation notice only. Solicitation documents will be posted at a later time.

The U. S. Department of Agricultural (USDA) Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Veterinary Services (VS) division has a need for swine blood slaughter collection services to assist with Pseudorabies and Swine Brucellosis disease surveillance activities. Pseudorabies is a viral disease most prevalent in swine, often causing newborn piglets to die. Older pigs can survive infection, becoming carriers of the Pseudorabies virus for life. Other animals infected from swine die from Pseudorabies, which is also known as Aujeszky's disease and "mad itch." Infected cattle and sheep can first show signs of Pseudorabies by scratching and biting themselves. In dogs and cats, Pseudorabies can cause sudden death. The virus does not cause illness in humans.

The Pseudorabies disease surveillance involves the collection and testing of blood and tissue samples from targeted populations of animals. Blood collection and other associated services will be performed at Tyson Foods, Inc., Newbrrn, Tennessee slaughter establishment. The Swine Blood Slaughter Collector (SBSC) will work 3-5 days per week depending on the operation schedule of the plant – work hours typically start at 5:30 am until 2:00-5:00 pm. Operation schedule of plant may vary from month to month. The Contractor will work a flexible schedule. There is no consistent schedule. Contractor will not work more than 95 hours per two weeks and will not exceed 2000 hours per year. Contractor will not be compensated for working over the 2000 hour limit without the permission from the Contracting Officer. The COR will track hours weekly and provide updates monthly on hours used and remaining.