January 16th, 2023 UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA – Advance Contract Award Notice # 2023002-ACAN–Veterinary Medicine Advisor – for Animal Care and Veterinary Service of University of Ottawa
PURPOSE The purpose of this Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN) is to post the University of Ottawa’s (uOttawa) intention to enter into contractual arrangements with Vetica Médecin Vétérinaire Consultant Inc. to provide the services identified in the requirements noted below. This ACAN provides prospective service providers the opportunity to demonstrate that they are capable of satisfying all requirements set out in this Advance Contract Award Notice by way of submitting a Statement of Capabilities on or before the posting end date. SCOPE OF WORK FOR PROPOSED SERVICE PROVIDER The Director, Animal Care and Veterinary Service, requires the services of a advisor specialized in Laboratory Animal Medicine to work with the Animal Care and Veterinary Service team at the University of Ottawa. In particular the service provider will be responsible for the health and welfare of all animals housed in uOttawa animals facilities and to assist the Director in ensuring that the uOttawa animal care program is compliant with all standards and regulations as set forth by the regulatory bodies that oversee our program. The projects or tasks are: Clinical Care: Perform daily clinical rounds and consult on specific medical cases as required Inform/advise reseachers on methods of treatment best suited for animals on specific research projects Research Care: Review animal use protocols Assist/advise on best animal models for specific research projects Participate in post approval monitoring activities Advise on 3 R’s (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement) Management: Oversee the activities of the veterinary technicians and animal care technicians to ensure adequate veterinary care and compliance with standards, guidelines and regulations Advance Contract Award Notice 2023002‐ACAN (Continued) Page 2 of 3 __________________________________________________________________________________________ Deliverables for these Projects: Assistance with the development, review and implementation of Standard Operating Procedures Assistance with the development of Employee Training Program Develop instructional documents and lesson plans REQUIREMENTS The resource assigned to this mandate from the service provider requires at a minimum: Skills and Expertise: Must have demonstrated experience in the development of an employee training program and the ability to assist with the development of such a program within an educational institution (development of lesson plans, instructional documents, competency evaluations, etc…) Must be able to review animal research protocols and participate as required, in Animal Care Committee meetings and in post-approval monitoring activities Provide guidance and advice to research staff with regards to study design and execution for all animal-related work (anesthesia, analgesia, endpoints, animal models, etc.) Participate in activities related to the animal colony health monitoring program Create, review and approve standard operating procedures Have extensive knowledge of the standards and regulations surrounding the use of animals in research, teaching and testing Must be able to oversee several projects at the same time Specialized Work Experience: Must have at least 15 years experience in the field of laboratory animal medicine Must have at least 5 years of senior management experience Must have experience in writing/reviewing research protocols Must be licensed and in good standing with a Canadian veterinary college Must have worked in animal research facilities in both academic and pharmaceutical industry settings Must have extensive experience working with the Canadian Council on Animal Care as an Assessment Director Must have proven experience in regulation writing Must be able to work and deal with stakeholders in both official languages (French and English). General Work Experience: Proven experience in the field of research facilities dealing with animals .
PRE-SELECTED SERVICE PROVIDER Vetica Médecin Vétérinaire Consultant Inc. 2590 rue Pommel Saint-Lazarre, Québec, J7T 2B1 Advance Contract Award Notice 2023002‐ACAN (Continued) Page 3 of 3 __________________________________________________________________________________________ Vetica Médecin Vétérinaire Consultant Inc. has been identified to our knowledge as the only service provider which meets the requirements can deliver the services, has an intimate understanding of the components of the Animal Care and Veterinary Service, and is available in the timeframe required. CONTRACT TERM The contract term is for one year. The mandate is expected to start on February 3, 2024. CLOSING DATE OF THIS ADVANCE CONTRACT AWARD NOTICE: February 1, 2024. (3:00 p.m. EDT) If no other supplier submits, on or before the closing date, a statement of capabilities meeting all requirements set out in the Advance Contract Award Notice, a contract will be awarded to the current proposed supplier. All inquiries for this Advance Contract Award Notice must be in writing only by: January 24, 2024 (3:00 p.m. EDT). Please reference 2023002OPS-ACAN in your correspondence. Please submit your questions or statement of capabilities, Through Merx or by email, to Celina Demers at cdemer5@uottawa.ca. See below for electronic submission instructions. ________________________________ Celina Demers Intermediate Advisor, Procurement Services SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS Please submit your Statement of Capabilities electronically through MERX, the electronic tendering system used by the University of Ottawa. Proposals submitted in any other manner may be disqualified. Each Proponent shall submit only one (1) electronic copy of its proposal using MERX Electronic Bid Submission (EBS). Note that “copy” refers to all elements of the ACAN and may consist of multiple electronic files. Each file that makes up the proposal cannot exceed 100MB and there is no limit on the total size of the proposal (i.e. each individual file has a size limit of 100MB, but the sum of the size of each individual file has no limit). Each Proponent is solely responsible for the delivery of submissions in the manner and time described. The University is not responsible for computer malfunctions, uploading delays or technical difficulties using Merx EBS. Proponents should note that responses are not available to the University for viewing by the Merx EBS until after the Submission Deadline. For assistance in using MERX, please watch the online Electronic Bid Submission tutorial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=To0fqSccw3M. Alternatively, you can contact MERX directly at 1-800-964-MERX (6379) or visit the MERX website at www.merx.com. It is important that the Proponents obtain and retain the PIN number assigned to them by MERX in order to upload electronic proposal documents.