36263-3A-ACAN - Individually Ventilated Caging Systems

BACKGROUND:
 
Notice is hereby given by the University of Ottawa of the intent to enter into a contract with Tecniplast Canada Inc. to purchase Individually Ventilated Caging Systems (IVC) and Ventilation units for the purposes of housing laboratory mice.
 
PROCESS:
Suppliers who consider their equipment functional, successfully tested, readily available and fully compliant may submit in writing a statement of specifications to the contact person identified in this Notice, on or before the closing date of this Notice. In the statement of specifications, the supplier must unequivocally demonstrate how their equipment, at minimum, equals, or exceeds the stated requirements.
 
If no other supplier submits a statement of specifications, on or before the closing date of this Notice, the competitive requirements of the University Of Ottawa will be considered having been met.
 
Following notification to any suppliers not successful in unequivocally demonstrating that their statement of specifications equals or exceeds the requirements set out in this Notice, the contract may then be awarded to the pre-identified supplier.
 
Date of issue:   March 16th, 2018
Closing Date:    April 6th, 2018, at 3:00:00 P.M. Eastern Standard Time
 
INTENDED USE:
 
The intended use of this product is to house laboratory mice for use in research. This housing system must also provide adequate ventilation to the animals.  The housing system must:
 
•               Meet or exceed all Canadian regulatory requirements and standards for the housing and care of mice for use in research and teaching
•               Ensure easy visibility of the animals
•               Provide for safe handling and provide for ergonomic considerations
•               Provide adequate filtration to ensure biosecurity requirements are met and to decrease staff’s exposure to animal allergens
•               Must  be  compatible  with  existing  infrastructure  (cage  wash  robotics  system,  logistics distribution equipment)
                                                                                           
FUNCTIONALITY:
The equipment must conform to the following specifications:
Cage: Minimum requirements

• Cage dimension should meet or exceed Canadian regulatory requirements and standards (Guide to Care and  Use  of  Experimental  Animals,vol.1,2nd ed.(1993)andbecompatiblewithcagewashrobotics system.
• Cage dimensions must be as follows: 391 x 199 x 160 (172*) mm • 15.40 x 7.83 x 6.30 (6.79*) inch
• Minimum floor space specifications;
  • Floor Area = 500 cm2
  • Cage height = 12.7 cm
• Cage body must have no need for latches to achieve high level of sealing.
• Must include quantity of 540 cages.
• Acceptable  plastics  for  cage  bottom  and  top:  Clear  Polysulfone,  Polysulfone,  and  Polyphenylsulfone. Materials must be resistant to detergents used repeatedly for cleaning and sanitization.Materials must also be autoclavable (shape and transparency of plastic must be maintained).
• Water  bottles  must  be  manufactured  with  thermoplastic  materials  (ex:  polysulfone)  or  equivalent. Materials must be resistant to detergents used repeatedly for cleaning and sanitization.Materials must also be autoclavable (shape and transparency of plastic must be maintained).
• Bottles must be compatible with current water bottle processing equipment, including sizing for basket placement and water filling. To be compatible, bottle dimensions must be as follows: Square 55 mm x 128 mm.

• Water bottles must include reliable silicone seals with the bottle cap, preventing any leakage resulting in wet cages and must be compatible with the bottle automation system from IWT.
• Water bottles must be able to hold a minimum 250 ml of water.

• Must have half wire bar lid for easy access to the animal. The lid must be made of high quality stainless steel, in order to avoid rust and oxidization that can affect the animal health, without any dangerous point (sharp edges, v‐shaped points).
• Cage top must feature an external self‐centering depression for water bottle: in this way the operator does not need to center the hole with the bottle cap, but the bottle slides in by itself. No need to pull out the cages from the rack to perform the bottle change.
• All  cages  must  be  fitted  with  a  microbiological  filter  in  order  (0.2um)  to  provide  safety  for  both operators and animals.
• The inlet and outlet air nozzle must be configured to avoid cross‐contamination. Air valves must be self‐closing and well‐sealed in order to have high level of sealing when the cage is undocked from the rack.
• Inlet and outlet air nozzle at the rear top of the cage preventing the animals from being exposed to air drafts and consequently from potential anxious behavior and stress.
• Cages must be made to provide micro‐isolation conditions in either positive or negative pressure.  Cages must also be able to maintain a secure environment in the event of a power failure.

• Must  have  autoclavable  plastic  card  holders ‐  suitable  for  both  horizontal  and  vertical  cards  of  any standard size.
• The  quality  of  the  cage  must  be  ensured  by  dimensional  and  functional  tests,  autoclave  cycles,  and washing cycles.

• The intra‐cage ACH distribution across the rack must be within ±15% from the mean ACH value, even if 50% of the cages have been removed in order to provide high level of standardization of the intra‐cage conditions. This must be certified, better if by third parties (TUV).
• Rack  must  contain  a  system  of  vertical  plenums  featuring  nozzles  for  the  supply  and  exhaust  of  air individually to each cage, both positioned in the top of the cage in order not to stress the animals with a direct airstream.
• Rack horizontal plenums must be easily demountable for sanitization and washing process, without the need of any tool.
• The rack must have automatic visual indicators for cage properly docked.
• Rack must be at least 10 level high in order to maximize density (number of cages per square meter)
• The rack must be washed and autoclaved at 121°C together with the rack.
• The rack must be equipped with castors resistant to washing and autoclaving. Moreover castors must allow for very low force to enable/disable the brake to support ergonomic considerations.

• Cages must be ventilated with HEPA filtered air by an air handling unit (“AHU”).
• Every AHU must come with the related DOP test certification for HEPA filters, both supply and exhaust, and test reports concerning electrical and aeraulic tests.
• The  stainless  steel  structure  must  be  covered  by  plastic  covers,  in  order  to  make  easier  the  cleaning procedures.
• AHU must not create noise influence in the mice audible frequency range (15‐20kHz and 50‐60kHz) in order to not stress the animals with ultrasounds. Third parties certification in a semi‐anechoic room is a must.