Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) Vaccine Antigen Concentrate (VAC)
Department of Agriculture · Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
AI summaryUSDA APHIS (for the North American Foot and Mouth Disease Vaccine Bank and the National Animal Vaccine and Veterinary Countermeasures Bank) wants to buy and store Foot and Mouth Disease vaccine antigen concentrate (VAC), turn government-owned VAC into finished vaccine when asked, and buy finished vaccine directly in emergencies. It plans multiple 18-year IDIQ contracts (5 years of ordering, then up to 18 years in all for conversion and delivery). It is an unrestricted competition and only established vaccine makers with USDA licensing files can realistically qualify. More in the summary
AI summary Beta
Summary of the version posted Oct 1, 2026. The notice was amended Oct 27, 2026. Check what else changed on SAM.gov. This summary may miss requirements: 1 of 4 attachments weren't read (Attachment 2 - Price Schedule.xlsx). Check the attachments on SAM.gov.
USDA APHIS (for the North American Foot and Mouth Disease Vaccine Bank and the National Animal Vaccine and Veterinary Countermeasures Bank) wants to buy and store Foot and Mouth Disease vaccine antigen concentrate (VAC), turn government-owned VAC into finished vaccine when asked, and buy finished vaccine directly in emergencies. It plans multiple 18-year IDIQ contracts (5 years of ordering, then up to 18 years in all for conversion and delivery). It is an unrestricted competition and only established vaccine makers with USDA licensing files can realistically qualify.
Who can bid (6)
- Vaccine must be eligible for a USDA product license or permit for distribution and sale; a good-faith application to the Center for Veterinary Biologics (CVB) can count
- Approved master seed virus and cell line data, safety data, efficacy data, outlines of production and facility documents already on file at CVB
- Show a license or permit for distribution and sale from USDA, or evidence that an application was submitted
Show all 6Show fewer
- Animal-origin materials only from countries with no-risk or low-risk BSE status
- Anti-discrimination and DEI certification, which carries False Claims Act exposure
- No small business set-aside; NAICS 325414 with a 1,250 employee size standard. Open to all responsible sources.
How to submit: Email to Stephen.Tees@usda.gov with subject line: Solicitation 12639527R0001 - [Offeror's Name]; each email must be under 10MB, numbered if split, due 11/10/2026 5:00 PM Central Time (Nov 10, 2026, 5:00 PM CST · 6:00 PM Eastern); questions are due by October 9, 2026, 5:00 PM Central Time. What to include is under Full summary below. Check the solicitation's instructions on SAM.gov.
Things to watch (9)
- Serious: SAM.gov and the solicitation disagree on the set-aside. SAM.gov lists no set-aside, but the solicitation the AI read says a set-aside for small businesses. Ask the contracting officer which applies before you bid.
- Serious: Heavy regulatory and technical barrier. You need FMD master seed virus, cell line, safety and efficacy data and facility files already with USDA CVB, so only established veterinary vaccine manufacturers can compete.
- Serious: Very long commitment and huge scale. Each IDIQ runs about 18 years with a ceiling of $800 million and orders up to 200 million doses, which demands strong finances and capacity.
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- Serious: Live FMD virus is a Tier 1 Select Agent. Shipping samples and challenge virus needs select agent transfer authorizations, specific airports and no commercial express carriers, adding compliance risk.
- Serious: Financial penalties for failed tests. Failed VAC must be replaced at your cost, and a failed PD50 test costs a $120,000 credit, which must be repaid in cash if the Government buys no more VAC.
- Worth checking: Large proposal effort and no price tradeoffs. Four volumes, up to 200 technical pages, and awards go by technical ranking then fair price, with no tradeoffs.
- Worth checking: Orders may be sole-source and are not guaranteed. The minimum order is 1 million doses and some vaccine strains may be ordered from only one awardee, so winning an IDIQ does not guarantee work.
- Worth checking: Price schedule not available to read. The pricing spreadsheet (Attachment 2) was not read (it may be an attached file the AI skipped; check SAM.gov), so quantities, line items and any price ceilings per item are unknown.
- Minor: Short fuse for questions. Questions are due October 9, 2026 and the proposal is due November 10, 2026.
Read from the notice and 3 attachments. 1 of 4 not read. Show which files.
- 12639527R0001.pdf (read)
- Attachment 1 - Statement of Work.pdf (read)
- Attachment 3 - Past Performance Information Sheet.pdf (read)
- Attachment 2 - Price Schedule.xlsx: not read (the AI doesn't read this file type yet): open it on SAM.gov
Full summary
What they want
- Produce FMD vaccine antigen concentrate (VAC), each batch able to yield at least 1.0 million doses of finished vaccine
- Store the Government-owned VAC at the contractor's own premises (liquid nitrogen) for the full guaranteed shelf life and guarantee it
- Run required quality control testing and reporting (146S stability, potency, safety, innocuity) and send samples to USDA labs on request
- Replace any VAC that fails USDA testing at no cost, and credit $120,000 for a failed PD50 test
- Convert stored VAC into finished vaccine when ordered and deliver it free on board to an international airport
- Sell finished vaccine directly to USDA for immediate needs
- Hold up to 10 pilot serials, master seed virus, challenge virus and other samples for Government testing
- Contract type
- Multiple-award IDIQ (indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity) with firm-fixed-price delivery orders; combined synopsis/solicitation (RFP) under FAR Part 12
- Period of performance
- 18 years total, estimated 12/01/2026 to 11/30/2044: five 1-year ordering periods for VAC and direct vaccine purchases, plus a conversion and delivery ordering period for previously bought VAC through the guaranteed shelf life
- Place of performance
- Ames, IA per the SAM.gov fields; the work is production and storage at the contractor's premises, with delivery to international airports (JFK in New York and Kansas City for samples) as directed on orders
- Estimated value
- Contract ceiling price of $800,000,000.00; maximum order 200 million doses; the Government is not obligated to order for less than 1 million doses
- How they'll choose
- Technical ranking on non-price factors, then price is checked for fair and reasonableness in order of ranking; no tradeoffs. Award is not necessarily to the lowest price. Multiple awards are possible.
- Offers due
- 11/10/2026 5:00 PM Central Time (Nov 10, 2026, 5:00 PM CST · 6:00 PM Eastern); questions are due by October 9, 2026, 5:00 PM Central Time (from the version posted Oct 1, 2026; amended since)
- How to submit
- Email to Stephen.Tees@usda.gov with subject line: Solicitation 12639527R0001 - [Offeror's Name]; each email must be under 10MB, numbered if split
- Page limits
- Technical Proposal: 200 pages max. Past Performance: 25 pages max. Tables of contents, glossaries and acronym lists are excluded. Letter size, 1-inch margins, 12-point Times New Roman or similar.
What they'll judge offers on
- Factor 1 - Technical Capability (equal in importance to Factor 2)
- Factor 2 - Past Performance (equal in importance to Factor 1)
- Factor 3 - Price (not rated; checked for fair and reasonable, evaluated as price per dose divided by years of guaranteed shelf life)
What to include when you submit
- Submit four separate volumes, each marked with the solicitation number, offeror name, and volume number and title
- Volume I Administrative: one-page cover letter, completed and signed SF 1449 (signature in block 30c), and completed fill-in clauses and provisions
- Volume II Technical: documentation of MSV and cell line data, license or permit (or application) at USDA CVB, safety, efficacy, outlines of production and facility documents on file at CVB
- Volume III Past Performance: two relevant Past Performance Information Sheets from the last five years (Attachment 3), or a statement of no relevant history
- Volume IV Price: completed Attachment 2 - Price Schedule, giving price per dose and guaranteed shelf life for all VAC and finished vaccine items; failure to price may exclude the proposal
- Offers must be F.O.B. Destination with all shipping and delivery costs included in the price
- Prices must stay firm for 180 calendar days from the date the Government receives the proposal
Current contractor
No incumbent is named. The solicitation refers to existing Government-owned VAC and says new contracts are likely needed every five years, so earlier vaccine bank contracts probably exist, but no contractor or contract number is given.
Not in the notice text
- Price schedule contents (Attachment 2 - Price Schedule.xlsx was not read): list of FMD serotypes and strains, quantities and any line-item limits
- Exact ordering period dates, which will be set at award
- Which specific FMD strains and serotypes the Government will order
- Final delivery destinations and contact details for sample shipments, which will be included in the award
- Whether and when an on-ramp solicitation will be issued
- Minimum guaranteed order for each contract beyond the 1 million dose order limitation language
Eligibility and how to respond
- SAM.gov lists no set-aside, but the notice text limits who can bid:
- The notice text says this is set aside for small businesses, but SAM.gov lists no set-aside. Ask the contracting officer which one applies before you bid.
- How to submit, from the AI summary: Email to Stephen.Tees@usda.gov with subject line: Solicitation 12639527R0001 - [Offeror's Name]; each email must be under 10MB, numbered if split. Check it in the notice before you send anything.
Notice details
- Posted
- Oct 27, 2026
- Notice type
- Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
- Office
- MRPBS Minneapolis MN, MN
- Product/service code
- 6505 · Drugs and Biologicals
- Business type
- Medical & healthcare (FedReady's grouping, from NAICS 325414)
- Versions
2 versions have been posted, newest first.
- Oct 27, 2026 · Amendment 0001 (this version)Due Nov 10, 2026
- Oct 1, 2026 · Combined Synopsis/SolicitationDue Nov 10, 2026
- Attachments
Past awards and competition
Who has won work like this before, the likely incumbent, and what similar contracts paid, from USAspending.gov.
Before you respond
- How to respond to a solicitation (8 steps)
- How to read a government solicitation
- How to price a government contract
Terms on this notice: Solicitation
Full notice text from SAM.gov
This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Part 12. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation. Proposals are being requested and a separate written solicitation will not be issued. Solicitation number 12639527R0001 is issued as a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the purchase and storage of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) Vaccine Antigen Concentrate (VAC), conversion of Government owed VAC into usable vaccine, and the direct purchase of finished vaccine. This acquisition is not set-aside for small business concerns. The applicable North American Industry Classification Standard Code is 325414. The small business size standard is 1,250. This acquisition is an unrestricted requirement. All responsible sources may submit a proposal which will be considered by the agency.
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