FUNERAL TRANSPORT SERVICES TO SUPPORT NATIONAL SURVEILLANCE OF HUMAN PRION DISEASES (CJD)

Introduction

The Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance System (CJDSS) of the Public Health Agency of Canada requires a specialized funeral/mortuary transportation service to assist with the transportation of cadavers of persons suspected of having died of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). This service is essential to the operations of CJDSS, as without it autopsy would often be impractical and thus a diagnosis of CJD impossible to obtain.

Statement of Work

The core requirement is to collect bodies from hospitals, long-term care facilities and residences throughout Canada and transport them by ground, air or rail to designated hospitals/pathologists who perform autopsies for brain removal, then return the body to an appropriate funeral-services provider in keeping with the needs of the deceased person’s family. The number of bodies requiring transport varies unpredictably over time but may amount to 60 or more per year. These services are performed in close coordination with the needs of physicians, pathologists, funeral home staff, families of the deceased, local and provincial authorities, and the CJDSS.

Each time services are needed the Project Authority or designate will contact the contractor to arrange for pick-up and transportation of the cadaver to a specified hospital/pathologist. The Project Authority or the hospital/pathologist will liaise with the contractor for pick-up and return of the body to a funeral services provider, in keeping with the needs of the deceased person’s family.

All cadavers must be handled in a highly specialized way. The CJDSS and the Contractor must be in close contact to ensure that any specific precautions related to prion diseases are addressed. This includes but is not limited to the use of personal protective equipment when handling bodies, and double-bagging the body. In addition, there must be no embalming done, and cremation must occur in accordance with the deceased families’ wishes.

Mandatory Requirements

M1. The bidder must demonstrate their services are available country-wide via a single point of contact for CJDSS.

M2. The bidder must demonstrate all their services are available in both French and English.

M3. The bidder must demonstrate they can respond to calls 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year.

M4. The bidder must demonstrate they have the capability to arrange for the transportation within four hours of death (if necessary).

M5. The bidder must have experience in arranging for coroner’s permits for inter-provincial transportation (if necessary). Proof required.

M6. The bidder must demonstrate they have access to refrigerated storage (if necessary). Proof required.

M7. The bidder must have a minimum of 10 years’ experience, expertise, training and certification in the care and handling of cadavers of persons dying of infectious diseases, including CJD. Proof required.

M8. The bidder must have proven experience in the completion of at least 2 projects similar in scope to the work described in the Statement of Work. Proof is required with a description of each project, title, organization for whom the work was performed, contact name(s) and phone number(s)/facsimile and e-mail address if applicable.

M9. The bidder’s Lead Resource/Manager must have a minimum of 5 years’ experience overseeing work similar in scope to the work described in the Statement of Work of this RFP. Resumé and two references required.

M10. The bidder must belong to either the National Funeral Director’s Association or the Funeral Service Association of Canada. Proof of certification required.

Senior Procurement Officer: Brian Spero Telephone: (613) 952-6249 Fax: (613) 941-2645 e-mail: brian.spero@hc-sc.gc.ca