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Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Research Animal Management Branch

Controlling NICHD Animal Procurement Costs

The Intramural Research Program of the NICHD spends approximately $400,000 each year on purchasing research animals. It is certainly in the best interests of the NICHD and its Laboratories and Branches to keep the cost of research animals to a minimum.  Included herein are some facts and suggestions to help reduce small animal procurement expenditures.  
Note:  The procurement of large animals (i.e., dogs, cats, primates, and livestock) varies somewhat from the procurement of small animals (i.e., mice, rats, rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs, frogs, etc.).

  • The cost of a specific strain of an animal species may vary from different vendors.  Generally, investigators should stay with one vendor if their science requires that the animals come from identical genetic backgrounds.  However, one should try to procure your research animals from the least expensive approved source whenever possible.  Rodents from commonly used vendors of research animals are ordered through contracts that are maintained by the Veterinary Resources Program (VRP).  Each vendor has a catalog that lists their prices and they have sales representatives that would be glad to discuss your needs.
  • The cost of research animals can be very high.  While it is certainly important to order enough animals to successfully complete proposed studies, it is requested that the ordering of extra animals be kept to a minimum.  Remember the "three Rs" put forth by British zoologist William M. S. Russell and microbiologist Rex L. Burch in 1959.  This principle sets out three goals for the conscientious researcher: replacement of animals by in vitro methods, reduction of their numbers by means of statistical techniques, and refinement of the experiment so as to cause less suffering.  These "three Rs" define the modern search for alternatives.
  • The Veterinary Resources Program (VRP) generates a report of animal orders each month.  Laboratory and Branch CAN managers receive this report, which indicates what has been charged to the various CANs.  It is recommended that these reports be reconciled with the animal orders actually placed.  Only the investigator can determine if the charges are correct.

    The VRP has been known to make errors with their billing.  Has the correct CAN been billed?  Were the animals actually received?  Is the amount charged per animal correct?  Is the bill for the correct strain?  Is the bill for the correct number of animals (decimal error may result in your being charged 10 times more than you expected)? Additionally, it is not unusual for animal orders to be changed during the procurement process.  For example, a vendor may not have the age requested, but can provide a younger animal (often at a lower cost).  When the younger animal is accepted, a reduced price should be billed.  Does the billing reflect this change?  These errors can be corrected if the CAN managers will reconcile animal orders.

    Errors found in the billing report should be reported to the RAMB Program Manager who will assist you in trouble-shooting the problem with the VRP Ordering and Contracting Unit.

  • Some of our investigators have set up standing animal orders; a certain number of animals are delivered at regular intervals.  It is easy to forget about these orders over holidays, vacations, etc.  The animals continue to arrive, but are not used for the projects for which they were ordered.  Specific deliveries can be cancelled by notifying the RAMB to avoid wasting valuable research funds.  Please try to provide at least one weeks notice for these cancellations.