After more than two decades, the Hawaiian Humane Society's landmark Neuter Now program will expire at the end of this year.

A new contract has been awarded to the Animal Care Foundation, a Hawai'i Kai clinic established in 1998 as a no-kill animal rescue and rights advocacy organization.

Dennis Kamimura, licensing agent with the city Department of Customer Services, said the city is legally bound to pick the provider that can meet the requirements at the lowest cost.

"Our contract ended with the Humane Society and so the contract went out on bid," said Kamimura, who added that the foundation submitted the lowest bid.

Kawehi Yim, director of community relations for the Hawaiian Humane Society, said the program's partnership between the city, private veterinarians and the Hawaiian Humane Society was a pioneering effort that's been copied around the nation.

She said that for 22 years the society administered the spay/neuter program, using city funds to pay O'ahu veterinary clinics to provide low-cost sterilization for cats and dogs. She said the number of participating veterinarian clinics has been as high as 33, which provided up to 10,000 sterilizations throughout the island.

Now that has decreased to around 18 clinics, she said.

Fixed-rate sterilization certificates were sold at society headquarters on Wai'alae Avenue or satellite city halls.

"We did not make any changes in our contract price," said Yim, who added that the society did not know how the new provider would administer the program. "We agreed to keep the charges that are paid to the private veterinarians that participate in the program at the same rate. That's the only information that we have."

Yim said Neuter Now prices through the Humane Society varied in price depending on whether it was a cat or dog and the sex of an animal. Costs ranged from a low of around $40 for a female cat to a high of about $75 for a female dog.

She added that the change would not affect the society's on-going feral animal spay/neuter program.

Kamimura said the money the city provides is appropriated by the City Council to reimburse veterinarians for services provided.

Any administrative expenses needed to meet various obligations — such as providing brochures explaining the program, or printing the service certificates — have been borne by the contractor.

The major difference now is that the surgeries will be performed by the contractor's own veterinarians at its clinic in Hawai'i Kai, or by its mobile unit that will travel around O'ahu.

Foundation officials said the mobile unit is the first traveling veterinary clinic of its kind to serve O'ahu.

Kamimura said the Animal Care Foundation contract begins Feb. 2, 2009. The Humane Society's contract concludes Wednesday. However, certificates purchased through the Humane Society by the end of the year will be honored by participating veterinarians until March 31, 2009, he said.

Kamimura said the agreement with Animal Care Foundation is a one-year contract with three one-year renewals. The city would review how well the foundation meets its obligations, and if there were no problems, the contract would probably be renewed, he said.

Frank DeGiacomo, president of the Animal Care Foundation, said the spay/neuter charges through his foundation would be $56.81 for all dogs, and $35.55 for all cats, regardless of sex. The same $56.81 fee would be charged for any exotic animals, such as rabbits or guinea pigs. He said the surgeries would include microchip implantation at no extra charge.

DeGiacomo said his foundation will be able to handle as many as 8,000 or more animals a year. Because of the mobile unit, the foundation can accommodate underserved areas of O'ahu.

"We can also meet special needs, such as assisting homeless people on the beach, who in the past have been reluctant to give up their animals because they don't know if they'll get them back. So we'll be able to go the beach and neuter animals right there."